Education without borders
International school, private healthcare, and a house with a pool — for less than your old mortgage payment. The kids won't complain.
3
destinations
2
countries
2
regions
49
avg cost index
Why families are going abroad
Here's the uncomfortable math: a typical US family spends $15,000-30,000/year on childcare alone. Add housing, health insurance, and saving for college, and you're working to stand still. Meanwhile, cities like Kuala Lumpur have international schools teaching the IB in English, each city's page shows the fees they publish, and everything else costs less too.
Worldschooling isn't just about saving money, though that's a powerful motivator. It's about giving your kids a perspective they can't get from a textbook. Living in Thailand teaches more about Southeast Asian culture than any AP class. Learning Spanish by immersion in Colombia beats any Duolingo streak. And the social skills kids develop navigating different cultures are the real competitive advantage.
We track international school costs across 3 cities on this page. 3 of them have schools their own websites confirm (7 in all). In 0 cities the schools are AI suggestions nobody has confirmed yet, so treat them as leads; 0 cities have only a city-wide school fee so far, and 0 still have schools whose source we need to check.
3 of the current destinations also expose a country-level public-school fit profile, and 2 currently look at least conditionally usable for resident foreign families. That matters because worldschooling is not always an international-school-only decision: sometimes the local public system is a viable Plan B, and sometimes it clearly is not.
We also track homeschooling legality for the countries represented here. Of the destinations shown, 3 have homeschool status data and 3 are in countries where homeschooling is legal or legal-with-regulation — critical context if your family plan includes homeschooling or unschooling alongside or instead of a formal school.
What is the best country for families to live in 2026?
The best countries for families to live in 2026 are Portugal (D7 passive-income visa), Spain (Non-Lucrative), Malaysia (MM2H), Japan (Long-Term Resident), and Costa Rica (Pensionado/Rentista) — all consistent picks across cost + safety + education. PISA scores favor East Asia and Northern Europe. The right pick depends on school choice, healthcare needs, and visa profile; each city's page shows the fees its schools publish.
How much do international schools cost abroad?
Fees vary widely from school to school, even within one city, and by grade. SortaRich shows a school's fee only where a source states it, usually the school's own fees page, with the school year and a link to that page; each city's page lists its schools and the typical published fee. On top of tuition, schools often charge registration, capital, transport, lunch, uniform and exam fees. Many British/American/IB curriculum schools have waitlists in capital cities.
Is homeschooling legal abroad?
Homeschooling is legal abroad in many countries but legality varies dramatically. Fully legal: US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Czechia. Legal with registration/regulation: Portugal, Spain (varies by region), France, Italy, Estonia. Restrictive or grey area: Germany (essentially banned), Sweden, Greece. Always verify current law with the destination country's ministry of education before relocating — rules change. SortaRich tags every country page with its homeschool legality status.
Top destinations
Ranked by cost of living, data quality, and relevance.
#1Taipei
🇹🇼 Taiwan · 7.9M
Confirmed schools 4 · American 4 · Published results 1 · Estimated 4 · Checked 2026-04-03
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Available to residents · PISA 536 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-14
Homeschooling: Legal with school approval
#2Sharjah
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates · 1.8M
Confirmed schools 1 · IB 1 · Estimated 2 · Checked 2026-03-14
Public-school fit · Mixed — expats mainly use private schools · Usually not practical for expats · PISA 427 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-14
Homeschooling: Legal with KHDA/ADEK approval
#3Kaohsiung
🇹🇼 Taiwan · 2.7M
Confirmed schools 2 · American 2 · Estimated 1 · Checked 2026-03-14
Public-school fit · Good public schools · Available to residents · PISA 536 (2022) · Local-language fit matters · Checked 2026-04-14
Homeschooling: Legal with school approval
International school costs
International schools vary enormously in price and quality. The best value isn't always the cheapest — it's the best education-to-cost ratio. On this page, schools their own websites confirm are counted apart from AI suggestions, so you can tell whether a city's schools are known or only suggested. Schools that publish their exam results are ranked at /international-schools. Important: most schools also charge registration, facility, and activity fees that add 10-20% to the base tuition.
Southeast Asia
Best value globally. Quality IB schools in Bangkok, KL, and HCMC from $5,000-12,000/year. Top-tier options like ISKL or ISB at $15,000-25,000/year — still half of US equivalents.
Latin America
Growing international school market. Good options in Mexico City, Bogotá, São Paulo. More limited outside capital cities.
Southern Europe
Portugal, Spain, Greece offer IB schools at $8,000-20,000/year. Strong quality, smaller class sizes, European cultural immersion.
Middle East
Dubai and Abu Dhabi have many international schools, with excellent facilities and curricula.
Family-friendly costs
Families have different spending patterns than singles or couples. You need more space (3-bedroom vs. 1-bedroom), more groceries, childcare or school fees, and family health coverage. The good news: family cost advantages compound. A 3-bedroom apartment in Lisbon's center costs $1,200-1,800/month — roughly what a 1-bedroom costs in San Francisco. Groceries for a family of four run $400-600/month in most of our top destinations, compared to $800-1,200 in a US metro area.
Making the transition
Moving abroad with kids sounds daunting, and it is — logistically. But families who've done it consistently report the same thing: the kids adapt faster than the parents. Most international schools accept mid-year enrollment. The biggest challenges are healthcare continuity and maintaining friendships back home. Both are solvable. Start with a 3-6 month trial in a worldschooling hub (Lisbon, Chiang Mai, Medellín) where established expat family communities can ease the landing.
Ready to see your numbers?
Take the 60-second quiz — we'll personalize the rankings to your home city, income, and family. Or jump straight to the map.
Comments
Sign in to share your experience or ask a question.
Loading comments…