Singapore remains in the top 10 cities with the most expensive international school fees globally.
Despite falling one spot from sixth place in 2017 to seventh this year, the average tuition fees per month has increased 13% for a student in elementary school, according to a recent study by International Schools Database.
On average, the study found that students in grade 2 in Singapore schools paid US$1,856 monthly in 2018.
Hong Kong was in 12th place, with students expected to pay an average of US$1,282. As for students in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the figure is less than half at US$583.
The study found that in the majority of cities, international education fees goes hand-in-hand with the cost of living, hence the stark difference for schools in Singapore and its neighbour in Malaysia.
In another expensive city, Shanghai, grade 2 students pay a whopping US$2,744 per month. Shanghai has kept its top spot in the list for a second consecutive year. Its sister city, Beijing, clinched the second spot in 2018.
“In Beijing for example, monthly international education costs, at an average, US$2,519 for one child,” said International School Database.
“Since China's global education ranking is steadily rising year on year, that doesn't seem too unreasonable. Until you compare it with the cost of living there, of course.
“When we compare the cost of one month of tuition in an international school in Beijing with the cost of the typical monthly rent there, we can see that international school fees in Beijing are more expensive than rent by 20%.”
Recently, The Educator Asia spoke to One World International School’s (OWIS) principal on how it aims to keep fees down without compromising on education quality.
The launch announcement of OWIS’s second campus stood out this year for offering annual fees starting from $17,000. A far cry from the average $30,000 offered in other international schools here.
Other schools in Singapore that target cost-conscious expatriate families include Middleton International School and Invictus International School.
Related stories:
New international school offers low fees – with no compromises
Innovative strategies keep school fees down