Key points:
- The United Arab Emirates remains the most expensive country, with both Dubai and Abu Dhabi in the top 3 most expensive on our list.
- Median costs for international schools across the Middle East have a relatively narrow range when compared with other world regions such as Europe or Asia.
- Leaving aside the cities at the top and bottom of the rankings, median prices for international schools in the Middle East are roughly $8,000 to $,9,000 per year.
At the International Schools Database, we help local and expat parents choose the perfect international school for their children. Our database allows parents to find, research and compare international schools around the world. Naturally, this means that we gather and analyse a huge amount of information about international schools.
Starting in 2019, we began using this data to evaluate the prices of international schools across the globe. In this article, we share and analyze the prices of international schools in the Middle East updated to 2023.
Below, we have analysed price data from 9 cities in 8 Middle Eastern countries, in graph and table forms. While we have used all price data available to us as of Dec 31st 2023, there may be additional schools and prices not included in each city. This is because do not make their price data available or because it is unknown to us. Links to additional research focusing on each world region individually and globally can be found at the bottom of this article and here can be found the results of the previous year 2022.
Prices of International Schools in the Middle East, Per Year
The graph below is known as a box plot graph. It shows a comprehensive view of the range of prices in each city, instead of just an average. A single average price may not necessarily represent the full picture of prices in each destination. Since there is a lot to unpack in this graph, we have also provided a little explanation on how to read the graph easily at the end of the article.
Highlights and takeaways from the research findings
You may have expected the United Arab Emirates to be the most expensive country in the middle east for international schools. If you did, you were correct. Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman and Abu Dhabi were the first and third most expensive cities, with Qatar’s capital Doha in between them. Abu Dhabi’s median price stands at $8,855 per year, 19% cheaper than its sister city Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman. So if you were considering a move to the UAE, keep this in mind.
In terms of median prices, the range found in all Middle Eastern cities included in our research was relatively narrow. Manama has the lowest median price at $6,367 per year, while Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman has the highest at $10,959. While this may seem like a big difference, in the context of the rest of the world it is not. In Europe or Asia, for example, median prices in the most expensive cities can be 10 times higher than those in the cheapest cities. In that respect, the Middle East is one of the most consistent world regions in our research.
If we set aside the two most expensive (Dubai-Sharjah-Ajman and Doha) and the two least expensive cities (Amman and Manama) included in our Middle Eastern data, there is a clear trend for median prices that stand at around $8,000 - $9,000 per year. 5 of the 9 cities included in our research were within a few hundred dollars of this range. So if you were looking for a rough guide price for the cost of international schools in the region, this is a good starting point.
You can find a breakdown of exact prices for each Middle Eastern city in the table below. But if that isn’t enough, we have also compiled price data for other regions and cities around the world; you can find links to this additional research at the bottom of this article. If you require any further information or have additional questions, don't hesitate to contact us at andrea@international-schools-database.com.
