International Schools Database 2023 Report Ranks Phnom Penh International Schools As Second Cheapest In Asia For Second Consecutive Year
The latest edition of the International Schools Database report compared the costs of international schools in 2023, and the Cambodian capital of Phnom Penh remains the second cheapest city across Asia for international school fees.
The report assesses both regional and global costs of international schools and you can see our previous coverage of the International Schools Database reports from 2022, 2021 and 2020.
The 2023 report concludes that Asia has a “staggering range of international school costs, representing the various stages of economic development across the continent.” While Phnom Penh is again ranked the second most affordable, Malaysia's Ipoh-Perak is once again the cheapest in Asia overall and the report suggests that when it comes to international education in Asia, “it is most definitely worth doing extensive research.”
Latest Findings - International Schools Database 2023
- Phnom Penh is the second cheapest city in Asia for international schools - the same ranking as in the 2022 report.
- China continues to be Asia’s most expensive country for international school prices; the 4 most expensive cities in the continent are all located in China.
- The cost of international schools in Japan is now significantly cheaper than in other economic hubs in Asia such as China, Singapore and South Korea.
- Malaysia continues to have the least expensive international school prices. Three Malaysian cities (Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh-Perak) are among the cheapest with Ipoh-Perak being the cheapest in Asia overall (the same as in 2022).
Asian International School Prices
The report is based on price data from 24 cities in 14 Asian countries available as of December 31st 2023.
Phnom Penh International School Fees In 2024
The Cambodian capital's international schools, based on the International Schools Database, have a median price of USD $5,120, but the maximum school fees are in excess of USD $20,000. The most affordable international schools are USD $2,400 in Phnom Penh at the start of 2024.
Phnom Penh was 2021’s least expensive city in Asia for international schools and the median prices for international schools in the capital have risen from USD $4,908 in the previous report (2022).
Malaysia's International Schools The Most Affordable In Asia
Malaysia is the least expensive destination in Asia when it comes to the cost of international schools for the second year running and three Malaysian cities included (Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh - Perak) are three of the five cheapest cities overall in Asia.
The median price in the least expensive city (Ipoh - Perak) is USD $2,648 per year, while the country's most expensive is Johor Bahru, with a median price of USD $6,273.
China Remains The Most Expensive In The Region
China has been the source of the most expensive schools since the reports began in 2019 and is among the most expensive countries in the world with the top 4 most expensive cities in Asia for school fees, with median prices and annual fees of:
- Beijing (USD $36,799)
- Shanghai (USD $33,777)
- Shenzhen (USD $26,608)
- Guangzhou (USD $25,759)
Japanese Schools Become More Affordable
Whether it is purely the falling value of the Yen or a combination of factors, Hong Kong, Seoul (South Korea) and Singapore, now have median school prices between 15-30 per cent higher than Tokyo.
Tokyo, Japan now ranks just as the 10th most expensive city in Asia with a median price of USD $15,537 per year, and Kyoto-Osaka-Kob is in 16th position with a median price of USD $10,731 per year.
Global School Fees Perspective
Of the 75 cities in 49 countries analysed for the International Schools Database, the USA and China are the most expensive countries in the world for international education with 6 cities in the top 10 between them. New York City once again is the most expensive destination in the world for international schools. The median price of schools in New York City is USD $45,950.
South Africa and Malaysia are the countries with the least expensive international school prices, with 4 of the 10 cheapest cities between them (Ipoh - Perak, Johor Bahru and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Cape Town and Johannesburg in South Africa).)
- No Middle Eastern city included is placed within the top half of the most expensive school rankings.
- Europe (Spain, Portugal, Denmark and Bulgaria) surprisingly have among the cheapest globally.