Phuket is cheaper than the average city in Asia for international schools, ranking eighth cheapest out of 24 cities, according to the latest research released by International Schools Database (ISD).
International schools on the island also remain cheaper than their counterparts in Bangkok and Pattaya, ISD has reported.
China ranked the most expensive country in Asia for international education, with four Chinese cities in the top 10 most expensive locations across the continent, said a release announcing ISD’s analysis for 2022.
The database, launched in 2019, allows parents to find, research and compare international schools around the world. The latest release uses all price data available to the organisation as of Dec 31, 2022. “There may be additional schools and prices not included in each city, because they do not make their price data available or it is unknown to us,” ISD noted in its release.
Phuket was included in the analysis of international schools in 24 cities in 13 Asian countries, in graph and table forms.
“Similar to last year, China continues to dominate as the most expensive country in Asia for international schools. The top four most expensive cities are all located in China – Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou. This order also remains the same since last year, however, median prices have increased in all four cities (although only slightly in Shenzhen),” the release noted.
Ipoh, in Perak, Malaysia, is a new city included in the research this year and has taken the title of the least expensive location in Asia for international schooling. Following it is Phnom Penh, which was 2021’s least expensive city.
“Prices in Ipoh range from US$2,316 to $3,065 per year, which is a stark contrast to Asia’s most expensive city, Beijing. Prices in this Chinese metropolis range from above $10,000 to almost $40,000 per year, ISD reported.
Despite the high prices seen in China, elsewhere in Asia median prices were more affordable than most people might think.
“Of the 24 cities included in our analysis of Asia, 14 had median prices of under $15,000 per year. These were Taipei, Yangon, Bangkok, Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, Phuket, Manila, Johor Bahru, Bali, Penang, Kuala Lumpur, Phnom Penh and Ipoh – Perak,” ISD explained.
Malaysia and Thailand are the most affordable countries in Asia when it comes to the cost of international education, while Pattaya, Chiang Mai and Phuket along with four Malaysian cities (Johor Bahru, Penang, Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh) are included in the 10 least expensive locations in the continent. Other countries include Indonesia (Bali), Philippines (Manila), and Cambodia (Phnom Penh).
“This year we have added Bali to our analysis for the first time, and it is the fifth least expensive destination overall in Asia. This should be good news for many people, since the Indonesian island is becoming increasingly popular as an expat destination,” explained ISD Co-Founder Andrea Robledillo.
Of note, Phuket ranked fifth cheapest international school in Asia in the study in 2020.
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, rising inflation and currency value fluctuations across the region, Ms Robledillo offered different reasons for Phuket’s slide down to eighth place.
“The main reason why it moved from the fifth cheapest in Asia for international education to the eighth cheapest is because this year we were able to extend our research to include two new cities/areas in Asia that are cheaper than Phuket: Bali and Ipoh – Perak. This made Phuket move up two positions in the ranking,” Ms Robledillo explained.
“Additionally, Phuket also moved up one position because this year Manila’s median international school price became slightly cheaper than Phuket, instead of slightly more expensive as it was in 2021,” she added.
A breakdown of exact prices for each Asian city in the study, and comparable price data for other regions and cities around the world as well as additional research at International-schools-database.com. Each school’s listing includes full contact details, school policies, nationality information, extra-curricular activities, and more.
