International School Fees for Expats: Qatar, Dubai, Singapore and Beyond
School fees are the cost families most often underestimate before a move. If you're taking a family posting to Qatar, Dubai, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Oman, Singapore or Hong Kong, find out what schooling costs before you sign the contract. Get it wrong and a big slice of the package goes straight to the school.
In Qatar, you're looking at QAR 28,000 to QAR 80,000 per year for a decent British curriculum school, depending on what year group your kid is in. Capital or development fees can add another QAR 12,000 on top. Dubai and Abu Dhabi aren't much better: top schools run AED 45,000 to AED 105,000 a year, with capital fees up to AED 15,000 at the pricier places. Saudi Arabia looks cheaper on paper at SAR 45,000 to SAR 100,000 a year, but expat children can't use state schools, so you pay full price whatever happens.
Bahrain and Oman are cheaper. Bahrain runs BHD 3,000-8,500 a year, Oman around OMR 3,000-10,500. The catch is waiting lists, which can run to years at the best schools. Singapore looks cheaper in SGD (SGD 35,000-55,000), but the city's cost of living swallows that saving fast, and getting your kid in is competitive. Hong Kong is in a different league entirely: HKD 115,000-260,000 per year, and capital levies can hit HKD 120,000 on top. That's a separate financial decision in itself.
The calculator uses real 2026/27 fees from good international schools in each place. If it says "included," the capital fee is already in the number. Plug in how many kids you've got, what year groups, and see what the real cost is. Then add it to your budget before you say yes to the job.
The capital or development fee is always counted. Where it says "Incl.", it's already part of the tuition.
Send the annual total to the Budget Tracker, which takes off any education allowance you get.
International School Fee Database (2026/27 Estimates)
Typical annual fees for each school, grouped by year group and shown in local currency. "Capital/Dev. Fee" is a compulsory yearly charge on top of tuition. "Incl." means it's already part of the tuition.
The fees shown are representative annual tuition for the 2026/27 academic year at premium international schools. They do not include uniforms, transport, extracurricular activities, examination fees or lunches - which can add 10-20% to the total. Use the calculator above to model your exact cost by selecting your destination, year group and number of children. If you are comparing job offers across jurisdictions, convert the total annual education cost to your home currency and add it to your budget calculator before deciding whether the salary uplift covers the real cost of living.