Ranked: 67 Countries by School Quality and Living Costs

Where Can Families Find Great Schools for Less?

Key Takeaways:

• Taiwan and Japan offer some of the best value for education, combining top-three PISA scores with estimated monthly family budgets below $4,000.

• Singapore leads in academic performance with a score of 553, but its estimated monthly family budget exceeds $8,100.

• Poland, Lithuania, and Türkiye offer above-median academic performance at relatively affordable living costs.

Where can families find strong education systems without facing some of the world’s highest living costs?

This visualization, created by Valerii Emelianov, compares academic performance across 67 countries and economies using the OECD’s PISA 2025 results and estimated monthly living expenses from Numbeo.

The budget assumes a family of four renting a three-bedroom apartment outside the city center, excluding school tuition. Countries toward the upper-left of the chart combine stronger academic performance with lower estimated living costs.

Which Countries Offer the Best Education for the Money?

The following table ranks countries by their average mathematics, reading, and science scores, alongside estimated monthly family budgets. Data comes from the OECD’s PISA 2025 Results (Volume I), Table I.B1.2, and Numbeo.

CountryPISA 2025 Average ScoreMonthly Family Budget (USD)

Singapore552.558,162

Taiwan531.233,727

Japan521.893,866

South Korea516.324,711

Estonia511.424,393

United Kingdom497.725,673

New Zealand495.355,088

Canada495.075,543

Ireland493.316,681

Australia492.56,082

Switzerland490.159,051

Poland486.913,671

United States484.655,925

Finland482.455,267

Austria480.445,641

Czechia478.594,136

Belgium478.575,314

Türkiye475.973,163

Italy475.014,750

Lithuania474.093,758

Sweden471.935,090

Germany471.545,330

Netherlands470.026,229

Denmark469.396,219

Portugal467.94,171

France465.85,101

Slovakia463.983,879

Hungary463.93,690

Slovenia462.774,312

Spain461.984,243

Croatia461.664,015

Luxembourg458.387,199

Norway458.266,953

Latvia452.853,731

United Arab Emirates447.825,394

Iceland437.88,688

Israel437.076,904

Malta435.414,960

Vietnam430.712,132

Greece426.933,980

Chile426.892,967

Albania425.033,258

Uruguay424.214,163

Qatar422.865,233

Montenegro421.543,519

Serbia420.113,141

Romania418.932,953

Moldova411.932,921

Thailand410.282,853

Georgia407.552,900

Kazakhstan406.022,863

Bulgaria404.173,163

Malaysia403.132,417

Mexico403.033,650

Azerbaijan401.512,418

Cyprus400.85,102

Colombia397.843,579

Brazil397.772,535

Saudi Arabia396.873,511

Peru392.732,445

Argentina382.823,223

Indonesia372.591,913

North Macedonia371.912,452

Philippines370.292,151

Armenia364.243,444

Kyrgyzstan356.912,282

Morocco344.622,171

Taiwan and Japan stand out for combining strong academic results with relatively affordable living costs. Both outperform most countries in the ranking while costing less than half as much as Singapore, the highest-scoring education system.

East Asia Leads in Academic Performance

East Asian education systems dominate the upper end of the rankings, with Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and South Korea occupying the top four positions.

However, living costs vary considerably among these countries. South Korea’s estimated monthly family budget of $4,711 is higher than Taiwan’s ($3,727) and Japan’s ($3,866), highlighting the differences in affordability even among top-performing education systems.

Japan’s strong results are especially evident in international science performance. The National Center on Education and the Economy also recognizes Japan and Singapore for their consistently strong education systems.

Europe Offers Several Affordable Alternatives

In Europe, Poland scores 487 points with an estimated monthly family budget of $3,671, while Lithuania scores 474 at $3,758. Türkiye is another relatively affordable option, scoring 476 at $3,163.

Meanwhile, the UK, Ireland, and Estonia perform strongly but have higher living costs. Ireland’s overall school score also reflect its established strength in reading performance.

North America is comparatively expensive. Canada scores 495 with a monthly budget of $5,543, while the U.S. scores 485 at $5,925.

What Do PISA Scores Actually Measure?

PISA assesses how well 15-year-old students apply mathematics, reading, and science knowledge to real-world problems. It provides a useful international benchmark but does not measure every aspect of school quality.

Other assessments, including the World Top 20 education rankings, consider factors such as graduation rates, enrollment, and educational access.

For families considering a move abroad, language of instruction, school availability, educational equity, and local enrollment requirements also matter. The estimated budgets exclude school tuition, which could substantially affect affordability for families requiring private or international schools.

Learn More on the Voronoi App

For another perspective on international education, explore Canada Is University Grads’ Dream Destination on Voronoi, examining Canada’s appeal to university graduates.