Ranked: 67 Countries by School Quality and Living Costs

Where Can Families Find Great Schools for Less?

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.

Country	PISA 2025 Average Score	Monthly Family Budget (USD)
Singapore	552.55	8,162
Taiwan	531.23	3,727
Japan	521.89	3,866
South Korea	516.32	4,711
Estonia	511.42	4,393
United Kingdom	497.72	5,673
New Zealand	495.35	5,088
Canada	495.07	5,543
Ireland	493.31	6,681
Australia	492.5	6,082
Switzerland	490.15	9,051
Poland	486.91	3,671
United States	484.65	5,925
Finland	482.45	5,267
Austria	480.44	5,641
Czechia	478.59	4,136
Belgium	478.57	5,314
Türkiye	475.97	3,163
Italy	475.01	4,750
Lithuania	474.09	3,758
Sweden	471.93	5,090
Germany	471.54	5,330
Netherlands	470.02	6,229
Denmark	469.39	6,219
Portugal	467.9	4,171
France	465.8	5,101
Slovakia	463.98	3,879
Hungary	463.9	3,690
Slovenia	462.77	4,312
Spain	461.98	4,243
Croatia	461.66	4,015
Luxembourg	458.38	7,199
Norway	458.26	6,953
Latvia	452.85	3,731
United Arab Emirates	447.82	5,394
Iceland	437.8	8,688
Israel	437.07	6,904
Malta	435.41	4,960
Vietnam	430.71	2,132
Greece	426.93	3,980
Chile	426.89	2,967
Albania	425.03	3,258
Uruguay	424.21	4,163
Qatar	422.86	5,233
Montenegro	421.54	3,519
Serbia	420.11	3,141
Romania	418.93	2,953
Moldova	411.93	2,921
Thailand	410.28	2,853
Georgia	407.55	2,900
Kazakhstan	406.02	2,863
Bulgaria	404.17	3,163
Malaysia	403.13	2,417
Mexico	403.03	3,650
Azerbaijan	401.51	2,418
Cyprus	400.8	5,102
Colombia	397.84	3,579
Brazil	397.77	2,535
Saudi Arabia	396.87	3,511
Peru	392.73	2,445
Argentina	382.82	3,223
Indonesia	372.59	1,913
North Macedonia	371.91	2,452
Philippines	370.29	2,151
Armenia	364.24	3,444
Kyrgyzstan	356.91	2,282
Morocco	344.62	2,171

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.

• Source: https://www.visualcapitalist.com/cp/ranked-67-countries-by-school-quality-and-living-costs/