KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is the least expensive destination in Asia when it comes to the cost of international schools, according to International Schools Database's (ISD) latest research.
The three Malaysian cities included in ISD's research - Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh - make up 3 of 5 cheapest cities overall.
The median price in the least expensive city, Ipoh is US$2,648 per year.
Malaysia's most expensive city in the research was Johor Bahru, with a median price of US$6,273.
"This shows that even within a single country in Asia, a range of prices can be found," ISD said today.
When comparing Malaysia with China, however, ISD said the range of prices available becomes a lot more eye-opening.
For example, the cheapest city in China is Guangzhou with a median price of US$25,759 per year.
"So sending a child to an international school there will cost you almost 10 times more than it would in Ipoh."
China continues to dominate as Asia's most expensive country for international school prices, with the four most expensive cities in the continent all located there.
Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou are the top four most expensive cities in Asia, with median prices of US$36,799, US$33,777, US$26,608 and US$25,759 per year respectively.
The cost of international schools in Japan is significantly cheaper than other economic hubs in Asia such as China, Singapore and South Korea.
Tokyo ranks just as the 10th most expensive city in Asia with a median price of US$15,537 per year, and Kyoto-Osaka-Kob is in 16th position with a median price of US$10,731 per year.
In Hong Kong, Seoul and Singapore, median prices are between 15 per cent and 30 per cent higher than Tokyo.