What studying abroad actually costs
Tuition is the number everyone quotes. It is rarely the biggest one.
Tuition
€0 – $50,000
The number in every brochure. In the cheap countries it is the smallest part of your bill.
Living
$10k – $30k
Rent, food, transport, insurance. Set by your city, not your country.
Visa funds
$13k – $21k
Money you show, not spend — €11,904 for Germany, AUD 29,710 for Australia. You get it back.
Before you fly
$2k – $5k
Flights, visa fee, health cover, a flat deposit, certified translations. The part that catches people out.
Free tuition is not the same as cheapest
Germany charges no tuition and still costs more, because rent is the bigger number. Compare totals, never fees.
Questions about what it costs
Which country is cheapest for international students?
On tuition and living combined, Japan and South Korea come out lowest, then Italy and Germany. The full ranking is on page two, converted to US dollars so the fifteen can actually be compared.
Cheapest is not always best value though — a country with no post-study work rights can cost you more in lost earnings than it saved you in fees.
What is the cost of living in UK for international students?
About £12,000–£15,000 a year outside London. The Home Office requires proof of £1,483 a month for London and £1,136 elsewhere, which is a useful floor to budget from.
A cheap masters in the UK for international students is really a one-year masters outside London — the shorter course saves a whole year of living costs, which beats any fee discount.
What are the tuition fees in Switzerland for international students?
Lower than almost anyone expects. ETH Zurich charges about CHF 2,190 a semester since Autumn 2025 — roughly CHF 4,380 a year. Switzerland university fees for international students stay under CHF 5,000 at most public institutions.
The cheapest university in Switzerland for international students is not the point though: living costs of CHF 21,000–27,000 a year dwarf the fee. Switzerland is expensive to live in, not to study in.