To help students make informed financial decisions, The Mobile Bank N26 analyzed the cost of higher education in 50 countries around the world—including the cost of studying to become a Doctor, Nurse, Lawyer, Civil Engineer, Software Developer, or Teacher. Plus, the study features the typical local salaries for graduates of each degree and ranks 100 popular student cities for their livability and cost of living.
With classes disrupted and remote learning as the new norm, we all saw major changes in the world of higher education over the last few years. As pandemic restrictions loosen and the next generation of students prepares to start university, we’ve put together The Education Price Index: an in-depth analysis of how higher education costs differ around the world. It’s all to help students make smart financial choices when planning their futures. The study also compares data on the cost of living, tuition fees, levels of student debt, and graduate salaries, with a focus on six globally comparable degree subjects.
The higher education landscape
Around 40% of people globally now go on to higher education after finishing secondary school—the highest level ever. A university education can open doors to greater career opportunities and better remuneration, but it can also come at a significant financial cost. In some countries, university students receive free tuition or only pay admin costs, while in others they pay tuition fees that vary depending on whether the university is public or private. Add living costs and other expenses, and the price of getting a degree can rack up quickly.We looked at the cost of higher education in 50 countries, which we chose because of their renowned universities and comparable education data. Our research included looking at tuition fees as well as living costs and livability in different locations around the world.
The research process
To compare the cost of higher education in each country, we analyzed the tuition fees of six common degree subjects: medicine, nursing, law, civil engineering, software development, and teaching. For each subject, we researched the annual tuition fees and calculated the total cost of completing the necessary degree(s). We also wanted to gauge the financial implications of studying different subjects, so we determined graduates’ typical salary prospects.Since financial accessibility is a key topic in higher education around the world, we assessed the affordability of a university education in each country. We calculated how long it takes for someone on an average income to pay back their tuition fees, as well as for someone earning minimum wage.With high inflation affecting people’s spending power, we also evaluated student living costs in 100 prominent university cities around the world—an important consideration for students across the globe. We analyzed the cost of student housing, food, and other expenses in each city, to find out where it’s most and least affordable to maintain a typical student lifestyle.And because we know that a student’s university experience is about more than just studying, we also ranked the livability of each city for students. We considered factors like student safety, the quality of cultural attractions and nightlife, and the level of smart mobility.The final results compare the higher education landscape in countries and cities around the world.The full methodology explaining how we calculated each factor can be found at the bottom of the page.
The university price index
The table below compares the quality of universities in each country, as well as degree tuition costs, affordability, and the salaries that graduates usually earn after university. The icons indicate whether each column is presented as a score (all scores are out of 100, with 100 being the highest and 50 the lowest possible score); a metric of time (years or hours); or cost (€).Click on the top of each column to sort from highest to lowest.
University Price Index: Global Comparison of Costs
#↕
Country↕
Top Universities Score↕
Years to Pay Off Tuition↕
Minimum Wage Hours to Afford a Degree↕
Cost of One Year at University(€)↕
Junior Salary Level(€)↕
Senior Salary Level(€)↕
Cost of Becoming a Doctor(€)↕
Salary of a Doctor(€)↕
Cost of Becoming a Nurse(€)↕
Salary of a Nurse(€)↕
Cost of Becoming a Lawyer(€)↕
Salary of a Lawyer(€)↕
Cost of Becoming a Civil Engineer(€)↕
Salary of a Civil Engineer(€)↕
Cost of Becoming a Software Developer(€)↕
Salary of a Software Developer(€)↕
Cost of Becoming a Teacher(€)↕
Salary of a Teacher(€)↕
1
USA
100
19
12264
27091
59456
113268
270588
159093
51781
65102
228321
99697
127124
69974
73082
88130
106006
47942
2
UAE
87
14
25496
12535
43363
79867
130750
99824
19937
37837
66740
106991
66074
44943
35578
52084
30184
39160
3
England
96
12
3215
11405
37460
66806
66442
87928
38758
40690
62313
71656
48845
42900
38758
50094
49832
36291
4
Wales
90
9
2941
10834
46805
83484
53872
116379
37710
46770
54231
91468
50640
55135
37710
58916
47527
43451
5
Israel
87
14
4158
9442
29911
56982
53039
62216
33752
32768
50696
47413
46592
34358
28931
58996
38574
30546
6
Scotland
94
10
2897
9305
41117
73070
10894
94650
7626
45603
33484
80684
32150
47119
7626
51825
8715
41484
7
Canada
94
8
3642
9176
47833
90994
104575
125226
17406
54914
64345
84474
47502
52832
17385
60871
35028
45978
8
Singapore
96
10
7730
9112
43641
80207
120069
102478
24067
39956
55956
89663
37729
52614
29005
55512
19065
38722
9
Japan
92
9
3470
8132
37963
72067
101806
98289
24629
40026
38010
91143
47701
31919
33337
47528
31398
31863
10
Jamaica
87
28
30479
8055
13250
24573
26872
33826
19188
14557
41826
22203
41382
15016
24840
16972
8720
12312
11
Ireland
90
8
2455
7231
41605
78274
39395
122722
20548
40675
29634
61058
51836
46606
20923
52527
19386
38795
12
Australia
95
5
1490
5939
51048
96902
47927
130008
13633
53229
12950
83243
32343
65419
18436
68786
21291
52967
13
Chile
83
11
9004
5757
24975
46620
46782
62666
18440
21771
28860
42434
30819
31964
21971
30451
15234
28934
14
New Zealand
91
5
2017
5439
46013
87427
51305
116651
18677
48752
22465
83561
28463
55150
15859
60974
15340
43138
15
Brazil
86
13
12406
5314
17842
32148
92467
44762
12885
14092
30855
31978
32584
23595
13784
25635
14195
17264
16
Hong Kong
94
4
3629
4988
49676
90982
27435
117925
17459
48725
24941
116225
27435
50164
17459
51750
24941
47284
17
Spain
90
8
2453
4882
27945
51090
38224
53092
16031
35146
21091
46763
25328
39699
20881
34666
17473
29001
18
Northern Ireland
89
4
1393
4069
46150
82061
27415
105283
19190
50058
27415
89239
20430
54354
19190
62170
21932
44329
19
South Africa
89
8
10038
3862
21642
39259
28851
59553
10197
18235
20247
36090
24344
26964
9049
33576
11078
16711
20
Russia
87
17
12588
3780
9400
17679
20620
17377
2794
7159
19053
12874
24734
16856
11242
20849
16987
6275
21
South Korea
90
5
1537
3655
34860
63618
24747
95094
10900
35174
14478
66316
21171
44039
12068
41088
10556
29988
22
Malaysia
84
10
7901
3396
14891
28346
53951
34535
7346
12689
17115
27567
10165
17743
6581
22491
9300
18054
23
Mexico
79
10
13084
3364
13964
26036
37902
25642
12446
18349
11841
27050
18874
16993
12570
22673
3704
12339
24
Italy
92
4
1344
2834
29636
54776
14068
84598
11583
40830
14244
47028
15441
32955
11583
36149
11726
24375
25
India
87
16
32021
2816
7774
14233
42599
12388
4312
10710
5363
13394
27785
10531
37141
13141
3809
7173
26
France
92
4
932
2785
31192
58875
9068
63893
1690
37474
6079
57315
8023
43618
6050
42205
5427
30444
27
Indonesia
76
9
12885
2316
11033
20640
55130
23054
3561
11979
8409
23480
16311
12777
7377
16278
6129
9603
28
Netherlands
94
3
760
2210
39704
75830
12153
91084
7734
44546
11048
65413
12153
50270
7734
57175
8839
42305
29
Poland
82
4
1610
1686
16879
32874
46396
49178
5534
14842
6816
24075
4378
18110
5831
28924
3163
16168
30
Belgium
93
1
506
1555
50651
91263
8155
152906
5189
48303
7631
89411
8372
58833
5189
56055
7631
40944
31
Ukraine
79
8
4906
1416
8484
15599
7069
20823
2655
7396
9100
16506
6792
9960
4169
12340
3987
6724
32
Switzerland
95
1
198
1373
81776
146116
7550
200197
4805
81212
6178
158926
6178
94600
4805
106643
6864
78712
33
Lithuania
77
2
982
1095
21401
39458
5367
46221
3084
24914
4992
41719
6095
19568
3118
32269
5214
21217
34
China
94
1
2742
1008
30726
58947
3961
73537
2520
43940
4465
49287
4825
33711
2520
37003
4825
34593
35
Portugal
87
2
705
991
22048
39508
4315
54518
2440
20727
4036
41246
4490
27325
2440
29105
4166
21328
36
Iceland
90
1
197
919
47686
101664
2961
155516
1884
58694
4403
101261
4814
63677
2881
70325
2692
46352
37
Romania
78
2
852
789
14350
26687
9014
33798
4249
14092
3642
26391
3339
15183
2833
24036
2964
11673
38
Argentina
71
2
925
551
12243
21932
4109
23846
937
8782
4198
32624
3793
12499
2043
15260
1280
12423
39
Germany
95
1
166
499
31931
67900
2743
82086
1746
35601
2494
70761
2743
46292
1746
53554
2494
43278
40
Bulgaria
72
1
666
368
14416
26222
2601
35294
1289
15434
2045
29034
1969
14656
1611
22627
1355
11728
41
Greece
86
1
217
311
20469
36628
0
48913
0
20796
1801
36300
1000
26277
0
27681
0
19900
42
Nigeria
81
1
868
161
13086
24759
901
42498
574
12504
780
17273
901
18661
574
14415
546
8683
43
Norway
91
0
25
125
45598
96795
685
125811
436
54324
623
97658
685
71955
436
69428
623
53394
44
Austria
89
0
15
41
41595
75558
228
94588
145
49668
207
79206
228
46425
145
51560
207
33491
45
Turkey
84
0
41
24
9804
17936
165
21978
110
6353
138
21725
141
11078
110
14383
110
9560
46
Czechia
84
0
0
0
19134
34393
0
41815
0
17713
0
39358
0
20467
0
30570
0
19838
47
Denmark
92
0
0
0
52045
97223
0
113939
0
56998
0
97586
0
69810
0
69537
0
51084
48
Finland
91
0
0
0
43119
79728
0
110929
0
40502
0
72051
0
58136
0
54664
0
39178
49
Saudi Arabia
86
0
0
0
32405
59375
0
67859
0
25958
0
83141
0
36173
0
42164
0
28368
50
Sweden
92
0
0
0
34430
65569
0
76278
0
31644
0
61533
0
44604
0
53257
0
38182
City livability
The table below compares the cost of living and livability of cities around the world for students. The ‘Cost of Living’ columns are presented as a deviation from the dataset median. A lower deviation from the median indicates a cheaper price, while a higher deviation from the median indicates a higher price.The ‘Livability’ columns are presented as a score (all scores are out of 100, with 100 being the highest and 50 the lowest possible score).Click on the top of each column to sort from highest to lowest.
Student City Livability and Cost of Living
#↕
City↕
Country↕
Cost of Student Housing(%)↕
Cost of a Student Food Basket(%)↕
Cost of Other Student Expenses(%)↕
Student Safety↕
Nightlife↕
Culture↕
Smart Mobility↕
Total Score↕
1
Prague
Czechia
-14
-33
-28
90
96
100
89
100
2
Tokyo
Japan
16
6
27
89
100
91
87
96
3
Amsterdam
Netherlands
80
16
20
88
94
92
96
96
4
Madrid
Spain
1
-9
-14
85
97
91
89
95
5
Reykjavik
Iceland
65
55
48
100
83
91
91
95
6
Berlin
Germany
3
-14
-1
82
97
92
92
95
7
Edinburgh
Scotland
32
5
15
86
89
94
90
94
8
Tallinn
Estonia
-39
-20
-20
96
88
89
78
94
9
Vienna
Austria
-8
6
-8
89
85
91
92
93
10
Copenhagen
Denmark
83
45
26
94
84
82
100
93
11
London
England
173
22
56
79
95
96
92
92
12
Barcelona
Spain
3
-6
-10
80
98
84
92
92
13
Athens
Greece
-50
-16
-16
78
95
97
77
92
14
Paris
France
43
28
9
77
94
93
89
91
15
Singapore
Singapore
115
19
27
98
93
77
81
91
16
Lisbon
Portugal
-10
-33
-22
85
93
81
87
91
17
Vilnius
Lithuania
-40
-33
-26
91
88
87
77
91
18
Riga
Latvia
-49
-31
-24
85
88
85
86
90
19
Helsinki
Finland
31
22
15
97
78
82
87
90
20
Brno
Czechia
-34
-41
-32
89
88
75
88
89
21
Bologna
Italy
-25
-3
-9
78
92
90
83
89
22
Rome
Italy
17
9
-6
77
97
92
77
89
23
Valencia
Spain
-29
-15
-21
86
84
81
89
89
24
Florence
Italy
-8
2
-9
80
88
88
85
88
25
Zurich
Switzerland
96
88
71
92
80
81
94
88
26
Cologne
Germany
-11
-5
0
81
94
81
84
88
27
Oslo
Norway
51
60
43
92
80
84
86
88
28
Glasgow
Scotland
4
-11
12
82
88
83
87
88
29
New York
USA
216
66
69
77
93
94
84
88
30
Dresden
Germany
-40
-20
-14
84
79
87
87
88
31
Dubai
UAE
70
27
35
97
95
68
79
88
32
Milan
Italy
19
9
-1
79
86
87
88
88
33
Osaka
Japan
-32
-12
4
86
89
82
78
88
34
Dublin
Ireland
87
13
47
86
90
87
76
87
35
Toronto
Canada
77
23
37
85
91
86
78
87
36
Stockholm
Sweden
31
17
14
89
78
80
90
87
37
Gothenburg
Sweden
-3
7
2
88
82
80
86
87
38
Nantes
France
-37
2
-10
73
89
87
86
87
39
Bristol
England
45
-1
14
83
80
83
90
86
40
Sofia
Bulgaria
-59
-45
-43
80
96
78
74
86
41
Warsaw
Poland
-36
-47
-43
86
90
83
67
86
42
Saint Petersburg
Russia
-50
-40
-36
72
86
97
73
86
43
Hamburg
Germany
35
1
15
80
80
87
87
86
44
Munich
Germany
38
9
2
88
80
85
78
86
45
Montreal
Canada
-8
25
15
88
75
83
83
85
46
Raleigh
USA
32
13
3
81
81
89
80
85
47
Cardiff
Wales
-11
-8
-8
84
79
81
83
85
48
Krakow
Poland
-42
-50
-44
85
90
81
63
85
49
Belfast
Northern Ireland
-4
-3
9
82
81
83
80
85
50
Seoul
South Korea
-4
5
-14
88
80
77
81
84
51
Ottawa
Canada
16
9
20
88
74
82
84
84
52
Vancouver
Canada
78
44
32
86
77
85
82
84
53
Tel Aviv
Israel
74
43
25
88
87
77
75
84
54
Aachen
Germany
-28
-13
-9
84
69
79
94
84
55
Lyon
France
-7
17
0
78
78
87
84
84
56
Brussels
Belgium
2
12
6
82
80
82
81
84
57
Montpellier
France
-19
4
-5
76
80
84
83
84
58
The Hague
Netherlands
24
11
-3
90
68
76
90
83
59
San Francisco
USA
228
61
48
75
91
86
81
83
60
Santiago
Chile
-56
-29
-36
74
90
79
77
83
61
Lviv
Ukraine
-71
-63
-63
76
78
78
87
83
62
Newcastle
England
-6
-12
8
80
78
80
86
83
63
Buenos Aires
Argentina
-71
-36
-45
70
94
85
69
83
64
Washington
USA
136
45
41
74
94
84
77
83
65
Manchester
England
28
-4
6
77
78
78
91
83
66
Beijing
China
-1
-22
-7
73
92
73
82
82
67
Columbus
USA
15
1
5
78
67
85
91
82
68
Los Angeles
USA
136
49
37
77
94
88
63
82
69
Miami
USA
113
40
27
75
92
79
78
82
70
Stuttgart
Germany
0
-3
-8
85
72
81
75
81
71
Chicago
USA
86
26
39
70
76
92
82
81
72
Sao Paulo
Brazil
-47
-37
-20
60
88
92
73
81
73
Leeds
England
33
-12
14
82
76
76
81
80
74
Seattle
USA
101
40
36
77
73
85
84
80
75
Bucharest
Romania
-58
-41
-41
81
85
79
60
80
76
Auckland
New Zealand
35
17
49
84
75
82
72
80
77
Hong Kong
Hong Kong
149
30
19
85
83
67
81
80
78
Denver
USA
89
38
33
78
75
86
77
80
79
Melbourne
Australia
41
27
61
80
76
80
76
79
80
Boston
USA
152
38
34
81
67
84
81
78
81
Sydney
Australia
91
17
71
83
75
81
68
78
82
Bangkok
Thailand
-45
-28
-27
67
94
68
73
78
83
Philadelphia
USA
43
32
29
72
69
86
80
78
84
Atlanta
USA
60
8
20
72
69
84
81
77
85
Istanbul
Turkey
-69
-55
-56
71
71
87
67
77
86
Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia
-50
-41
-41
73
92
63
64
76
87
Kingston
Jamaica
-59
-18
-24
76
61
68
84
73
88
Shanghai
China
0
-1
-10
73
66
68
82
73
89
Detroit
USA
0
6
9
68
62
82
76
72
90
San Jose
Costa Rica
-43
-32
-24
76
62
70
72
71
91
Bogota
Colombia
-63
-58
-51
57
80
75
66
71
92
Mexico City
Mexico
-42
-35
-35
57
74
75
68
69
93
Chennai
India
-79
-54
-63
63
59
68
77
67
94
Nanjing
China
-51
-35
-40
78
55
52
81
67
95
Cape Town
South Africa
-31
-40
-32
54
69
66
74
65
96
Cairo
Egypt
-80
-60
-57
71
60
56
69
65
97
Riyadh
Saudi Arabia
-27
-39
7
79
50
50
81
65
98
Jakarta
Indonesia
-59
-42
-40
68
56
62
65
63
99
New Delhi
India
-76
-53
-56
56
58
55
68
58
100
Lagos
Nigeria
-6
-46
-41
50
55
55
50
50
Methodology
The Education Price Index 2022 reveals the cost of a university education in countries around the world, with a special focus on six common degree subjects: medicine, nursing, law, civil engineering, software development, and teaching. It also analyzes the livability for students of 100 cities in the countries under consideration.
Country selection
The countries in the study were chosen as a result of their renowned universities and comparable price information. Every continent is represented in the selection.
Typical University Fees for Domestic Students
University fees for specialist degrees were collected for six career paths: Medical doctors, Nurses, Lawyers, Civil Engineers, Software Developers and Teachers. For all specialist degrees:
The fees were collected for citizens of the country; in the case of the USA the fees were collected for residents of the state in which the universities are located;
Only tuition fees and university administrative fees were collected, and do not include dormitory fees or other costs of living.
Additional training costs (e.g. training at a hospital or law firm) were not taken into account.
For each country considered, the country's tertiary education system was classified as either:
Nationally regulated university fees
Fees set by each institution, primarily public universities
Fees set by each institution, mixed public and private universities
For countries with nationally regulated university fees, the fees for each specialist degree was established through review of the guidance provided by the responsible national educational bodies and by the universities themselves.For countries where fees are set by each institution, a sample of up to six universities were selected from internationally competitive universities. Internationally competitive universities were identified through well-established university ranking directories Times Higher Education and QS Top Universities.For countries with primarily public universities, the sample of universities was selected from public universities. For countries with a mix of public and private universities–defined as a country where more than 20% of students are enrolled with private universities–an additional sample of up to six private universities was selected and typical university fees were separately established for public and private universities.A full list of universities and educational bodies used as sources can be provided on request.To calculate the overall education cost of each career path, the typical length of study for each country was provided by the World Higher Education Database (UNESCO/International Association of Universities). The overall costs assume that students graduate without repeats or extensions.
Salary levels per profession
Typical salaries were collected for six professions: Medical doctors, Nurses, Lawyers, Civil Engineers, Software Developers and Teachers. Official data on wages were collected from:
USA: BLS (US. Bureau of Labour Statistics)
Europe: Eurostat
Other OECD countries: OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development)
Other countries: ILO (International Labour Organization)
The industry and professional definitions used for each profession are outlined below in the per-factor notes.From the broad official data on wages, granular estimates of specific professions, as well as junior/senior wage differences, were developed using aggregate estimates from salary comparison websites Glassdoor, Payscale, SalaryExplorer, SalaryExpert, Teleport, Gehalt.de and Salary.com.Junior Salaries are defined and calculated as a weighted average of the salaries after 0-2 years of experience (80% weight) and 2-5 years of experience (20% weight). Senior Salaries are defined and calculated as a weighted average of the salaries after 10-15 years of experience (25% weight), 15-20 years of experience (50% weight) and 20+ years of experience (25% weight). For each profession, Junior and Senior salary coefficients were calculated from the ratio of Junior and Senior salaries against average salaries presented on salary comparison websites. The final Junior and Senior salary estimates were calculated by applying the coefficients against the average salaries of each profession.Overall Junior Salary Levels: an aggregate of Junior salaries was constructed as the average of the Junior salaries of the six professions.Overall Senior Salary Levels: an aggregate of Senior salaries was constructed as the average of the Junior salaries of the six professions.
Top Universities Score
A score that reflects the presence of top-ranked universities in each country. A higher score means the country has a greater presence of top-ranked universities. The score is constructed from three underlying indicators:
The highest scoring university present in each country;
The total score of high scoring universities in each country;
The average score of high scoring universities in each country, adjusted for the number of enrolled students.
Sources: Times Higher Education; QS Top Universities; World Bank Education Statistics.
Financials of Education: Cost of One Year at University
The typical cost of tuition and administrative fees for one academic year. The results show the representative cost of studying for one year, and is the mean of the six degree subjects covered in the study. The factor is computed according to the following formula:The Cost of Education for each Specialist Degree is estimated using the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
Financials of Education: Years to Pay Off Tuition
The number of years it takes a graduate to pay back the full university tuition fee, as an indicator of the Burden of Student Debt. The calculation assumes a student earns a typical Junior level salary and allocates 5% of their post-graduate income to paying off tuition fee debt. The factor is computed according to the following formula:The Cost of one year at university is defined above; typical course length of each career path is collected using the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
Financials of Education: Minimum Wage Hours to Afford a Degree
The number of hours a person earning the minimum wage must work to be able to pay for a full university degree. The indicator imagines that a student’s parent, and family’s sole breadwinner, works to finance the tuition and administrative fees of their child’s university education. The factor is computed according to the following formula:The Cost of one year at university is defined above; typical course length of each career path is collected using the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”Hourly Minimum Wage for each country was collected from ILO. For countries that do not have a legally mandated minimum wage, the salary of an entry level services profession such as cleaners or fast food cashiers were used instead.A full list of estimated minimum wage for countries without legally mandated minimum wage can be provided on request.
Financials of Education: Junior & Senior salary levels
- Junior Salary Level: The aggregate of Junior Salaries of all professions considered; overall Junior Salary Levels are estimated using the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession".- Senior Salary Level: The aggregate of Senior Salaries of all professions considered; overall Senior Salary Levels are estimated using the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession".
Education Costs and Typical Salaries: Doctor
- Cost of Becoming a Doctor:The tuition fees plus university administrative fees for specialist degrees for medical doctors were collected according to the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
A typical degree in many countries is a 5.5 year Bachelor of Science degree such as “Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery” (e.g. MBBS, MB ChB, MB BCh).
For some countries with different degree formats, adjustments were made accordingly (in the case of the US, 4 years for a Bachelor’s degree and 4 years for a degree titled medical doctor).
- Salary of a Doctor:The typical salary of a doctor was estimated according to the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession”.
For the USA, official numbers were provided by BLS using professional category 29-1210-Physicians.
For European countries, industry level wages were provided by Eurostat, using the industrial NASCE category Q86-Human health activities.
For other OECD countries, industry level wages were provided by OECD, using the industrial ISCED-2011 category 7-Health and welfare.
For all other countries, the industry level wages were provided by ILO, using the industrial ISIC-Rev.4 category Q.-Human health and social work activities
Education Costs and Typical Salaries: Nurse
- Cost of Becoming a Nurse:The tuition fees plus university administrative fees for specialist degrees for Nurse were collected according to the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
A typical degree in many countries is a 5.5 year Bachelor of Science degree such as “Bachelor of Nursing”.
- Salary of a Nurse:The typical salary of a Nurse was estimated according to the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession”.
For the USA, official numbers were provided by BLS using professional category 29-1141-Registered Nurses.
For European countries, industry level wages were provided by Eurostat, using the industrial NASCE category Q86-Human health activities.
For other OECD countries, industry level wages were provided by OECD, using the industrial ISCED-2011 category 7-Health and welfare.
For all other countries, the industry level wages were provided by ILO, using the industrial ISIC-Rev.4 category Q.-Human health and social work activities.
Education Costs and Typical Salaries: Lawyer
- Cost of Becoming a Lawyer:The tuition fees plus university administrative fees for specialist degrees for Lawyers were collected according to the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
A typical degree in many countries is a 3.5 year Bachelor of Arts degree like “Bachelor of Laws (LL.B)” and a consecutive 1.5 year Master of Arts degree like “Master of Arts (LL.M)”.
For some countries with different degree formats, adjustments were made accordingly.
- Salary of a Lawyer:The typical salary of a Lawyer was estimated according to the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession”.
For the USA, official numbers were provided by BLS using professional category 23-1011-Lawyers.
For European countries, industry level wages were provided by Eurostat, using the industrial NASCE category M69-Legal and accounting activities.
For other OECD countries, industry level wages were provided by OECD, using the industrial ISCED-2011 category 3-Social sciences, business and law.
For all other countries, the industry level wages were provided by ILO, using the industrial ISIC-Rev.4 category M.-Professional, scientific and technical activities.
Education Costs and Typical Salaries: Civil Engineer
- Cost of Becoming a Civil Engineer:The tuition fees plus university administrative fees for specialist degrees for Civil Engineer were collected according to the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
In many countries, there are several ways of becoming an engineer: This study typically takes into account a 4 years Bachelor of Science degree such as “Bachelor of Science Civil Engineering” and a Master of Science degree such as “Master of Civil Engineering” (1.5 years).
For some countries with different degree formats, adjustments were made accordingly.
- Salary of a Civil Engineer:The typical salary of a Civil Engineer was estimated according to the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession”.
For the USA, official numbers were provided by BLS using professional category 17-2051-Civil Engineers.
For European countries, industry level wages were provided by Eurostat, using the industrial NASCE category F42-Civil Engineering.
For other OECD countries, industry level wages were provided by OECD, using the industrial ISCED-2011 category 5-Engineering, manufacturing and construction.
For all other countries, the industry level wages were provided by ILO, using the industrial ISIC-Rev.4 category F.-Construction
Education Costs and Typical Salaries: Software Developer
- Cost of Becoming a Software Developer:The tuition fees plus university administrative fees for specialist degrees for Software Developers were collected according to the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
A typical degree in many countries is a 3.5 year Bachelor of Science degree such as “Computer Science”.
- Salary of a Software Developer:The typical salary of a Software Developer was estimated according to the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession”.
For the USA, official numbers were provided by BLS using the professional category 15-1252-Software Developers.
For European countries, industry level wages were provided by Eurostat, using the industrial NASCE category J62-Computer programming.
For other OECD countries, industry level wages were provided by OECD, using the industrial ISCED-2011 category 4-Science.
For all other countries, the industry level wages were provided by ILO, using the industrial ISIC-Rev.4 category J.-Information and communication and P.-Education.
Education Costs and Typical Salaries: Teacher
- Cost of Becoming a Teacher:The tuition fees plus university administrative fees for specialist degrees for Teachers were collected according to the methodology described above under “Typical University Fees for Domestic Students”.
A typical degree in many countries is a 3.5 year Bachelor of Arts degree like “Bachelor of Education” and a consecutive 1.5 year Master of Arts degree like “Master of Education”.
For some countries with different degree formats, adjustments were made accordingly.
- Salary of a Teacher:The typical salary of a Teacher was estimated according to the methodology described above under “Salary levels per profession”.
For the USA, official numbers were provided by BLS using the professional category 25-0000-Educational Instruction and Library Occupations.
For European countries, industry level wages were provided by Eurostat, using the industrial NASCE category P85-Education.
For other OECD countries, industry level wages were provided by OECD, using the industrial ISCED-2011 category 1-Education.
For all other countries, the industry level wages were provided by ILO, using the industrial ISIC-Rev.4 category P.-Education
Cost of Living and Livability: City selection & Scoring procedure
City SelectionThe cities in the study were chosen because they are home to prominent universities, based on university rankings. Each city has a minimum population of 250,000 people.Scoring ProcedureMultiple indicators were used as contributing components when factors are presented as a “Score”. The underlying indicators were first standardized using a Z-Score [z = (x-μ)/σ; μ=indicator mean; σ=indicator standard deviation] normalization procedure. The final score was computed as a weighted average of the component Z-Scores, and the resulting score normalized to a scale of 50 to 100 using min-max normalization [(value - min)/(max-min)*50+50]. The floor of 50 for the scale was chosen to emphasize that the locations presented in the final dataset represent the highest ranking locations chosen from a shortlist of high-ranking locations.
Cost of living: Student housing, Food Basket & Other expenses
- Cost of Student Housing: A percentage that reflects the cost of student housing in each city. The cost is displayed as a deviation from the dataset median, the midpoint of the dataset. A higher percentage indicates more expensive student housing. A negative percentage indicates the cost is cheaper than the median price.Source: Magmatic Research.- Cost of a Student Food Basket: A percentage that reflects the cost of a student food basket in each city. The cost is composed of the typical prices of groceries and restaurants. It is displayed as a deviation from the dataset median, the midpoint of the dataset. A higher percentage indicates a more expensive food basket. A negative percentage indicates the cost is cheaper than the median price.Source: Magmatic Research.- Cost of Other Student Expenses: A percentage that reflects the cost of other student living expenses in each city. The cost is composed of living expenses such as utilities, hygiene products, public transport, and personal care. It is displayed as a deviation from the dataset median, the midpoint of the dataset. A higher percentage indicates more expensive student expenses. A negative percentage indicates that the cost is cheaper than the median price.Source: Magmatic Research.
- Student Safety: A score that reflects the level of safety and security that students have in each city. The score is composed of data on crime, climate risks, infrastructure risks, perceptions of security, domestic stability, transport risks, and natural disaster risks. A higher score indicates a safer environment.Sources: Germanwatch; Hudson's Investment Migration Consultancy; Igarape Institute; The Economist; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime; World Health Organization.- Nightlife: A score that reflects the nighttime entertainment available to students in each city. The score is composed of data on the number of bars, pubs and nightclubs in absolute terms and per 100k inhabitants. A higher score indicates more nighttime entertainment.Sources: Google local listings, TripAdvisor- Culture: A score that reflects the cultural infrastructure available to students in each city. The score is composed of data on the number of museums and theaters in absolute terms and per 100k inhabitants. A higher score indicates more cultural offerings for students.Sources: UNESCO; UNWTO; Google local listings; OpenStreetMap- Smart Mobility: A score that reflects the quality of the mobility infrastructure available to students in each city. The score is composed of data related to congestion levels, commute times, government technology adoption, electrical mobility and public transport infrastructure. A higher score reflects a greater degree of mobility for students in the city, characterized by greater density, efficiency and digitalisation of public transport services, and greater adoption of e-government practices.Sources: International Energy Agency; Institute for Management Development; OpenStreetMap; TomTom; United Nations.
Press Media Enquire
Press Media EnquireFor any questions regarding the methodology behind this project, please reach out to press@n26.com.