A purple to mint gradient background with a number of icons representing items for school

The average cost of back to school supplies around the world (2023)

Preparing for children going back to school can be one of the most expensive times of the year for parents and guardians. With a rise in prices compared to our 2021 and 2022 studies, it looks like you may have to spend more this year when shopping for back-to-school supplies. 

We’ve taken a look at some of the costs of back-to-school supplies for elementary students across the world, to see how much it will cost families around the world.

Choose currency

Total average cost of education per country

By clicking on the country icons, you’ll be able to see the total costs of sending a child back to school in that country. There is a figure for total cost per child and total cost per household which is based on the average number of children per household.

Total cost per child ($)

Total cost per household ($)

World map

Average cost of school supplies per category

Back to school supplies have been grouped into categories, in order for us to see portionately how expensive they are in relation to each other. We can see that the cost of school wear is the most expensive across all countries. For more information around the costs per category, click on the graph below.

A graphic illustrating items needed for school, specifically a bag, a hat and a water bottle
Extras
A graphic illustrating a school P.E. kit, specifically shorts, trainers and a bag
P.E. & gym kit
A graphic illustrating stationary, including a pen, pencil and pencil case
Stationery
A graphic illustrating school uniform, specifically a pair of trousers, a t-shirt and socks
Uniform / school wear

Total spend per child

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$0

$112

$224

$341

$453

The United Kingdom flag in an Octagon shape
UK

21%

14%

15%

50%

The flag of Canada in an Octagon shape
Canada

11%

18%

14%

57%

The flag of Australia in an Octagon shape
Australia

14%

16%

14%

56%

The United States flag in an Octagon shape
USA

13%

10%

17%

60%

The Philippines flag in an Octagon shape
Philippines

17%

21%

17%

44%

The flag of Uganda in an Octagon shape
Uganda

10%

3%

15%

71%

The flag of Tanzania in an Octagon shape
Tanzania

9%

19%

9%

62%

The flag of Mexico in an Octagon shape
Mexico

15%

14%

26%

45%

The flag of India in an Octagon shape
India

11%

9%

11%

70%

The flag of Nigeria in an Octagon shape
Nigeria

7%

11%

26%

56%

The flag of Colombia in an Octagon shape
Colombia

14%

21%

9%

55%

The flag of Guatemala in an Octagon shape
Guatemala

9%

15%

4%

72%

The Dominican Republic country flag
Dominican Republic

19%

20%

8%

53%

The Zimbabwe country flag
Zimbabwe

16%

84%

The flag of Lebanon in an Octagon shape
Lebanon

9%

36%

16%

39%

The flag of Cameroon in an Octagon shape
Cameroon

10%

20%

17%

53%

The flag of Ghana in an Octagon shape
Ghana

9%

8%

23%

61%

The flag of Kenya in an Octagon shape
Kenya

4%

9%

19%

77%

The flag of France in an Octagon shape
France

13%

21%

13%

53%

The Spain country flag
Spain

15%

18%

12%

54%

Morocco

10%

11%

10%

69%

Education costs in relation to number of children per household

To showcase how much a family will pay for back-to-school supplies in 2023, we have calculated the average cost of school supplies per student and multiplied it by the fertility rate for 2023. Find out the average cost of paying for back-to-school supplies per household and country below:

The United Kingdom flag in an Octagon shape

$2,986

1.86 children

The flag of Canada in an Octagon shape

$3,152

1.57 children

The flag of Australia in an Octagon shape

$3,513

1.74 children

The United States flag in an Octagon shape

$4,618

1.84 children

The Philippines flag in an Octagon shape

$289

2.89 children

The flag of Uganda in an Octagon shape

$56

5.45 children

The flag of Tanzania in an Octagon shape

$81

4.45 children

The flag of Mexico in an Octagon shape

$646

2.17 children

The flag of India in an Octagon shape

$152

2.28 children

The flag of Nigeria in an Octagon shape

$148

4.67 children

The flag of Colombia in an Octagon shape

$5,246

2.14 children

The flag of Guatemala in an Octagon shape

$3,930

2.67 children

Back-to-school inflation: how much more can countries around the world expect to spend in 2023


Worldwide inflation will also hit back-to-school shopping in 2023. As inflation persists and supply chain issues continue to arise across multiple sectors, it comes as no surprise that countries around the world can expect back-to-school costs and prices to rise. According to our new study, many families around the world should expect to spend up to 40% of their monthly income on back-to-school supplies in 2023. Find out below how much more each country should expect to spend on back-to-school supplies compared to 2022: 

Countries

% increase compared to 2022

% of monthly income

Highest item increase

Nigeria

+162%

632%

Sharpener

India

+129%

197%

Notebooks

Morocco

+118%

262%

Polo shirts

Cameroon

+97%

789%

Ruler

Colombia

+81%

153%

Notebooks

Guatemala

+75%

334%

Polo shirts

Tanzania

+62%

861%

Socks

Mexico

+56%

84%

Polo shirts

Dominican Republic

+56%

72%

Polo shirts

Spain

+53%

20%

Pencils

France

+41%

19%

Colouring pencils

United States

+28%

9%

Colouring pencils

Australia

+19%

9%

Pencils

Philippines

+16%

51%

Pencils

Zimbabwe

+6%

427%

Pencil case

United Kingdom

+2%

9%

Pencils

Canada

-0.4%

9%

Gym shoes


Money-saving tips for back-to-school shopping

In many countries, the average price tag on back-to-school items such as pencils, sharpeners, notebooks, colouring pencils and polo shirts have gone up. Here are some money-saving tips to help you keep more in your pocket, whilst shopping for back-to-school supplies: 

Make a back-to-school shopping list

Write down everything you need and make a list of all required items. The best way to save money on back-to-school supplies is by having a list and setting a budget, so you can make sure that you’re not overspending. 

Go for the sales and take advantage of deals

It’s always a good idea to look out for seasonal sales. Back to school season is one of them. Many online and offline shops offer great deals during this period. You can also find coupons and promo codes online that you can use for back to school shopping. 

Search for the best prices

Once you’ve written your list, search prices online across different retailers, before hitting the shops to make sure you’re getting the best prices for each item. And, if you’re sending money back home to support a loved one’s studies, make sure you get the best exchange rates and best offers. 

Buy second-hand school essentials

As seen in our study, clothing and back-to-school supplies can get expensive. You can save money by buying back-to-school essentials in thrift stores or from second-hand websites. 

Make use of items you already have

Search around your house for school supplies that you might be able to reuse, such as pencil cases, backpacks or even pencils. 

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Support a loved one getting back to school

At WorldRemit, we’re well aware of the costs involved with sending your loved ones back to school each year. If you need to send financial support for a loved one’s studies, we’re here for you. We can offer you a fast, secure and low-cost money transfer. We’ll make it easy to send money, no matter where in the world you happen to be.

And there’s no waiting around, or stressing about whether the money has made it into your friends and family’s accounts either. A majority of our transactions are received within one hour of sending. That means your loved ones can start reaping the benefits in minutes!


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Average cost of school supplies: methodology


For 2023: 

Using the 2022 items list dataset, we identified the 2023 prices for 21 counties for the back- to-school items. Using the data provided from last year we searched for more up-to-date and cheaper options, if available. Using the quantity of items needed shown in column B, we multiplied the cost of the items (when required) to match the quantity e.g. 6 polo shirts, the price identified for one shirt was multiplied by six.The data was gathered between the 21st and 27th of June 2023. All prices were converted into GBP and US dollars using Google on 29th June 2023.

Once all item prices had been gathered, using the CIA world factbook we updated the fertility rate for 2023 estimates, and multiplied the cost of the total school items by fertility rate to showcase an overall cost of going back to school for a family.

We also used the World Bank data (as used in the 2022 dataset) to pull the average Net National Income per capita in US dollars and divided this by 12 to showcase a potential monthly salary. The UK had 2018 data from the World Bank, so instead we used OECD data to get the Net National Income for the UK. 

For 2022: 

The primary school items were selected based on the most common back-to-school items. The price of each item was searched for online and the lowest price item was selected from one of the most popular online retailers in that country. The prices were researched in July 2022. The exchange rate from the local currency was calculated on 06/08/2022 at 9:00 BST. The fertility rate and income was gathered from the CIA world factbook.