How much does a government primary school actually cost per month?
A citizen child at a government primary school pays no school fees, but every student, regardless of nationality, pays a monthly miscellaneous fee of S$13 (in effect from 2024). PR students pay a monthly fee of S$330 in 2026; international students pay two tiers — S$595 for ASEAN nationals and S$1,035 for non-ASEAN nationals in 2026. These rates are adjusted by small amounts each year, so use the figure published for the registration year.
Context
Fee structures differ significantly by citizenship status, and the published rates are adjusted periodically, so this is worth checking against the current year rather than assuming a fixed number.
What this means for your family
What this means for your family: if your child is a citizen, school fees themselves are not the main cost — the real planning items are uniforms, textbooks, enrichment activities and Student Care. If your family is PR or international, the monthly fee is itself a recurring line item to budget for long term, and it has trended upward over the years — plan with a margin for increases rather than projecting a flat rate for future years.
Steps you can take now
- Use MOE's official fee lookup tool to confirm the exact monthly fee for your child's status and school type this year.
- Budget separately for items beyond the monthly fee — miscellaneous fees, uniforms, textbooks, Student Care.
- If your family is PR or international, look at the fee trend over the past three years and plan conservatively for future years rather than assuming today's number stays flat.
- If you are considering staying local long term, compare this against the international school six-year cost using the same basis.
How to know you’re done
You have confirmed this year's exact monthly fee and miscellaneous charges, and you have budgeted separately for costs beyond tuition.
Sources and check dates
- SRC-MOE-SCHOOL-FEES-2026 · checked 2026-07-24
- SRC-MOE-FEE-RATES-2024-2026 · checked 2026-07-24