The Cost of Tuition in Singapore (2026): Rates by Level, Format & What Families Spend

Last updated July 2026. Figures are compiled from Singapore tuition agencies’ published 2025–2026 rate guides and the Department of Statistics Household Expenditure Survey 2023. This is a reference resource — see Methodology & sources at the end.

How much does tuition cost in Singapore in 2026?

In 2026, private tuition in Singapore typically costs around $30 per hour for primary-level group classes at a centre and rises to $90–$150 per hour for a one-to-one A-Level lesson with an ex-MOE teacher. Across the country, families spent a record $1.8 billion on private tuition in 2023 — an average of $104.80 per household each month — according to the Department of Statistics. Below is the full breakdown by level, format and tutor type.

What Singapore families actually spend on tuition

The Department of Statistics’ Household Expenditure Survey put total household spending on private tuition at $1.8 billion in 2023, up from $1.4 billion in 2018 and $1.1 billion in 2013. Average monthly spend per household was $104.80, but the gap between income groups is wide:

National spending on tuition has climbed steadily: roughly $680 million in 2008, $1.1 billion in 2013, $1.4 billion in 2018 and $1.8 billion in 2023 — a 29% rise in five years and a 64% rise in a decade.

Tuition rates in Singapore by format (2026)

There are three common formats, and they price differently. Large group classes at a tuition centre are the cheapest per hour; one-to-one private tuition is the most expensive; and small-group classes sit in between, trading some of the individual attention of private tuition for a lower price. Typical per-hour ranges:

Private 1-to-1 tuition rates by tutor type (2026)

For one-to-one home tuition, the biggest driver of price is who is teaching — a part-time tutor (often a university student), a full-time professional tutor, or a current/former MOE school teacher. Published 2026 hourly ranges:

Tuition centres that charge a monthly fee rather than an hourly rate tend to land between $400 and $480 a month for weekly two-hour classes at the more established brands, which works out broadly in line with the per-hour group figures above.

Group vs private: which is more expensive?

Not as clear-cut as it looks. Headline per-hour rates are lower for group classes, but once you account for a private tutor’s travel time (often built into the rate) and the fact that a strong small-group class can deliver much of the individual attention of one-to-one teaching at a fraction of the price, the real cost-per-outcome narrows. The practical question for most families isn’t “what’s cheapest per hour” but “what class size gives my child enough individual attention to actually improve.”

That trade-off is why small-group formats have grown. At Arche Academy in Hougang, classes are capped at five students so each child still gets individual attention, at group-class pricing rather than private-tuition pricing. You can compare our PSLE, O-Level and A-Level classes, or book a trial to sit in.

Methodology & sources

National spending figures are from the Singapore Department of Statistics’ Household Expenditure Survey 2023, as reported in January 2025. Per-hour rate ranges are compiled from the publicly published 2025–2026 rate guides of Singapore tuition agencies (including TutorCity and SmileTutor) and reflect typical advertised ranges, not fixed prices — actual fees vary by subject, tutor demand and exam-season timing. Where sources differed, we show the combined range. This resource is maintained by Arche Academy; figures will be refreshed as new survey and rate data is published. Journalists and site owners are welcome to cite it with a link.