Enter comparison details
Use local monthly costs for each city. Enter exchange rates as local currency units for one USD.
Example data table
This sample shows how different student cities can vary after exchange-rate conversion.
| City | Currency | Rate to USD | Monthly local total | Monthly USD total | Annual tuition local |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toronto | CAD | 1.35 | CAD 2,945.00 | USD 2,181.48 | CAD 29,000.00 |
| Berlin | EUR | 0.92 | EUR 1,810.00 | USD 1,967.39 | EUR 12,000.00 |
| Kuala Lumpur | MYR | 4.70 | MYR 3,500.00 | USD 744.68 | MYR 8,000.00 |
| Sydney | AUD | 1.52 | AUD 3,720.00 | USD 2,447.37 | AUD 32,500.00 |
Formula used
This setup lets higher education teams, students, and advisors compare realistic living costs while adding tuition, scholarships, and a safety buffer.
How to use this calculator
- Choose a reference currency for direct comparison.
- Enter the number of academic months and contingency buffer.
- Add your monthly target student budget in the reference currency.
- Fill City A local exchange rate, tuition, scholarship, and monthly categories.
- Fill City B with the same type of local values.
- Click Compare Costs to view results above the form.
- Review monthly totals, annual totals, affordability scores, and the chart.
- Download the comparison as CSV or PDF for reporting.
Frequently asked questions
1) What does this calculator compare?
It compares two student cities using monthly living categories, tuition, scholarships, exchange rates, and a contingency buffer. It helps estimate both monthly and annual study costs.
2) Are exchange rates updated automatically?
No. You enter the exchange rates manually. That keeps the tool flexible for planning scenarios, institution estimates, or campus advising workflows.
3) Why include tuition and scholarships?
Living costs alone can hide the true education burden. Tuition minus scholarship creates a more complete annual estimate for students comparing destinations.
4) What is the contingency buffer?
The contingency buffer adds a safety margin to annual costs. It helps account for inflation, unexpected fees, seasonal price shifts, or travel surprises.
5) What does affordability score mean?
It compares your target monthly budget with the monthly living total. Scores above 100% mean the budget covers the city more comfortably.
6) Can I compare cities in the same country?
Yes. You can compare cities with the same currency or different currencies. The exchange-rate field still works for both cases.
7) Is this tool only for one student?
The structure is optimized for one student budget. You can still model couples or shared housing by editing the monthly category values.
8) Why are monthly and annual results different?
Monthly results reflect living costs only. Annual results add academic months, net tuition, and the contingency buffer for a fuller study-year estimate.