Brisbane is Australia’s most expensive city for faith-based education

Brisbane was now significantly cheaper than Melbourne ($75,263), Australia’s most expensive government school system.

The forecast cost of a government education in Brisbane was $7968 below the national metropolitan average.

The fall in the forecast cost of education across Brisbane’s private and government schools was heavily influenced by slower price rises within secondary education.

But while school fees were a major education expense, there were other hits to the hip pocket, including extracurricular activities, computers, travel expenses, uniforms, school excursions and camps.

Based on more than 13,500 responses, the index predicted Brisbane parents who educated a child in the private school system for 13 years could fork out $49,365 for other non-fee education costs.

At faith-based schools it would cost $44,971 and $38,661 at government schools.

Brisbane mum Zhiqin (Grace) Cao, whose daughter, Emily, is in Year 2 at a Lutheran school, says she has already underestimated the costs of education.

«I calculated the costs of tuition, uniforms and textbooks but forgot to calculate other activities including ballet lessons, ice-skating and intensive school holiday classes, so I’ve had to budget for an extra $3000 a year,» she said.

«Emily also started gymnastics in the second half of last year because of the influence of her friends, and coding camps cost $150 a day and can last a week during the holidays.»

Ms Cao, an ASG member, said she valued a quality education despite the cost.

«As long as I can see Emily is benefiting, I will continue to support and encourage her,» she said.

Outside the capital cities, regional Queensland was Australia’s most expensive region for a faith-based education, with parents spending $198,012 for a child born in 2018.

Acting ASG COO Bruce Hawkins said the cost of education had risen at more than double the rate of inflation over the past 10 years and outstripped the growth in wages over the same period.

The overall cost of education had skyrocketed 61 per cent in the past decade, dwarfing the 34 per cent rise in wage growth in the same period.

«This means that education costs are demanding a far greater share of the family wallet than in the past, placing more burden on the average family, already challenged by the rising cost of living,» Mr Hawkins said.

«If you have three children, the cost of education at a Brisbane private school could top $1 million.

«That’s significantly more than the purchase price of the average family home.»