According to the "Back to School Guide" by fintech Dr. Finanças, specialized in financial well-being, a school year for a child in public education costs Portuguese families around 1,493 euros, which equates to an average of 125 euros per month. This expense includes school supplies such as notebooks, writing and drawing articles and a backpack, as well as physical education equipment and school meals, whose base cost for lunch is set at 1.46 euros.
Among the costs mentioned in the guide, activity books can represent around 40 euros in the 1st cycle, approximately 90 euros in the 2nd and 3rd cycles and around 65 euros in secondary education. Physical education equipment, including tracksuit, t-shirt and trainers, can cost around 50 euros. Additional expenses such as CAF or ATL (after-school care), extracurricular activities and school trips can significantly increase the family budget.
In private education, the annual bill exceeds eight thousand euros. Dr. Finanças based this on the top four private schools in the 2025 ranking for secondary education, establishing an average monthly fee of 609 euros for ten months, plus an enrollment renewal of around 363 euros. To these values are added approximately 130 euros monthly for meals, which makes approximately 1,300 euros per year, as well as textbooks and activity books, which in secondary education can represent around 270 euros.
Although school is mandatory and free in Portugal, and textbooks are free, families face significant expenses with school supplies, sports equipment, meals and complementary activities. The difference between public and private education is considerable, with private education costing almost six times more than public education.
