International School Textbooks Cost SAR 1,000 — Save 70%

International school fees in Riyadh range from SAR 65,000 to SAR 150,000+ per year. But tuition is only part of the cost. Textbooks alone can add SAR 1,000 to SAR 3,000 per child per year — and used books can cut that by 70%.

The Real Cost Breakdown

For a child at a British or American international school in Riyadh:

• Tuition: SAR 65,000 - 150,000 per year
• Registration fees: SAR 1,500 - 7,500 (one-off)
• Capital/development fees: SAR 5,000 - 20,000
• Examination fees (IGCSE/A-Level/IB): SAR 4,000 - 10,000
• School transport: SAR 5,500 - 9,500 per year
• Textbooks: SAR 1,000 - 3,000 per year

Textbook Price Examples

A single Cambridge IGCSE subject typically requires a Coursebook and Workbook:

• Cambridge IGCSE Physics Coursebook: ~SAR 200 new
• Cambridge IGCSE Physics Workbook: ~SAR 120 new
• Per subject total: ~SAR 320 new

With 6-8 subjects, that is SAR 1,920 to SAR 2,560 per year in textbooks alone.

The Expat Squeeze

Not all expat families have employer education allowances. Many lower-paid expats — in Indian, Pakistani, Filipino community schools paying SAR 12,000-30,000 tuition — struggle with textbook costs on top of fees. Some negotiate installment plans with schools. Textbooks costing over SAR 1,000 are a real burden.

How Kitaaby Cuts Textbook Costs

Through Kitaaby, families whose children have finished a course can donate or sell their textbooks. The next family buys them used at 30-50% of the new price.

The Cycle

1. Family A child finishes IGCSE Physics — they donate the book to Kitaaby.
2. Kitaaby inspects, grades, and lists it.
3. Family B buys it used for SAR 100 instead of SAR 320 new.
4. Family B child finishes the course — they donate it back.
5. Family C gets it for even less, or free through the giveaway store.

Donate your child finished textbooks or browse used curriculum books.