For families, school fees decide more relocations than property prices do.
The spectrum
Spain and Portugal: free public schooling for residents in the local language, which young children absorb fast. International and bilingual schools run roughly 6,000 to 20,000 euros a year, clustered on the coasts and capitals: the Costa Blanca, Malaga, Cascais.
Dubai and the Gulf: no public option for expats; fees from $8,000 to $30,000 per child per year, and the school run shapes which district you buy in.
Turkey: public school is in Turkish; international options concentrate in Istanbul at $5,000 to $15,000.
The arithmetic that matters
Two children in a mid-tier Dubai school cost more per year than the service charges and running costs of the apartment they live in. In Spain, the same two children can cost zero. Over a 10-year horizon that difference funds an entire second property.
The practical move
Shortlist schools before shortlisting homes, visit in person, and ask about waiting lists: in Cascais and Dubai the good schools fill a year out.