International School Fees in Salvador: What Expat Families Pay in 2026

Last reviewed: October 2026 by Emma from ISA. Fee ranges are indicative; always confirm with the school.

Anyone budgeting for international school fees in Salvador, the capital of Bahia in north-east Brazil (not El Salvador), will find a market that is smaller and more transparent than most expats expect. The schools that teach in English alongside Portuguese publish their tuition tables by grade, quote them in reais and bill them in twelve instalments.

This guide uses the 2027 fee tables the schools posted in September 2026, local press reporting on what other private schools in the city charge, and the text of Brazil's federal law on school fees. All conversions into dollars are rough, because the real moves against the dollar from year to year.

Salvador, Brazil: where families live and where schools sit

Salvador is a large coastal city, and the neighbourhoods that matter for school choice are on the middle-class and upper-income side of town. Pituba, along the Atlantic shore, and Federação, closer to the city centre near the Avenida Cardeal da Silva, are where the schools covered here have their campuses. Costa Azul, a short distance beyond Pituba, hosts the newest Land School site.

Commutes follow the coast and the main avenues, and rush hour can be slow, so most families choose the campus nearest home and work. Because several schools run two campuses, one family can sometimes use Pituba for a younger child and Federação for an older sibling, as long as the grade is offered there. Check the exact grades per campus before you commit, since they differ.

Curricula and languages you will meet

• Brazilian national curriculum (BNCC): compulsory for every school in the country and the backbone of the timetable even in international schools.
• IB Primary Years Programme: the IB Organization lists Escola Gurilândia for the PYP.
• IB Middle Years and Diploma: the IB directory lists Land School for both programmes. Land says students on its dual route sit the Diploma and then prepare for the national university exam, ENEM.
• Bilingual teaching in English and Portuguese: the schools describe a roughly even split in early years and complementary teaching of subjects in both languages afterwards.
• Other international options: the IB directory also lists Pan American School of Bahia, Colégio Anchieta Pituba, Colégio São Paulo and Villa Global Education for the Diploma in Salvador.

The schools and what they charge

The four profiles below belong to two linked brands. Gurilândia, founded in 1960, teaches from age one up to Grade 5. Land School, opened in 2019 as its continuation, picks up from Grade 4 or 6 onwards. Both are part of the Inspired Education group, so you will see one fee structure repeated across campuses.

Gurilândia International School, Federação

The original and largest Gurilândia site, on Avenida Cardeal da Silva, takes children from Group 1 (ages 1 to 2) to Grade 5. For 2027 the school lists Groups 1 and 2 at R$3,751 a month, Group 3 at R$3,938, and Groups 4 and 5 at R$4,168, all in morning or afternoon shifts. Grades 1 to 3 are full-time at R$5,265 a month, and Grades 4 and 5 at R$5,294. A tip: the school offers a 20 percent discount on tuition to new Early Years pupils who enrol in the afternoon shift through listed professional and neighbourhood associations, so ask whether your employer's or professional body's name is on the list.

Gurilândia International School, Pituba

Opened in 2021, the Pituba campus serves Group 1 to Grade 3. Its 2027 table matches Federação for the same grades: R$3,751 to R$4,168 a month in Early Years and R$5,265 in Grades 1 to 3. The practical point is that pupils continue to Land afterwards, so the real fee step to plan for is the move into Land's R$5,294 to R$5,929 band.

Land School, Pituba (Costa Azul)

Land's newest campus opened in February 2025 on a purpose-built site, the school says, and, according to the 2027 table, charges R$5,294 a month for Grades 4 and 5, R$5,901 for Grades 6 and 7, R$5,929 for Grades 8 and 9, and R$6,474 for Grades 10 to 12. Annual figures run from R$63,528 to R$77,688. Look closely at the grades listed: the table includes high school, so ask whether Diploma-track classes are taught here or at Federação.

Land School, Federação

The Federação campus, which serves ages 11 to 18, lists Grades 6 and 7 at R$5,901 a month and Grades 8 and 9 at R$5,929 in the 2027 table. The table posted for this campus stops at Grade 9, although the school describes high school there, so confirm Grade 10 to 12 pricing in writing; the Pituba table shows R$6,474. The school says IB subjects are taught in English and that Portuguese Higher Level is compulsory in the Diploma.

What Salvador families pay: a fee guide

All four schools publish tuition per grade, per month and per year, and the annual figure equals twelve instalments, so paying the year up front earns no discount in the tables we reviewed. The schools accept payment in Brazilian reais and say fees are due at the start of the academic year, monthly or in advance. The 2027 tuition bands, with rough US dollar equivalents at an assumed rate of about R$5 to R$6 per dollar, which you should check against the current rate, look like this:

• Toddlers and Early Years (ages 1 to 6): R$3,751 to R$4,168 a month, roughly US$625 to US$830.
• Grades 1 to 5: R$5,265 to R$5,294 a month, roughly US$880 to US$1,060.
• Grades 6 to 9: R$5,901 to R$5,929 a month, roughly US$980 to US$1,190.
• Grades 10 to 12: R$6,474 a month at Pituba, roughly US$1,080 to US$1,300.

For context, the Salvador newspaper Correio published a survey on 30 September 2025 of monthly fees for the final year of secondary school, with values running from about R$1,800 to R$8,900. It listed Pan American School of Bahia at R$8,919 (the school describes its payments as shared-budget contributions, not tuition), Bernoulli at R$6,831, Anchieta at R$6,540 in Pituba and Colégio São Paulo at R$6,146, and noted that some schools' figures were still 2025 prices. It cited a consultancy forecast of an average 9 percent rise in city fees for 2026. Comparing those figures with the 2027 tables is only rough, because the years differ, but Gurilândia and Land appear to sit in the upper-middle of the private market rather than at its top.

Expect to budget separately for:

• A seat reservation fee, paid by link after the interview, before you sign the contract (the amount is not published)
• Meals, which Land and Gurilândia charge separately from tuition
• Extracurricular activities, billed on top
• Uniforms and specific learning materials
• Transport, devices and trips, which are not part of the tuition tables

Brazilian law helps with planning. Under Federal Law 9.870 of 1999, schools must publish the draft contract, the fee and the number of places per classroom at least 45 days before the end of enrolment. The annual amount is set for one year and divided into equal instalments, and clauses that revise instalments within that year are void unless a law allows them. Late payment cannot lead to cancelled exams or withheld school records, although a pupil can be removed at the end of the school year.

Practical advice on budgeting

Budget in reais and plan for an annual rise. Because fees are billed in the local currency, a weaker real helps families earning in dollars or euros, and a stronger one hurts. Add a cushion of several percent for the next year's reajuste, since the market forecast quoted above was 9 percent for 2026.

Ask for the full price of a typical week. The tuition table is a floor. A child in full-time programme who eats at school and joins one or two activities will cost noticeably more per month than the headline figure, so ask for the current meal and activity price lists before you commit.

Use the admissions steps to ask questions. The schools say the route is a family meeting and campus tour, an interview, payment of the reservation fee, then a signed contract and the first instalment. Visit both campuses of the group you are considering, and ask about sibling arrangements, the Early Years afternoon-shift partnership discount and the Nsouli scholarship programme run by the Inspired group.

See how Salvador fits in Brazil

To compare options beyond the city, read our ranking of the best international schools in Brazil.

More guides to schools in Salvador

• best international schools in Brazil

Frequently asked questions

How much does an international school cost per month in Salvador, Brazil?

At Gurilândia and Land School, the 2027 tuition tables list roughly R$3,750 a month for Group 1 and 2, about R$5,300 for Grades 1 to 5, around R$5,900 for Grades 6 to 9 and R$6,474 for Grades 10 to 12 at Pituba. Meals, activities, uniforms and specific materials are charged separately.

Can I pay international school fees in Salvador in dollars?

The Gurilândia and Land School fee tables state that the schools accept payment in Brazilian reais. Fees are due at the start of the academic year, either monthly in twelve instalments or in advance for the whole year. Families paid in foreign currency should budget for exchange rate swings and a yearly increase.

Is there a discount at international schools in Salvador?

Gurilândia advertises a 20 percent tuition discount for new Early Years pupils enrolled in the afternoon shift through partner professional associations. The Inspired Education group also runs the Nsouli Scholars Programme, which offers full scholarships to 50 students across its schools. Ask the admissions office which options apply to your child's grade.