Romanian is the cheapest European language to become fluent in, costing beginner students approximately €14,270 in total, a new study has found.
The study, conducted by the education discovery platform Internet of Learning, analysed learning expenses across 66 languages to determine which would be the most costly. By considering the time required to achieve fluency in each language, the study examined the median expenses of online tutors to calculate the overall cost.
On average, it found that becoming fluent in a language costs €38,320, and would take 44 weeks.
Cheapest languages to become fluent in
Other European languages featured in the study included Portuguese, which would cost €20,560 to achieve fluency, Swedish, which would cost €24,760, Albanian, which would cost €26,160 and Norwegian, which would cost €27,280.
Ukrainian is one of the most expensive languages in which to achieve mastery, the study found, at €63,870, while Polish (€59,250) and German (€51,630) also rank highly.
Other non-European languages that are cost-effective to achieve fluency in include Tamil (€16,160), Telugu (€16,230), Tagalog (€16,930) and Kurdish (€17,700), while Korean is the most expensive language, costing €130,820 to achieve fluency.
Tuition fees
“While mastering a second language offers invaluable benefits, pricey tuition fees can deter many,” commented Manno Notermans, founder of Internet of Learning. “It’s no surprise that the language industry is projected to soar by €106.2 billion by 2030. Budget-conscious beginners could explore endless free online resources such as language-learning apps and streaming foreign shows, though resource availability depends on the specific language and personal learning preferences.
“An engaging language instructor can significantly enhance the language learning journey, granting unparalleled personalised attention, a sense of accountability and ongoing motivation that’s nearly impossible to replicate for free. When uncertain about taking the leap and investing money, it’s crucial to first delve into online reviews from real users or adopt a “try before you buy” strategy before fully committing.”
Cheapest languages to become fluent in
| Rank | Language | Total Cost |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Romanian | €14,270 |
| 2 | Tamil | €16,160 |
| 3 | Telugu | €16,230 |
| 4 | Tagalog | €16,930 |
| 5 | Kurdish | €17,700 |
| 6 | Haitian Creole | €18,880 |
| 7 | Indonesian | €18,880 |
| 8 | Dari | €19,230 |
| 9 | Burmese | €20,010 |
| 10 | Uzbek | €20,010 |
| 11 | Portuguese | €20,560 |
| 12 | Khmer | €21,540 |
| 13 | Swahili | €22,030 |
| 14 | Georgian | €22,310 |
| 15 | Tibetan | €22,310 |
| 16 | Vietnamese | €23,080 |
| 17 | Mongolian | €23,850 |
| 18 | Somali | €23,850 |
| 19 | Malay | €23,920 |
| 20 | Kyrgyz | €24,620 |
| 21 | Swedish | €24,760 |
| 22 | Albanian | €26,160 |
| 23 | Amharic | €26,160 |
| 24 | Latvian | €26,160 |
| 25 | Norwegian | €27,280 |
| 26 | Lao | €28,470 |
| 27 | Dutch | €28,960 |
| 28 | Hindi | €29,240 |
| 29 | Urdu | €29,240 |
| 30 | Bengali | €30,780 |
| 31 | Macedonian | €30,780 |
| 32 | Serbo-Croatian | €31,550 |
| 33 | Nepali | €32,320 |
| 34 | Azerbaijani | €33,090 |
| 35 | Estonian | €33,860 |
| 36 | Finnish | €33,860 |
| 37 | Danish | €34,000 |
| 38 | Lithuanian | €34,630 |
| 39 | Italian | €34,840 |
| 40 | Tajiki | €36,160 |
| 41 | Armenian | €36,930 |
| 42 | Hungarian | €36,930 |
| 43 | Slovak | €36,930 |
| 44 | Thai | €36,930 |
| 45 | Turkmen | €37,320 |
| 46 | Turkish | €37,700 |
| 47 | Farsi | €39,240 |
| 48 | Czech | €40,010 |
| 49 | Slovenian | €42,320 |
| 50 | French | €42,500 |
| 51 | Spanish | €42,500 |
| 52 | Sinhala | €44,630 |
| 53 | Russian | €45,400 |
| 54 | Greek | €47,710 |
| 55 | Bulgarian | €49,250 |
| 56 | Icelandic | €50,020 |
| 57 | German | €51,630 |
| 58 | Chinese – Cantonese | €58,480 |
| 59 | Polish | €59,250 |
| 60 | Kazakh | €63,870 |
| 61 | Ukrainian | €63,870 |
| 62 | Hebrew | €66,180 |
| 63 | Japanese | €103,120 |
| 64 | Chinese – Mandarin | €123,130 |
| 65 | Arabic | €124,670 |
| 66 | Korean | €130,820 |
