Cambridge and Oxford

Of course, the affordability of an education all depends on how much income one brings home. In Western Europe, where most universities are heavily subsidized by national governments, the price can appear astoundingly cheap. Even at Cambridge and Oxford in the United Kingdom, a student’s contribution toward tuition is capped at 3,070 British pounds annually. The average cost of public higher education in Spain was only about $800 just five years ago, according to the GAO. But it's worth noting that Europeans pay higher income taxes than Americans to pay for these and other social services.