How much does a tutor cost? The short answer
A private tutor costs $30–$80 per hour in the US, £25–£60 in the UK, and AU$40–$90 in Australia in 2026. Where you land in the range comes down to qualification, subject and level — and whether you book direct or pay an agency’s margin on top.
But the hourly rate is the wrong number to anchor on. Tutoring is bought by the term, not the hour, so the figure that matters is what a season of weekly sessions adds up to.
What drives the price
| Driver | Lower price | Higher price |
|---|---|---|
| Qualification | University student | Qualified / former teacher |
| Level | Primary, general support | Final-year exam (SAT, A-Level, ATAR) |
| Subject | Humanities, homework help | Maths, Physics, Chemistry |
| Booking route | Direct (private) | Agency (+20–40% margin) |
| Format | Online | In-person (travel built in) |
A university-student humanities tutor booked direct online is the cheap corner; a qualified exam-maths tutor through an agency in person is the expensive one. Same word, very different bill.
Location shifts the whole range too. Tutoring in London, New York or Sydney typically runs 20–40% above the national average, while rural and small-town rates sit at the bottom. That’s why a quoted “average” rate is rarely the price you’ll actually be offered in your area — the city you live in can matter as much as the tutor’s qualifications.
What it adds up to per month and per year
At one weekly session, the realistic recurring cost looks like this for one subject:
| Market | Per month | Per school year (36 weeks) |
|---|---|---|
| United States | $120–$320 | $1,080–$2,880 |
| United Kingdom | £100–£240 | £900–£2,160 |
| Australia | AU$160–$360 | AU$1,440–$3,240 |
Multiply by the number of subjects, and tutoring for one child across three subjects can pass $8,000 a year at the top of the US range. That’s the number that sends most families looking for an alternative. We break the annual math down further on our tutoring cost page.
Comparison: paying by the hour vs Skoolskill
| Human tutor (per hour) | Skoolskill | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $30–$80 (US) | Free or ~$6.99/month |
| What you get | One hour, one subject | Daily practice, all subjects |
| Practice per week | 1 hour | 7 × 10–20 min sessions |
| Material | Tutor’s resources | Your own notes & past papers |
| Grading | Verbal feedback | Mark-scheme-style grading |
Skoolskill is an AI tutor that turns a student’s own notes and past papers into daily practice. You scan a worksheet, it builds a quiz, grades it against the mark scheme, and uses spaced repetition to bring back what you got wrong. One subscription, every subject. Comparing budget options? See our cheap tutor guide.
When a human tutor still matters
The hourly cost is justified in specific situations:
- Major gaps — a student several grades behind needs a person to rebuild foundations.
- Learning differences — dyslexia, dyspraxia or ADHD benefit from tailored human strategies.
- Live assessments — spoken-language exams and practical/music exams need a human assessor.
- Confidence and anxiety — some students need a coach in the room, not a screen.
For everything else — daily drilling, past-paper practice, homework checks — the cost-per-practice-hour of an AI tutor is far lower.
Get started — free
- Create a free account — no credit card.
- Tell us the level and subjects.
- Snap a photo of notes or a past paper.
- Your first daily session starts in under three minutes.
Start free — free tier always available.