The short answer
For one-to-one online tutoring with a qualified, curriculum-matched tutor, UAE families in 2026 typically pay between AED 70 and AED 250 per hour. In-person home tutoring in Dubai and Abu Dhabi usually runs higher, from around AED 150 to AED 400 per hour, because you are paying for travel time and a smaller pool of available teachers.
LiveTutor sessions start at $19 per hour, about AED 70, with pricing set per subject and level and confirmed before you book anything. The first 60-minute session is free.
What actually drives the price
Level matters most. Primary support costs less than IGCSE, and IGCSE costs less than A-Level, IB Diploma or SAT preparation, because the pool of teachers who can teach exam-level content well is smaller.
Tutor background is the second driver. A current or former UK or US classroom teacher with examiner experience charges more than a university student tutoring part time. Both can be right for different children: a Year 6 pupil consolidating fractions has different needs from a Year 13 student chasing an A* prediction.
Format is the third. Group classes look cheaper per hour, often AED 40 to 80, but your child gets a fraction of the teacher's attention, and the class moves at the group's pace rather than your child's. Most families who switch from groups to one-to-one report needing fewer total hours, which narrows the real cost gap.
Watch the packaging, not just the rate
The advertised hourly rate is only part of the price. Some platforms require prepaid packages of 20 or 40 hours, sometimes with expiry dates. Some charge registration or matching fees. Some make refunds difficult when the tutor turns out to be a poor fit.
Three questions cut through most of it. Can you pay per session without a package? What happens to unused hours if you stop? And is there a real trial with the actual tutor your child would keep, rather than a sales call? At LiveTutor the answers are: yes, pay as you go; credits stay usable across subjects; and the trial is a full free lesson with the matched tutor.
When cheap becomes expensive
The most expensive tutoring is the kind that does not work. A tutor at AED 50 per hour teaching the wrong exam board, or working through a generic textbook instead of your child's specification, costs you months of the school year, and exam years do not come back around. Before price, confirm the tutor teaches your child's exact course, that they use real past papers, and that you get feedback after lessons rather than silence.
A fair test for any provider, including us: after four weeks you should be able to name specifically what has improved. If you cannot, change something.
See whether the match is right before paying
Every child gets one free 60-minute lesson with a curriculum-matched tutor. No payment details, no obligation.
Book the free lesson