Live 2026 data · Tuition, rent, visa, salaries, PR pathways & more
Chile
52
GoScore
Budget/mo
$850
Salary/mo
$1,250
China
47
GoScore
Budget/mo
$750
Salary/mo
$1,200
AI insights unavailable
Study Abroad GoScore Ranking
GoScore 0-100 · Weights: affordability, PR pathway, safety, career & quality of life
Key Comparison Metrics
Public university tuition / year
Monthly student budget
Part-time wage / hour
Student visa fee
Post-study work visa
IELTS band required
Safety index
Quick Verdict — 2026
Chile wins for students (GoScore 52 vs 47). A 2-year master's costs $27,000 in China — 14% less than Chile, saving $4,400.
Chile wins for working professionals (GoScore 48 vs 42). Professionals in China retain $402/month after expenses — $239/month more than in Chile.
Chile is stronger for permanent residence (GoScore 60 vs 55). PR takes ~5 years in Chile vs ~10 years in China.
Total cost of attendance in Chile — tuition ($11,000) plus living ($20,400) — is $31,400. In China: $27,000 ($9,000 tuition + $18,000 living).China is 14% cheaper, saving $4,400 over the degree.
In Chile, 20 hrs/week at $7/hr earns $520/month — covering 116% of outside-city rent. In China, the same hours earn $320/month — covering 97% of rent.
After rent, groceries, transport, and utilities, a professional in Chile retains $163/month from $1,250. In China: $402/month from $1,200. Over 5 years the gap compounds to $14,340. Tech salaries: $2,500/mo (Chile) vs $2,500/mo (China).
Chile: PR pathway ~5 years. China: ~10 years. Post-study work visas: 12 months (Chile) and 0 months (China). Student visa fee: $100 vs $140.
Minimum IELTS band: 5.5 (Chile) and 6.0 (China). Chile has a lower threshold — beneficial for applicants close to their target band. Take a free IELTS mock test on mockDe to benchmark your exact skill-level gaps before applying.
| Metric | 🇨🇱 Chile | 🇨🇳 China |
|---|---|---|
| Study GoScore | 52 | 47 |
| Work GoScore | 48 | 42 |
| Settle GoScore | 60 | 55 |
| Public university tuition / yr | $5,500 | $4,500 |
| Monthly student budget | $850 | $750 |
| Avg net salary / month | $1,250 | $1,200 |
| Rent 1-bed (city centre) | $680/mo | $520/mo |
| Post-study work visa | 12 months | 0 months |
| PR pathway | 5 years | 10 years |
| Safety index | 45 / 100 | 70 / 100 |
Understanding a country beyond spreadsheets — unique facts about each destination that shape the experience of living and working there.
🇨🇱 Chile
Chile has the world's largest copper reserves — mining engineers and geologists are permanently in demand with top-tier salaries.
Source: USGS 2024
Santiago's Startup Chile programme was one of the world's first government-funded startup accelerators, attracting 3,000+ startups from 85 countries.
Source: CORFO 2024
Chile ranks 1st in Latin America for ease of doing business (World Bank 2023) and first for global competitiveness in the region.
Source: World Bank 2023
The Atacama Desert in Chile contains the world's largest optical telescope (ELT) — astronomy and astrophysics research careers are uniquely available here.
🇨🇳 China
China files more international patents than any country in the world — surpassing the US in 2019 and growing every year since.
Source: WIPO 2024
Shanghai has the world's largest metro network by route length at 831 km — larger than London, New York, and Tokyo combined.
Source: UITP 2024
China's Belt and Road Initiative spans 149 countries — creating infrastructure and finance careers with genuinely global reach.
Source: AEI 2023
Mandarin Chinese is the world's most spoken native language — learning it to HSK 5 unlocks business opportunities in East Asia's $26 trillion combined economy.
Popular Comparisons
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Data Sources
Editorial
Compiled by mockDe Editorial Team
Verified by IELTS-certified advisors with study-abroad counselling experience.
Freshness
Data reflects 2026 benchmarks.
Last reviewed June 2026.
AI verdict cached permanently; regenerated on data change.
All figures in USD. AI insights by Gemini Pro. Values are indicative — verify official sources before making relocation decisions.