Live 2026 data · Tuition, rent, visa, salaries, PR pathways & more
Serbia
54
GoScore
Budget/mo
$650
Salary/mo
$950
Chile
52
GoScore
Budget/mo
$850
Salary/mo
$1,250
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
Serbia wins for students (GoScore 54 vs 52). A 2-year master's costs $20,600 in Serbia — 34% less than Chile, saving $10,800.
Serbia wins for working professionals (GoScore 49 vs 48). Professionals in Chile retain $163/month after expenses — $211/month more than in Serbia.
Serbia is stronger for permanent residence (GoScore 63 vs 60). PR takes ~5 years in Serbia vs ~5 years in Chile.
Total cost of attendance in Chile — tuition ($11,000) plus living ($20,400) — is $31,400. In Serbia: $20,600 ($5,000 tuition + $15,600 living).Serbia is 34% cheaper, saving $10,800 over the degree.
In Chile, 20 hrs/week at $7/hr earns $520/month — covering 116% of outside-city rent. In Serbia, the same hours earn $320/month — covering 80% of rent.
After rent, groceries, transport, and utilities, a professional in Chile retains $163/month from $1,250. In Serbia: $0/month from $950. Over 5 years the gap compounds to $12,660. Tech salaries: $2,500/mo (Chile) vs $2,800/mo (Serbia).
Chile: PR pathway ~5 years. Serbia: ~5 years. Post-study work visas: 12 months (Chile) and 0 months (Serbia). Student visa fee: $100 vs $80.
Minimum IELTS band: 5.5 (Chile) and 6.0 (Serbia). 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 | 🇷🇸 Serbia |
|---|---|---|
| Study GoScore | 52 | 54 |
| Work GoScore | 48 | 49 |
| Settle GoScore | 60 | 63 |
| Public university tuition / yr | $5,500 | $2,500 |
| Monthly student budget | $850 | $650 |
| Avg net salary / month | $1,250 | $950 |
| Rent 1-bed (city centre) | $680/mo | $620/mo |
| Post-study work visa | 12 months | 0 months |
| PR pathway | 5 years | 5 years |
| Safety index | 45 / 100 | 63 / 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.
🇷🇸 Serbia
Belgrade's tech scene grew 25% in 2023 — Serbia now has the highest concentration of STEM graduates per capita in Southeast Europe.
Source: ICT Hub Serbia 2024
Serbia allows digital nomad residency with low income requirements — popular for EU-adjacent living at Central Asian costs.
Nikola Tesla was born in Serbia (then part of the Austrian Empire) — reflecting a long national tradition of engineering excellence.
Serbia's flat 10% income tax rate is one of the lowest in Europe.
Source: Tax Administration Serbia 2024
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.