Live 2026 data · Tuition, rent, visa, salaries, PR pathways & more
New Zealand
62
GoScore
Budget/mo
$1,205
Salary/mo
$2,530
Lithuania
58
GoScore
Budget/mo
$750
Salary/mo
$1,400
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
New Zealand wins for students (GoScore 62 vs 58). A 2-year master's costs $26,000 in Lithuania — 60% less than New Zealand, saving $39,064.
New Zealand wins for working professionals (GoScore 60 vs 52). Professionals in New Zealand retain $814/month after expenses — $356/month more than in Lithuania.
New Zealand is stronger for permanent residence (GoScore 69 vs 65). PR takes ~5 years in New Zealand vs ~5 years in Lithuania.
Total cost of attendance in Lithuania — tuition ($8,000) plus living ($18,000) — is $26,000. In New Zealand: $65,064 ($36,144 tuition + $28,920 living).Lithuania is 60% cheaper, saving $39,064 over the degree.
In Lithuania, 20 hrs/week at $5/hr earns $400/month — covering 105% of outside-city rent. In New Zealand, the same hours earn $1,022/month — covering 113% of rent.
After rent, groceries, transport, and utilities, a professional in Lithuania retains $458/month from $1,400. In New Zealand: $814/month from $2,530. Over 5 years the gap compounds to $21,360. Tech salaries: $2,500/mo (Lithuania) vs $4,217/mo (New Zealand).
Lithuania: PR pathway ~5 years. New Zealand: ~5 years. Post-study work visas: 12 months (Lithuania) and 36 months (New Zealand). Student visa fee: $80 vs $226.
Minimum IELTS band: 6.0 (Lithuania) and 6.0 (New Zealand).Take a free IELTS mock test on mockDe to benchmark your exact skill-level gaps before applying.
| Metric | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | 🇳🇿 New Zealand |
|---|---|---|
| Study GoScore | 58 | 62 |
| Work GoScore | 52 | 60 |
| Settle GoScore | 65 | 69 |
| Public university tuition / yr | $4,000 | $18,072 |
| Monthly student budget | $750 | $1,205 |
| Avg net salary / month | $1,400 | $2,530 |
| Rent 1-bed (city centre) | $600/mo | $1,205/mo |
| Post-study work visa | 12 months | 36 months |
| PR pathway | 5 years | 5 years |
| Safety index | 65 / 100 | 67 / 100 |
Understanding a country beyond spreadsheets — unique facts about each destination that shape the experience of living and working there.
🇱🇹 Lithuania
Lithuania attracted over €1 billion in fintech investment in 2023 — Vilnius is now Europe's 3rd largest fintech hub after London and Stockholm.
Source: Invest Lithuania 2024
Lithuania was the first Soviet republic to declare independence (1990) — a political fact that reflects the country's notably strong democratic institutions.
Vilnius' old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site featuring the world's highest concentration of Baroque architecture per square kilometre.
Source: UNESCO
Lithuanian universities charge €2,000–5,500/year for English-taught programmes — among the best value EU degrees available.
🇳🇿 New Zealand
New Zealand ranked 1st on the Global Peace Index 2023 — the world's most peaceful country.
Source: Institute for Economics and Peace 2023
The Post-Study Work Visa allows up to 3 years of open work rights in NZ after graduating from a level 7+ programme.
Source: Immigration New Zealand 2023
Auckland consistently ranks in the world's top 5 most liveable cities — ahead of London and New York (Mercer 2023).
Source: Mercer Quality of Living 2023
New Zealand's Skilled Migrant Category grants points for NZ job offers and qualifications — with PR processing times as short as 3 months for priority occupations.
Source: Immigration NZ 2024
All 8 NZ universities appear in the QS World Top 500 — an unusually high ratio for a country of 5 million people.
Source: QS 2025
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.