Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hangzhou and Putian

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $520 a month against $1,036 in Hangzhou, rent and utilities included – about $6,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index

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Hangzhou

🇨🇳 China

$1,036

/mo nomad

Putian

🇨🇳 China

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Hangzhou and in Putian

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Hangzhou and in Putian actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,036 per month in Hangzhou vs $520 in Putian, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,036
Putian $520

A couple spends around $1,557 per month in Hangzhou vs $848 in Putian, rent included.

Hangzhou $1,557
Putian $848

A family of three spends $2,078 per month in Hangzhou vs $1,177 in Putian, rent included.

Hangzhou $2,078
Putian $1,177

Hangzhou costs about 99% more than Putian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Hangzhou and Putian are more affordable than the global median – Hangzhou 23% lower, Putian 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 ¥25.65

$2.29 ¥15.33

67.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.60 ¥171

$23.38 ¥156

9.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.59 ¥30.70

$5.25 ¥35.07

-12.57%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.80

$2.46 ¥16.43

38.62%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.94

$0.46 ¥3.08

28.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ¥2.07

$0.31 ¥2.09

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 ¥7.81

$0.73 ¥4.90

60.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 ¥15.19

$2.92 ¥19.52

-22.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 ¥12.41

$1.53 ¥10.22

21.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.60 ¥10.68

$2.34 ¥15.63

-31.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.11 ¥7.43

$0.97 ¥6.49

14.43%

Eggs

$2.06 ¥13.80

$1.64 ¥10.94

25.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.51 ¥130

$11.90 ¥79.5

63.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 ¥24.32

$2.46 ¥16.43

47.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 ¥67.7

$12.13 ¥81.1

-16.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 ¥15.34

$2.65 ¥17.69

-13.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 ¥9.09

$1.49 ¥9.93

-8.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 ¥10.11

$1.62 ¥10.85

-6.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.60 ¥10.73

$2.00 ¥13.35

-20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 ¥5.73

$0.97 ¥6.48

-11.34%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.64

$1.81 ¥12.10

-45.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.47

$0.86 ¥5.73

-22.09%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ¥3.57

$0.51 ¥3.38

3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 ¥26.71

$3.02 ¥20.15

32.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 ¥90.8

$11.14 ¥74.4

21.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.75 ¥4.98

$0.83 ¥5.55

-9.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ¥11.03

$1.75 ¥11.70

-5.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.59 ¥3.93

$0.77 ¥5.14

-23.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.15 ¥121

$22.71 ¥152

-20.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 ¥12.79

$1.48 ¥9.89

29.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 ¥2.40

$0.31 ¥2.08

16.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.22 ¥48.25

$6.95 ¥46.44

3.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.74

$1.25 ¥8.38

4.80%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$19.5K ¥130.4K

$19.6K ¥131.0K

-0.46%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$18.2K ¥121.5K

$17.4K ¥116.1K

4.64%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$48.36 ¥323

$44.49 ¥297

8.70%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$9.79 ¥65.4

$8.66 ¥57.9

13.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.72 ¥98.3

$10.23 ¥68.3

43.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ¥349

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.77 ¥132

Cinema Ticket

$7.30 ¥48.81

$9.90 ¥66.1

-26.26%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$563 ¥3,765

$497 ¥3,322

13.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K ¥241.3K

$24.8K ¥165.6K

45.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.4 ¥397

$38.89 ¥260

52.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.16 ¥282

$29.26 ¥196

44.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 ¥567

$105 ¥703

-19.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$109 ¥732

$86.4 ¥577

26.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$623 ¥4,165

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$386 ¥2,577

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,208 ¥8,071

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$672 ¥4,492

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,991 ¥53.4K

$2,562 ¥17.1K

211.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,678 ¥24.6K

$1,105 ¥7,387

232.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,582 ¥10.6K

$468 ¥3,127

238.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

3.46

1.16%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Hangzhou: October 4, 2026

Last update for Putian: October 6, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Hangzhou

$386 37.9%

Putian

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Hangzhou

$236 23.2%

Putian

$218 41.7% 7.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Hangzhou

$133 13.1%

Putian

$117 22.3% 12.2% $16

Eating Out

Hangzhou

$99 9.8%

Putian

$76 14.6% 23.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hangzhou

$73 7.2%

Putian

$63 12.1% 13% $9.5

Sport & Entertainment

Hangzhou

$67 6.6%

Putian

$20 * 3.8% 70.4% $47

Getting Around

Hangzhou

$24 2.4%

Putian

$29 5.5% 19.1% $4.6

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 238% higher in Hangzhou, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Hangzhou versus $23.00 in Putian. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $218 – making Putian the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Hangzhou

🇨🇳 Putian

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

Same time as Hangzhou

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,360,000

1,954,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.134 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Hangzhou Putian 550 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Hangzhou
Putian

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Hangzhou vs Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Hangzhou is pricier by about 99%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in leisure.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,555 per month in Hangzhou and $780 in Putian. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Hangzhou, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26.00 in Hangzhou and $23.00 in Putian. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Putian, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Hangzhou at $1,036. In Putian it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hangzhou it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Putian – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Putian. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Hangzhou makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.