Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Putian and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $1,208 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index

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Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,208

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Putian and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $518 in Putian versus $1,208 in Phuket.

Putian $518
Phuket $1,208

Estimated couple costs with rent: $854 in Putian versus $2,027 in Phuket.

Putian $854
Phuket $2,027

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,190 in Putian versus $2,845 in Phuket.

Putian $1,190
Phuket $2,845

Living in Putian costs roughly 57% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Putian 62% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 ¥14.79

$4.40 ฿147

-49.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.26 ¥156

$32.26 ฿1,078

-27.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.57

$8.76 ฿293

-40.98%

Cappuccino

$2.44 ¥16.32

$2.83 ฿94.5

-13.78%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.90 ฿30.14

-52.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.47 ฿15.56

-38.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.16

$2.55 ฿85.2

-69.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ¥19.58

$3.83 ฿128

-23.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$1.73 ฿57.7

-15.03%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 ¥15.07

$1.47 ฿49.11

53.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.19

$1.51 ฿50.6

-38.41%

Eggs

$1.58 ¥10.58

$2.17 ฿72.7

-27.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$19.70 ฿658

-40.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.43 ¥16.22

$3.34 ฿112

-27.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.18 ¥81.4

$11.16 ฿373

9.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 ¥17.03

$2.85 ฿95.1

-10.53%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.49

$1.70 ฿56.9

-16.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 ¥11.34

$2.19 ฿73.3

-22.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ¥13.25

$2.05 ฿68.4

-3.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.79

$1.45 ฿48.57

-29.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ¥11.86

$1.38 ฿46.16

28.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.19

$1.07 ฿35.69

-13.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.36

$0.51 ฿16.91

-1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ¥20.31

$4.26 ฿142

-28.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 ¥74.8

$18.58 ฿621

-39.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.58

$1.78 ฿59.7

-53.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.44

$2.85 ฿95.2

-40.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ¥4.92

$2.26 ฿75.6

-67.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.38 ¥150

$22.10 ฿738

1.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$3.01 ฿101

-49.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.06 ฿35.34

-72.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.94

$3.86 ฿129

81.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.45 ฿48.45

-9.66%

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

$19.4K ¥129.8K

$26.3K ฿879.9K

-26.26%

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

$17.8K ¥118.8K

$26.9K ฿900.4K

-34.05%

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

$44.03 ¥294

$96.4 ฿3,221

-54.32%

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

$8.87 ¥59.3

$11.04 ฿369

-19.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.55 ¥70.6

$17.14 ฿573

-38.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.2 ฿1,744

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.16 ฿373

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 ¥67.4

$7.81 ฿261

29.07%

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

$492 ¥3,286

$556 ฿18.6K

-11.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.6K

$11.6K ฿387.0K

111.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.10 ¥261

$64.2 ฿2,146

-39.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.11 ¥195

$28.69 ฿959

1.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ¥691

$95.4 ฿3,187

8.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.7 ¥573

$88.0 ฿2,940

-2.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$737 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$462 ฿15.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,095 ฿70.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,201 ฿40.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,637 ¥17.6K

$3,488 ฿116.6K

-24.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,115 ¥7,452

$2,523 ฿84.3K

-55.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$480 ¥3,211

$501 ฿16.7K

-4.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

5.57

-37.88%

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

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Putian

$215 41.6%

Phuket

$269 22.2% 24.8% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Putian

$116 22.4%

Phuket

$124 10.3% 7.4% $8.5

Eating Out

Putian

$75 14.5%

Phuket

$121 10% 61.5% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Putian

$63 12.3%

Phuket

$125 10.3% 96.3% $61

Getting Around

Putian

$28 5.5%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 39.4% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Putian

$20 * 3.9%

Phuket

$68 5.6% 236% $48

Accommodation & Living

Putian

- * 0%

Phuket

$462 38.3%

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

Cost Breakdown

Phuket pays 4% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $23.00 in Putian vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $269 per month, with Putian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Putian

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

09:26 9:26 AM

1 h behind Putian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,954,000

79,308

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 23, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Putian Phuket 2,930 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Putian
Phuket

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

Putian vs Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Putian is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 133% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 4% lower in Phuket. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Childcare runs $492 in Putian versus $556 in Phuket. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 25% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $518 in Putian versus $1,208 in Phuket, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Putian but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Putian the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Putian is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Phuket, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Putian and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Putian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 133% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.