Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Putian and Seoul

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $1,804 in Seoul, rent and utilities included – about $15,400 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
87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index

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Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Putian and in Seoul

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 Seoul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $518 in Putian versus $1,804 in Seoul.

Putian $518
Seoul $1,804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $854 in Putian versus $2,877 in Seoul.

Putian $854
Seoul $2,877

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,190 in Putian versus $3,950 in Seoul.

Putian $1,190
Seoul $3,950

Living in Putian costs roughly 71% less than in Seoul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Putian is 62% below, Seoul is 33% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 ¥14.79

$9.10 ₩12.1K

-75.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.26 ¥156

$66.7 ₩88.6K

-65.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.57

$7.49 ₩9,959

-30.97%

Cappuccino

$2.44 ¥16.32

$4.19 ₩5,569

-41.77%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$1.55 ₩2,067

-72.26%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.79 ₩1,055

-63.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.16

$3.64 ₩4,846

-78.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ¥19.58

$6.14 ₩8,164

-52.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$2.11 ₩2,811

-30.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 ¥15.07

$3.05 ₩4,051

-26.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.19

$4.21 ₩5,599

-77.91%

Eggs

$1.58 ¥10.58

$3.54 ₩4,709

-55.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$18.02 ₩24.0K

-34.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.43 ¥16.22

$10.35 ₩13.8K

-76.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.18 ¥81.4

$26.47 ₩35.2K

-53.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 ¥17.03

$7.91 ₩10.5K

-67.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.49

$3.44 ₩4,578

-58.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 ¥11.34

$5.64 ₩7,493

-69.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ¥13.25

$6.41 ₩8,517

-69.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.79

$3.71 ₩4,938

-72.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ¥11.86

$2.52 ₩3,345

-29.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.19

$2.87 ₩3,816

-67.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.36

$1.16 ₩1,536

-56.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ¥20.31

$3.37 ₩4,480

-9.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 ¥74.8

$18.72 ₩24.9K

-40.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.58

$2.28 ₩3,036

-63.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.44

$3.31 ₩4,397

-48.34%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ¥4.92

$1.13 ₩1,497

-34.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.38 ¥150

$46.73 ₩62.1K

-52.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$3.52 ₩4,684

-56.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.64 ₩849

-54.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.94

$8.76 ₩11.7K

-19.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.45 ₩1,930

-9.66%

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

$19.4K ¥129.8K

$29.7K ₩39.4M

-34.56%

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

$17.8K ¥118.8K

$28.2K ₩37.5M

-36.98%

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

$44.03 ¥294

$211 ₩280.4K

-79.12%

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

$8.87 ¥59.3

$35.36 ₩47.0K

-74.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.55 ¥70.6

$20.57 ₩27.4K

-48.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 ¥67.4

$11.37 ₩15.1K

-11.35%

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

$492 ¥3,286

$1,967 ₩2.6M

-75.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.6K

$22.8K ₩30.3M

7.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.10 ¥261

$57.5 ₩76.4K

-31.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.11 ¥195

$33.08 ₩44.0K

-12.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ¥691

$70.1 ₩93.2K

47.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.7 ¥573

$84.3 ₩112.0K

1.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$878 ₩1.2M

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$624 ₩829.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,513 ₩3.3M

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,287 ₩1.7M

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,637 ¥17.6K

$30.4K ₩40.4M

-91.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,115 ¥7,452

$11.9K ₩15.8M

-90.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$480 ¥3,211

$3,599 ₩4.8M

-86.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

4.08

-15.20%

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

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Putian

$215 41.6%

Seoul

$480 26.6% 123% $264

Clothing & Footwear

Putian

$116 22.4%

Seoul

$110 6.1% 4.8% $5.6

Eating Out

Putian

$75 14.5%

Seoul

$185 10.3% 147% $110

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Putian

$63 12.3%

Seoul

$267 14.8% 320% $203

Getting Around

Putian

$28 5.5%

Seoul

$58 3.2% 105% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Putian

$20 * 3.9%

Seoul

$80 4.5% 299% $60

Accommodation & Living

Putian

- * 0%

Seoul

$624 34.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Seoul pays 649% 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 $67.0 in Seoul for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $480 per month, with Putian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Putian

🇰🇷 Seoul

🕒 Local time

05:18 5:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

1 h ahead of Putian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,954,000

9,509,458 Capital

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

South Korean Won KRW ₩

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KRW, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

South Korean Won exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,330 KRW (10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD). 1 EUR = 1,495 KRW (10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Putian Seoul 1,540 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Putian
Seoul

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 Seoul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Putian is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and transport. The 248% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 649% lower in Seoul. 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 $1,967 in Seoul. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 123% higher in Seoul. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $518 in Putian versus $1,804 in Seoul, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Putian but tight or insufficient in Seoul. The gap between the two cities makes Putian the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Putian and Seoul 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 248% less than in Seoul. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.