Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Putian and Sydney

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $3,245 in Sydney, rent and utilities included – about $32,700 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
156

Cost of Living Index in Sydney
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Sydney Living Index

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Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Sydney

🇦🇺 Australia

$3,245

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Putian and in Sydney

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $518 in Putian versus $3,245 in Sydney.

Putian $518
Sydney $3,245

Estimated couple costs with rent: $854 in Putian versus $4,803 in Sydney.

Putian $854
Sydney $4,803

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,190 in Putian versus $6,362 in Sydney.

Putian $1,190
Sydney $6,362

Living in Putian costs roughly 84% less than in Sydney, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Putian is 62% below, Sydney is 139% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.21 ¥14.79

$17.41 A$25.05

-87.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.26 ¥156

$90.3 A$130

-74.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 ¥34.57

$11.92 A$17.15

-56.63%

Cappuccino

$2.44 ¥16.32

$4.03 A$5.80

-39.45%

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

$0.43 ¥2.88

$2.88 A$4.15

-85.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$2.23 A$3.20

-87.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.77 ¥5.16

$7.89 A$11.36

-90.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ¥19.58

$6.78 A$9.76

-56.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 ¥9.82

$1.71 A$2.45

-14.04%

White Bread (500g)

$2.25 ¥15.07

$2.94 A$4.23

-23.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.93 ¥6.19

$2.51 A$3.61

-62.95%

Eggs

$1.58 ¥10.58

$5.55 A$7.99

-71.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.73 ¥78.4

$11.77 A$16.94

-0.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.43 ¥16.22

$9.28 A$13.35

-73.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.18 ¥81.4

$16.70 A$24.03

-27.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 ¥17.03

$3.92 A$5.64

-34.95%

Banana (1kg)

$1.42 ¥9.49

$3.16 A$4.55

-55.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 ¥11.34

$3.48 A$5.00

-51.15%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.98 ¥13.25

$4.38 A$6.31

-54.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 ¥6.79

$3.33 A$4.79

-69.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.77 ¥11.86

$2.40 A$3.46

-26.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 ¥6.19

$2.31 A$3.32

-59.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 ¥3.36

$1.15 A$1.65

-56.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 ¥20.31

$44.34 A$63.8

-93.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.18 ¥74.8

$13.71 A$19.72

-18.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 ¥5.58

$4.00 A$5.75

-79.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 ¥11.44

$4.03 A$5.80

-57.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 ¥4.92

$3.22 A$4.63

-77.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.38 ¥150

$154 A$222

-85.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.16

$3.57 A$5.14

-57.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$1.58 A$2.27

-81.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.02 ¥46.94

$39.44 A$56.8

-82.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 ¥8.76

$1.48 A$2.13

-11.49%

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

$19.4K ¥129.8K

$29.6K A$42.5K

-34.31%

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

$17.8K ¥118.8K

$27.7K A$39.8K

-35.76%

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

$44.03 ¥294

$241 A$347

-81.76%

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

$8.87 ¥59.3

$27.57 A$39.67

-67.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.55 ¥70.6

$56.3 A$81.0

-81.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$78.1 A$112

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.26 A$33.47

Cinema Ticket

$10.08 ¥67.4

$17.55 A$25.26

-42.56%

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

$492 ¥3,286

$2,185 A$3,144

-77.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥163.6K

$27.8K A$40.0K

-11.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.10 ¥261

$80.0 A$115

-51.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.11 ¥195

$70.7 A$102

-58.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 ¥691

$111 A$159

-6.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$85.7 ¥573

$129 A$186

-33.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,477 A$3,564

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,777 A$2,557

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,885 A$7,030

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,093 A$4,451

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,637 ¥17.6K

$13.4K A$19.3K

-80.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,115 ¥7,452

$8,375 A$12.1K

-86.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$480 ¥3,211

$4,074 A$5,862

-88.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

5.92

-41.55%

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

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Last update for Sydney: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Putian

$215 41.6%

Sydney

$378 11.7% 75.6% $163

Clothing & Footwear

Putian

$116 22.4%

Sydney

$176 5.4% 51.9% $60

Eating Out

Putian

$75 14.5%

Sydney

$297 9.2% 295% $222

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Putian

$63 12.3%

Sydney

$325 10% 413% $262

Getting Around

Putian

$28 5.5%

Sydney

$178 5.5% 531% $150

Sport & Entertainment

Putian

$20 * 3.9%

Sydney

$113 3.5% 462% $93

Accommodation & Living

Putian

- * 0%

Sydney

$1.8K 54.8%

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

Cost Breakdown

Sydney pays 748% 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 $90.0 in Sydney for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $215 vs $378 per month, with Putian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Putian

🇦🇺 Sydney

🕒 Local time

06:36 6:36 AM

09:36 9:36 AM

3 h ahead of Putian

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,954,000

4,840,600

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Australian Dollar AUD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

AUD, 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).

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Putian Sydney 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Putian
Sydney

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 Sydney: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Putian is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 526% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 748% lower in Sydney. 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 $2,185 in Sydney. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 76% higher in Sydney. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $518 in Putian versus $3,245 in Sydney, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Putian but tight or insufficient in Sydney. 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 Sydney 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 526% less than in Sydney. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.