Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seoul and Putian

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.

87

Cost of Living Index in Seoul
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Seoul Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index

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Seoul

🇰🇷 South Korea

$1,804

/mo nomad

Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seoul 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 Seoul and in Putian actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Seoul $1,804
Putian $518

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

Seoul $2,877
Putian $854

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

Seoul $3,950
Putian $1,190

Living in Seoul is roughly 248% more expensive than in Putian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.10 ₩12.1K

$2.21 ¥14.79

311.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.7 ₩88.6K

$23.26 ¥156

186.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 ₩9,959

$5.17 ¥34.57

44.87%

Cappuccino

$4.19 ₩5,569

$2.44 ¥16.32

71.72%

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

$1.55 ₩2,067

$0.43 ¥2.88

260.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 ₩1,055

$0.29 ¥1.92

172.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 ₩4,846

$0.77 ¥5.16

372.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.14 ₩8,164

$2.93 ¥19.58

109.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.11 ₩2,811

$1.47 ¥9.82

43.54%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 ₩4,051

$2.25 ¥15.07

35.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.21 ₩5,599

$0.93 ¥6.19

352.69%

Eggs

$3.54 ₩4,709

$1.58 ¥10.58

124.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.02 ₩24.0K

$11.73 ¥78.4

53.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.35 ₩13.8K

$2.43 ¥16.22

325.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.47 ₩35.2K

$12.18 ¥81.4

117.32%

Apples (1kg)

$7.91 ₩10.5K

$2.55 ¥17.03

210.20%

Banana (1kg)

$3.44 ₩4,578

$1.42 ¥9.49

142.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.64 ₩7,493

$1.70 ¥11.34

231.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.41 ₩8,517

$1.98 ¥13.25

223.74%

Potato (1kg)

$3.71 ₩4,938

$1.02 ¥6.79

263.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.52 ₩3,345

$1.77 ¥11.86

42.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.87 ₩3,816

$0.93 ¥6.19

208.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 ₩1,536

$0.50 ¥3.36

132.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.37 ₩4,480

$3.04 ¥20.31

10.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.72 ₩24.9K

$11.18 ¥74.8

67.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ₩3,036

$0.83 ¥5.58

174.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 ₩4,397

$1.71 ¥11.44

93.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.13 ₩1,497

$0.74 ¥4.92

52.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.73 ₩62.1K

$22.38 ¥150

108.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 ₩4,684

$1.52 ¥10.16

131.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 ₩849

$0.29 ¥1.94

120.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.76 ₩11.7K

$7.02 ¥46.94

24.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ₩1,930

$1.31 ¥8.76

10.69%

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

$29.7K ₩39.4M

$19.4K ¥129.8K

52.80%

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

$28.2K ₩37.5M

$17.8K ¥118.8K

58.68%

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

$211 ₩280.4K

$44.03 ¥294

378.90%

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

$35.36 ₩47.0K

$8.87 ¥59.3

298.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.57 ₩27.4K

$10.55 ¥70.6

94.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.7 ₩76.7K

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.20 ₩21.5K

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 ₩15.1K

$10.08 ¥67.4

12.80%

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

$1,967 ₩2.6M

$492 ¥3,286

300.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K ₩30.3M

$24.5K ¥163.6K

-6.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$57.5 ₩76.4K

$39.10 ¥261

46.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.08 ₩44.0K

$29.11 ¥195

13.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 ₩93.2K

$103 ¥691

-32.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.3 ₩112.0K

$85.7 ¥573

-1.69%

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)

$30.4K ₩40.4M

$2,637 ¥17.6K

1051.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.9K ₩15.8M

$1,115 ¥7,452

965.74%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,599 ₩4.8M

$480 ¥3,211

649.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.08

3.46

17.92%

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

Last update for Seoul: October 18, 2026

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seoul

$624 34.6%

Putian

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Seoul

$480 26.6%

Putian

$215 41.6% 55.1% $264

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seoul

$267 14.8%

Putian

$63 12.3% 76.2% $203

Eating Out

Seoul

$185 10.3%

Putian

$75 14.5% 59.5% $110

Clothing & Footwear

Seoul

$110 6.1%

Putian

$116 22.4% 5.1% $5.6

Sport & Entertainment

Seoul

$80 4.5%

Putian

$20 * 3.9% 74.9% $60

Getting Around

Seoul

$58 3.2%

Putian

$28 5.5% 51.2% $30

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: $67.0 in Seoul vs $23.00 in Putian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $480 vs $215 per month, with Putian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇷 Seoul

🇨🇳 Putian

🕒 Local time

06:24 6:24 AM

05:24 5:24 AM

1 h behind Seoul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,509,458 Capital

1,954,000

💱 Currency

South Korean Won KRW ₩

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 KRW = 7.52 USD

10,000 KRW = 6.69 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to KRW – South Korean Won Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇷 South Korean Won (₩)

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).

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).

USD to KRW in detail →

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Between locations

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

From you

Seoul
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

Seoul vs Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

Average pay runs 649% higher in Seoul, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,967 in Seoul versus $492 in Putian. 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, Seoul and Putian 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.