Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shanghai and Putian

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $516 a month against $1,222 in Shanghai, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Shanghai
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Shanghai Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index

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Shanghai

🇨🇳 China

$1,222

/mo nomad

Putian

🇨🇳 China

$516

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,222 in Shanghai versus $516 in Putian.

Shanghai $1,222
Putian $516

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,971 in Shanghai versus $854 in Putian.

Shanghai $1,971
Putian $854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,720 in Shanghai versus $1,192 in Putian.

Shanghai $2,720
Putian $1,192

Living in Shanghai is roughly 137% more expensive than in Putian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shanghai 10% lower, Putian 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.53 ¥30.11

$2.65 ¥17.63

70.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.16 ¥201

$24.07 ¥160

25.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.11 ¥34.03

$5.13 ¥34.14

-0.39%

Cappuccino

$3.41 ¥22.70

$2.53 ¥16.81

34.78%

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

$0.58 ¥3.85

$0.47 ¥3.12

23.40%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.23 ¥1.53

52.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 ¥8.22

$0.77 ¥5.09

59.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ¥15.37

$2.99 ¥19.87

-22.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 ¥12.52

$1.47 ¥9.81

27.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.94 ¥12.88

$2.35 ¥15.66

-17.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 ¥6.52

Eggs

$1.70 ¥11.31

$1.63 ¥10.84

4.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.02 ¥113

$11.79 ¥78.4

44.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.22 ¥21.41

$2.48 ¥16.47

29.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.93 ¥86.0

$11.93 ¥79.4

8.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.15 ¥14.31

$2.58 ¥17.14

-16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.48

$1.49 ¥9.91

16.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 ¥13.51

$1.66 ¥11.07

22.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.73 ¥11.54

$1.99 ¥13.24

-13.07%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$0.98 ¥6.52

-15.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.92 ¥6.13

$1.78 ¥11.87

-48.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.48

$0.94 ¥6.26

-28.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ¥3.92

$0.54 ¥3.57

9.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.77 ¥25.10

$3.05 ¥20.31

23.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.03 ¥73.4

$11.21 ¥74.6

-1.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.90 ¥6.00

$0.78 ¥5.20

15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 ¥10.67

$1.74 ¥11.56

-8.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.81

$0.78 ¥5.16

-26.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.62 ¥197

$22.68 ¥151

30.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.14 ¥14.25

$1.46 ¥9.74

46.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 ¥3.10

$0.31 ¥2.08

51.61%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 ¥58.2

$7.00 ¥46.57

24.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 ¥8.93

$1.29 ¥8.58

3.88%

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

$19.3K ¥128.1K

$19.4K ¥128.8K

-0.56%

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

$18.3K ¥121.6K

$17.5K ¥116.2K

4.64%

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

$58.9 ¥392

$44.11 ¥294

33.53%

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

$7.90 ¥52.5

$8.68 ¥57.8

-8.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.60 ¥70.5

$10.33 ¥68.7

2.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.8 ¥431

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.47 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$9.06 ¥60.3

$4.48 ¥29.81

102.23%

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

$1,587 ¥10.6K

$492 ¥3,272

222.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$28.2K ¥187.9K

$24.8K ¥164.7K

14.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.6 ¥363

$39.09 ¥260

39.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.21 ¥248

$29.50 ¥196

26.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.6 ¥496

$106 ¥705

-29.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 ¥707

$87.9 ¥585

20.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,026 ¥6,825

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$559 ¥3,721

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,618 ¥17.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 ¥7,926

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.4K ¥89.0K

$2,628 ¥17.5K

408.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,527 ¥43.4K

$1,115 ¥7,419

485.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,712 ¥11.4K

$474 ¥3,157

260.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.36

3.46

-2.89%

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

Last update for Shanghai: October 25, 2026

Last update for Putian: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shanghai

$559 45.8%

Putian

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Shanghai

$237 19.4%

Putian

$217 42.1% 8.2% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Shanghai

$123 10%

Putian

$118 22.9% 3.7% $4.6

Eating Out

Shanghai

$107 8.8%

Putian

$80 15.4% 25.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Shanghai

$83 6.8%

Putian

$9 * 1.7% 89.2% $74

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shanghai

$77 6.3%

Putian

$63 12.2% 18.4% $14

Getting Around

Shanghai

$36 3%

Putian

$29 5.6% 20.8% $7.6

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

Cost Breakdown

Shanghai pays about 3.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Shanghai vs $24 in Putian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $217 per month, with Putian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shanghai

🇨🇳 Putian

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

Same time as Shanghai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,870,895

1,954,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Shanghai Putian 690 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shanghai
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

Shanghai vs Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Putian is about 58% cheaper overall, especially in leisure, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Shanghai is about 3.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $1,587 in Shanghai 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 9% higher in Shanghai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $516 in Putian versus $1,222 in Shanghai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Putian but tight or insufficient in Shanghai. The gap between the two cities makes Putian the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

It comes down to priorities – Putian wins on affordability, Shanghai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.