Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Shenzhen and Putian

For one person, living is cheaper in Putian: $518 a month against $1,131 in Shenzhen, rent and utilities included – about $7,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Shenzhen
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Shenzhen Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Putian
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Putian Living Index

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Shenzhen

🇨🇳 China

$1,131

/mo nomad

Putian

🇨🇳 China

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,131 in Shenzhen versus $518 in Putian.

Shenzhen $1,131
Putian $518

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,741 in Shenzhen versus $854 in Putian.

Shenzhen $1,741
Putian $854

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,352 in Shenzhen versus $1,190 in Putian.

Shenzhen $2,352
Putian $1,190

Living in Shenzhen is roughly 118% more expensive than in Putian, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Shenzhen 17% lower, Putian 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.73 ¥24.93

$2.21 ¥14.79

68.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.92 ¥200

$23.26 ¥156

28.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.36 ¥35.83

$5.17 ¥34.57

3.68%

Cappuccino

$3.39 ¥22.66

$2.44 ¥16.32

38.93%

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

$0.55 ¥3.67

$0.43 ¥2.88

27.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ¥2.36

$0.29 ¥1.92

20.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.47 ¥9.84

$0.77 ¥5.16

90.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 ¥14.50

$2.93 ¥19.58

-25.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 ¥10.64

$1.47 ¥9.82

8.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ¥10.88

$2.25 ¥15.07

-27.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 ¥7.59

$0.93 ¥6.19

22.58%

Eggs

$1.78 ¥11.89

$1.58 ¥10.58

12.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.25 ¥142

$11.73 ¥78.4

81.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.45 ¥23.10

$2.43 ¥16.22

41.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 ¥98.2

$12.18 ¥81.4

20.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 ¥14.94

$2.55 ¥17.03

-12.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 ¥10.73

$1.42 ¥9.49

13.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.89 ¥12.67

$1.70 ¥11.34

11.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 ¥9.41

$1.98 ¥13.25

-28.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 ¥6.95

$1.02 ¥6.79

1.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 ¥8.36

$1.77 ¥11.86

-29.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.56 ¥3.76

$0.93 ¥6.19

-39.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 ¥4.05

$0.50 ¥3.36

22.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.38 ¥29.30

$3.04 ¥20.31

44.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.72 ¥78.4

$11.18 ¥74.8

4.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 ¥6.53

$0.83 ¥5.58

18.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 ¥12.21

$1.71 ¥11.44

7.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 ¥3.82

$0.74 ¥4.92

-22.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.57 ¥151

$22.38 ¥150

0.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 ¥10.15

$1.52 ¥10.16

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 ¥2.55

$0.29 ¥1.94

31.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 ¥46.71

$7.02 ¥46.94

-0.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.35 ¥9.02

$1.31 ¥8.76

3.05%

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

$19.8K ¥132.4K

$19.4K ¥129.8K

1.99%

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

$17.9K ¥119.8K

$17.8K ¥118.8K

0.82%

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

$62.8 ¥420

$44.03 ¥294

42.54%

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

$10.25 ¥68.5

$8.87 ¥59.3

15.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.36 ¥109

$10.55 ¥70.6

55.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.52 ¥331

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.32 ¥116

Cinema Ticket

$7.64 ¥51.1

$10.08 ¥67.4

-24.21%

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

$526 ¥3,519

$492 ¥3,286

7.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$24.5K ¥164.1K

$24.5K ¥163.6K

0.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 ¥369

$39.10 ¥261

41.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.99 ¥267

$29.11 ¥195

37.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.3 ¥484

$103 ¥691

-30.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ¥620

$85.7 ¥573

8.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$771 ¥5,158

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 ¥3,195

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,984 ¥13.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$852 ¥5,696

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$13.6K ¥91.2K

$2,637 ¥17.6K

417.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,013 ¥40.2K

$1,115 ¥7,452

439.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,751 ¥11.7K

$480 ¥3,211

264.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.35

3.46

-3.18%

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

Last update for Shenzhen: October 20, 2026

Last update for Putian: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Shenzhen

$478 42.3%

Putian

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Shenzhen

$251 22.2%

Putian

$215 41.6% 14.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Shenzhen

$117 10.4%

Putian

$116 22.4% 1.1% $1.3

Eating Out

Shenzhen

$102 9%

Putian

$75 14.5% 26.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Shenzhen

$89 7.9%

Putian

$63 12.3% 29% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Shenzhen

$65 5.7%

Putian

$20 * 3.9% 68.9% $45

Getting Around

Shenzhen

$28 2.5%

Putian

$28 5.5% 0% $0

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

Cost Breakdown

Shenzhen pays 265% 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: $30.00 in Shenzhen vs $23.00 in Putian for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $251 vs $215 per month, with Putian cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Shenzhen

🇨🇳 Putian

🕒 Local time

10:26 10:26 AM

Same time as Shenzhen

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,528,300

1,954,000

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Shenzhen Putian 600 km ≈ 1 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Shenzhen
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

Shenzhen vs Putian: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Putian is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 118% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 265% higher in Shenzhen, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Childcare runs $526 in Shenzhen 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 17% higher in Shenzhen. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $518 in Putian versus $1,131 in Shenzhen, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Putian but tight or insufficient in Shenzhen. 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.

Expats usually find Putian gentler on the wallet – expenses run 118% less than in Shenzhen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.