Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Taiyuan

For one person, living is cheaper in Taiyuan: $589 a month against $741 in Chengdu, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
Learn more

Taiyuan Living Index

Jump to prices

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu and in Taiyuan

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chengdu and in Taiyuan actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $741 per month in Chengdu vs $589 in Taiyuan, rent included.

Chengdu $741
Taiyuan $589

A couple spends around $1,204 per month in Chengdu vs $913 in Taiyuan, rent included.

Chengdu $1,204
Taiyuan $913

A family of three spends $1,667 per month in Chengdu vs $1,238 in Taiyuan, rent included.

Chengdu $1,667
Taiyuan $1,238

Chengdu costs about 26% more than Taiyuan, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chengdu and Taiyuan are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 45% lower, Taiyuan 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 ¥18.69

$2.28 ¥15.21

22.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.37 ¥149

$14.73 ¥98.4

51.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥32.81

$4.40 ¥29.37

11.59%

Cappuccino

$2.88 ¥19.26

$2.64 ¥17.60

9.09%

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

$0.50 ¥3.37

$0.47 ¥3.11

6.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.29 ¥1.92

-3.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.19

$1.22 ¥8.12

25.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.59

$2.15 ¥14.36

1.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.71

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥10.01

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.61

$0.83 ¥5.51

19.28%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.40

$1.01 ¥6.75

54.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.54 ¥97.1

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.45

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ¥74.7

$13.02 ¥86.9

-14.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.38

$1.87 ¥12.50

-1.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.18

$1.38 ¥9.20

-0.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.27

$0.81 ¥5.40

34.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.73

$1.16 ¥7.76

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.48 ¥3.20

45.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.83

$0.29 ¥1.91

148.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.63

$0.46 ¥3.07

17.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 ¥24.86

$2.95 ¥19.72

26.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 ¥30.57

$7.56 ¥50.5

-39.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.48

$0.87 ¥5.80

-5.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.85

$1.45 ¥9.71

2.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.87

$0.31 ¥2.08

38.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.50 ¥164

$13.65 ¥91.1

79.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ¥8.69

$1.18 ¥7.89

10.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.23 ¥1.53

26.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ¥29.81

$3.73 ¥24.88

19.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.80

$1.25 ¥8.32

5.60%

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

$19.6K ¥130.7K

$20.0K ¥133.4K

-2.03%

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

$17.4K ¥115.9K

$17.5K ¥117.1K

-1.02%

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

$47.19 ¥315

$94.3 ¥630

-49.97%

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

$9.21 ¥61.5

$10.27 ¥68.6

-10.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.45 ¥83.1

$12.74 ¥85.1

-2.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.80 ¥179

$45.17 ¥302

-40.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 ¥76.1

$8.76 ¥58.5

30.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ¥40.57

$6.64 ¥44.31

-8.43%

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

$379 ¥2,531

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥98.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.28 ¥169

$27.60 ¥184

-8.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.77 ¥185

$67.2 ¥449

-58.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.9 ¥380

$74.0 ¥494

-23.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 ¥351

$59.4 ¥397

-11.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ¥3,099

$223 ¥1,488

108.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ¥1,657

$114 ¥759

118.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$813 ¥5,429

$556 ¥3,714

46.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ¥3,560

$259 ¥1,730

105.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,762 ¥25.1K

$2,629 ¥17.6K

43.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,902 ¥12.7K

$1,252 ¥8,356

52.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,252 ¥8,356

$928 ¥6,194

34.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

3.83

-11.75%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Taiyuan: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$248 33.5%

Taiyuan

$114 19.3% 54.2% $134

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$196 26.5%

Taiyuan

$103 * 17.5% 47.5% $93

Eating Out

Chengdu

$87 11.7%

Taiyuan

$76 13% 12% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 9.9%

Taiyuan

$103 17.4% 40.3% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.3%

Taiyuan

$117 19.9% 70.4% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.3%

Taiyuan

$58 9.9% 50% $19

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 3.9%

Taiyuan

$17 2.9% 40.6% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chengdu versus $223 in Taiyuan. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 35% higher in Chengdu, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chengdu versus $15.00 in Taiyuan. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $103 – making Taiyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🕒 Local time

14:09 2:09 PM

Same time as Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

3,525,300

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chengdu Taiyuan 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
Taiyuan

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

Chengdu vs Taiyuan: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $741 in Chengdu, $589 in Taiyuan – roughly 26% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,112 per month in Chengdu and $883 in Taiyuan. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Taiyuan, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 79% less in Taiyuan. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 91% more in Chengdu, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $741 in Chengdu and $589 in Taiyuan, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Taiyuan – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Taiyuan. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chengdu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.