Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Tianjin

For one person, living is cheaper in Chengdu: $741 a month against $885 in Tianjin, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Tianjin
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Tianjin Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Tianjin

🇨🇳 China

$885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu and in Tianjin

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

A single person spends $741 per month in Chengdu vs $885 in Tianjin, rent included.

Chengdu $741
Tianjin $885

A couple spends around $1,204 per month in Chengdu vs $1,368 in Tianjin, rent included.

Chengdu $1,204
Tianjin $1,368

A family of three spends $1,667 per month in Chengdu vs $1,850 in Tianjin, rent included.

Chengdu $1,667
Tianjin $1,850

Chengdu is about 16% cheaper than Tianjin, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chengdu and Tianjin are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 45% lower, Tianjin 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 ¥18.72

$4.12 ¥27.58

-32.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.37 ¥150

$23.49 ¥157

-4.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥32.85

$5.86 ¥39.19

-16.21%

Cappuccino

$2.88 ¥19.28

$4.09 ¥27.37

-29.58%

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

$0.50 ¥3.37

$0.47 ¥3.12

6.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.21

$0.94 ¥6.32

62.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.61

$1.68 ¥11.22

30.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.44 ¥9.59

31.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥10.02

$2.33 ¥15.59

-35.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.62

$1.66 ¥11.09

-40.36%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$1.27 ¥8.49

22.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.54 ¥97.2

$14.76 ¥98.7

-1.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.48

$3.62 ¥24.18

1.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ¥74.8

$9.61 ¥64.2

16.44%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.40

$1.66 ¥11.09

11.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.19

$1.55 ¥10.39

-11.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.28

$1.72 ¥11.47

-36.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.74

$1.19 ¥7.94

-2.52%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$0.84 ¥5.61

-16.67%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$1.17 ¥7.83

-38.46%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.67 ¥4.46

-7.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.64

$0.71 ¥4.77

-23.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 ¥24.89

$5.31 ¥35.48

-29.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 ¥30.61

$13.36 ¥89.3

-65.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$1.06 ¥7.09

-22.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.86

$2.55 ¥17.05

-41.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$0.29 ¥1.91

48.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.50 ¥164

$8.96 ¥59.9

173.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ¥8.71

$1.59 ¥10.66

-18.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.35 ¥2.35

-17.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ¥29.85

$6.40 ¥42.78

-30.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.81

$1.24 ¥8.26

6.45%

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

$19.6K ¥130.9K

$19.3K ¥129.2K

1.29%

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

$17.4K ¥116.1K

$17.5K ¥116.8K

-0.63%

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

$47.19 ¥316

$93.3 ¥624

-49.44%

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

$9.21 ¥61.6

$6.26 ¥41.87

47.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.45 ¥83.2

$7.37 ¥49.26

68.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.80 ¥179

$16.59 ¥111

61.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 ¥76.2

$10.42 ¥69.7

9.31%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ¥40.62

$7.65 ¥51.2

-20.52%

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

$379 ¥2,534

$651 ¥4,355

-41.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥99.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.28 ¥169

$56.2 ¥376

-55.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.77 ¥186

$29.41 ¥197

-5.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.9 ¥381

$110 ¥735

-48.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 ¥352

$137 ¥914

-61.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ¥3,103

$333 ¥2,226

39.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ¥1,659

$249 ¥1,662

-0.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$813 ¥5,436

$634 ¥4,242

28.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ¥3,565

$459 ¥3,066

16.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,762 ¥25.2K

$5,307 ¥35.5K

-29.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,902 ¥12.7K

$2,349 ¥15.7K

-19.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,252 ¥8,368

$1,188 ¥7,942

5.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

3.54

-4.52%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Tianjin: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$248 33.5%

Tianjin

$249 28.1% 0.2% $0.4

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$196 26.5%

Tianjin

$224 25.3% 14.3% $28

Eating Out

Chengdu

$87 11.7%

Tianjin

$111 12.5% 27.5% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 9.9%

Tianjin

$149 16.9% 104% $76

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.3%

Tianjin

$107 12.1% 55.4% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.3%

Tianjin

$32 3.6% 18.1% $7.1

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 3.9%

Tianjin

$13 1.5% 53.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chengdu versus $333 in Tianjin. 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 5% higher in Chengdu, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chengdu versus $23.00 in Tianjin. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $196 vs $224 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇨🇳 Tianjin

🕒 Local time

21:31 9:31 PM

Same time as Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

13,866,009

💱 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

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Between locations

Chengdu Tianjin 1,520 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
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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 Tianjin: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $741 in Chengdu, $885 in Tianjin – roughly 19% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,112 per month in Chengdu and $1,328 in Tianjin. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chengdu and $23.00 in Tianjin. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $741 in Chengdu and $885 in Tianjin. That's a gap of about 19%.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $741 in Chengdu and $885 in Tianjin, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Chengdu – 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 Chengdu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tianjin makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.