Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Taiyuan and Chengdu

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.

28

Cost of Living Index in Taiyuan
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Taiyuan Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index

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Taiyuan

🇨🇳 China

$589

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Taiyuan and in Chengdu

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

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

Taiyuan $589
Chengdu $741

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

Taiyuan $913
Chengdu $1,204

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

Taiyuan $1,238
Chengdu $1,667

Taiyuan is about 21% cheaper than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.28 ¥15.21

$2.80 ¥18.69

-18.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$14.73 ¥98.4

$22.37 ¥149

-34.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.40 ¥29.37

$4.91 ¥32.81

-10.39%

Cappuccino

$2.64 ¥17.60

$2.88 ¥19.26

-8.33%

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

$0.47 ¥3.11

$0.50 ¥3.37

-6.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.29 ¥1.92

$0.28 ¥1.88

3.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 ¥8.12

$1.53 ¥10.19

-20.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 ¥14.36

$2.19 ¥14.59

-1.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.71

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥10.01

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.83 ¥5.51

$0.99 ¥6.61

-16.16%

Eggs

$1.01 ¥6.75

$1.56 ¥10.40

-35.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.54 ¥97.1

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.45

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.02 ¥86.9

$11.19 ¥74.7

16.35%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 ¥12.50

$1.85 ¥12.38

1.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 ¥9.20

$1.37 ¥9.18

0.73%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.81 ¥5.40

$1.09 ¥7.27

-25.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.76

$1.16 ¥7.73

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 ¥3.20

$0.70 ¥4.70

-31.43%

Onion (1kg)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.72 ¥4.83

-59.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 ¥3.07

$0.54 ¥3.63

-14.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ¥19.72

$3.72 ¥24.86

-20.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.56 ¥50.5

$4.58 ¥30.57

65.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.87 ¥5.80

$0.82 ¥5.48

6.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 ¥9.71

$1.48 ¥9.85

-2.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 ¥2.08

$0.43 ¥2.87

-27.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$13.65 ¥91.1

$24.50 ¥164

-44.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ¥7.89

$1.30 ¥8.69

-9.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.23 ¥1.53

$0.29 ¥1.94

-20.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.73 ¥24.88

$4.46 ¥29.81

-16.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 ¥8.32

$1.32 ¥8.80

-5.30%

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

$20.0K ¥133.4K

$19.6K ¥130.7K

2.08%

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

$17.5K ¥117.1K

$17.4K ¥115.9K

1.03%

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

$94.3 ¥630

$47.19 ¥315

99.87%

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

$10.27 ¥68.6

$9.21 ¥61.5

11.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.74 ¥85.1

$12.45 ¥83.1

2.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.17 ¥302

$26.80 ¥179

68.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.76 ¥58.5

$11.39 ¥76.1

-23.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.64 ¥44.31

$6.08 ¥40.57

9.21%

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)

$27.60 ¥184

$25.28 ¥169

9.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.2 ¥449

$27.77 ¥185

141.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.0 ¥494

$56.9 ¥380

29.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.4 ¥397

$52.6 ¥351

12.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$223 ¥1,488

$464 ¥3,099

-51.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$114 ¥759

$248 ¥1,657

-54.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$556 ¥3,714

$813 ¥5,429

-31.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$259 ¥1,730

$533 ¥3,560

-51.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,629 ¥17.6K

$3,762 ¥25.1K

-30.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,252 ¥8,356

$1,902 ¥12.7K

-34.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$928 ¥6,194

$1,252 ¥8,356

-25.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.83

3.38

13.31%

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

Last update for Taiyuan: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Taiyuan

$117 19.9%

Chengdu

$69 9.3% 41.3% $49

Accommodation & Living

Taiyuan

$114 19.3%

Chengdu

$248 33.5% 118% $134

Groceries & Markets

Taiyuan

$103 * 17.5%

Chengdu

$196 26.5% 90.5% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Taiyuan

$103 17.4%

Chengdu

$73 9.9% 28.7% $30

Eating Out

Taiyuan

$76 13%

Chengdu

$87 11.7% 13.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Taiyuan

$58 9.9%

Chengdu

$39 5.3% 33.4% $19

Getting Around

Taiyuan

$17 2.9%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 68.3% $12

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $223 in Taiyuan versus $464 in Chengdu. 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 $15.00 in Taiyuan versus $22.00 in Chengdu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $103 vs $196 – making Taiyuan the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Taiyuan

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

19:49 7:49 PM

Same time as Taiyuan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,525,300

20,937,757

💱 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

Taiyuan Chengdu 1,120 km ≈ 2 h nonstop flight

From you

Taiyuan
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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

Taiyuan vs Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $883 per month in Taiyuan and $1,112 in Chengdu. 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 $589 in Taiyuan and $741 in Chengdu, 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.