Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tianjin and Chengdu

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.

43

Cost of Living Index in Tianjin
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Tianjin Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index

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Tianjin

🇨🇳 China

$885

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Tianjin $885
Chengdu $741

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

Tianjin $1,368
Chengdu $1,204

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

Tianjin $1,850
Chengdu $1,667

Tianjin costs about 19% more than Chengdu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.12 ¥27.58

$2.80 ¥18.72

47.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.49 ¥157

$22.37 ¥150

5.01%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.86 ¥39.19

$4.91 ¥32.85

19.35%

Cappuccino

$4.09 ¥27.37

$2.88 ¥19.28

42.01%

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

$0.47 ¥3.12

$0.50 ¥3.37

-6.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.94 ¥6.32

$1.53 ¥10.21

-38.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 ¥11.22

$2.19 ¥14.61

-23.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ¥9.59

$1.90 ¥12.73

-24.21%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 ¥15.59

$1.50 ¥10.02

55.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.09

$0.99 ¥6.62

67.68%

Eggs

$1.27 ¥8.49

$1.56 ¥10.42

-18.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.76 ¥98.7

$14.54 ¥97.2

1.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.62 ¥24.18

$3.66 ¥24.48

-1.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.61 ¥64.2

$11.19 ¥74.8

-14.12%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 ¥11.09

$1.85 ¥12.40

-10.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.55 ¥10.39

$1.37 ¥9.19

13.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.72 ¥11.47

$1.09 ¥7.28

57.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 ¥7.94

$1.16 ¥7.74

2.59%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 ¥5.61

$0.70 ¥4.70

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ¥7.83

$0.72 ¥4.84

62.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ¥4.46

$0.62 ¥4.16

8.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 ¥4.77

$0.54 ¥3.64

31.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.31 ¥35.48

$3.72 ¥24.89

42.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.36 ¥89.3

$4.58 ¥30.61

191.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 ¥7.09

$0.82 ¥5.49

29.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.55 ¥17.05

$1.48 ¥9.86

72.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.29 ¥1.91

$0.43 ¥2.88

-32.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$8.96 ¥59.9

$24.50 ¥164

-63.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 ¥10.66

$1.30 ¥8.71

22.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 ¥2.35

$0.29 ¥1.94

20.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.40 ¥42.78

$4.46 ¥29.85

43.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ¥8.26

$1.32 ¥8.81

-6.06%

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

$19.3K ¥129.2K

$19.6K ¥130.9K

-1.27%

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

$17.5K ¥116.8K

$17.4K ¥116.1K

0.63%

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

$93.3 ¥624

$47.19 ¥316

97.77%

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

$6.26 ¥41.87

$9.21 ¥61.6

-32.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.37 ¥49.26

$12.45 ¥83.2

-40.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$16.59 ¥111

$26.80 ¥179

-38.10%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.42 ¥69.7

$11.39 ¥76.2

-8.52%

Cinema Ticket

$7.65 ¥51.2

$6.08 ¥40.62

25.82%

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

$651 ¥4,355

$379 ¥2,534

71.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥99.0K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 ¥376

$25.28 ¥169

122.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.41 ¥197

$27.77 ¥186

5.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 ¥735

$56.9 ¥381

93.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$137 ¥914

$52.6 ¥352

159.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$333 ¥2,226

$464 ¥3,103

-28.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$249 ¥1,662

$248 ¥1,659

0.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 ¥4,242

$813 ¥5,436

-21.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$459 ¥3,066

$533 ¥3,565

-13.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,307 ¥35.5K

$3,762 ¥25.2K

41.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,349 ¥15.7K

$1,902 ¥12.7K

23.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,188 ¥7,942

$1,252 ¥8,368

-5.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.54

3.38

4.73%

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

Last update for Tianjin: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Tianjin

$249 28.1%

Chengdu

$248 33.5% 0.2% $0.4

Groceries & Markets

Tianjin

$224 25.3%

Chengdu

$196 26.5% 12.5% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Tianjin

$149 16.9%

Chengdu

$73 9.9% 51.1% $76

Eating Out

Tianjin

$111 12.5%

Chengdu

$87 11.7% 21.5% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tianjin

$107 12.1%

Chengdu

$69 9.3% 35.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Tianjin

$32 3.6%

Chengdu

$39 5.3% 22.1% $7.1

Getting Around

Tianjin

$13 1.5%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 116% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $333 in Tianjin 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 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 $23.00 in Tianjin versus $22.00 in Chengdu. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $224 vs $196 – making Chengdu the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Tianjin

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

20:35 8:35 PM

Same time as Tianjin

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,866,009

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

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

From you

Tianjin
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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

Tianjin vs Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,328 per month in Tianjin 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 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 $23.00 in Tianjin and $22.00 in Chengdu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $885 in Tianjin and $741 in Chengdu, 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.