If you're talking the difference between Han China and Song China, they would be world's different, in terms of market/economic activity, religious activity, public spaces, the existence of nightlife (in Song China). The differences would be as clear to a visitor as night and day.

For example, Han Chinese cities were at their heart administrative and ritual centers. Thus the population predominantly reflected this administrative/bureaucratic purpose over an economic one, which would be prevalent in the Song Dynasty.

Even though Chang'an and Luoyang had fairly sizeable markets, they were also restricted to specific locations in the city, as well as actively managed and closed by sundown. Compare this to Song cities (especially during the Southern Song) where market activity would burst onto every street and be at the base of almost every building, as depicted in the Qingming scroll. This economic vitality would extend into shops and restaurants being open later into the evening, no longer being subject to curfew, unlike a Han or even a Tang city, which shut down after dark, and I know at least for early Tang Chang'an, each city block was walled off and locked after hours so people couldn't leave.

Religious buildings like pagodas or gardens were much post-Han developments into Chinese cities. Previously religion revolved around ancestor worship and was tied to specific lineage temples. Compare this to the flourishing of Buddhist and Daoist monasteries from the Six Dynasties period onwards. Gardens themselves were an adaptation of the move away from a standardized city template promoted by the Qin/Han to the idea of a diverse regional city, surrounded by pockets of nature from which an official could escape to.

Keep in mind too, because of the Qin/Han ideological city standardization, if you're going to set out to see an "average" Chinese city, the ideological perception from the Chinese at that time themselves would be that their city was a degenerate version of the imperial capital. Compare this to Song China where there was immense pride in the diverse regionality to their cities. Kaifeng is not Hangzhou is not Chongqing is not Guangzhoou.

tl;dr - It will be obvious. The Song city of 1093 will be far more economically vibrant than the Han city of 93.