Objective To evaluate the efficacy and safety of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) combined with transurethral resection of bladder tumor (TURBT) for muscle-invasive bladder cancer (MIBC). Methods China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chongqing VIP, Wanfang, SinoMed, PubMed, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library were searched from the establishment of databases until December 2023. All randomized controlled trials of TACE combined with TURBT for MIBC were collected and subjected to meta-analysis using RevMan 5.4 software. Results A total of 7 studies were included, involving 490 patients, with 246 in the TACE+TURBT group and 244 in the TURBT group. The meta-analysis results showed that compared with TURBT, TACE+TURBT had certain advantages in reducing recurrence rate [relative risk (RR)=0.49, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.35, 0.68)], improving survival rate [RR=1.16, 95%CI (1.07, 1.27)], shortening surgical time [standardized mean difference (SMD)=−4.97, 95%CI (−7.54, −2.40)], reducing intraoperative bleeding [SMD=−4.19, 95%CI (−5.78, −2.60)], and improving quality of life [SMD=4.51, 95%CI (2.15, 6.86)]. The adverse reactions of the two groups were similar. Conclusions Existing evidence suggests that TACE may reduce intraoperative bleeding and shorten surgical time to help achieve maximum TURBT. TACE combined with TURBT may be superior to simple TURBT in terms of tumor recurrence rate and survival rate. TACE combined with TURBT can benefit MIBC patients in bladder-preserving treatment plans.