Hostel dorms in Taipei sit at $13 to $22 a night. The airport train from Taoyuan into Taipei Main Station takes 35 minutes and costs $4.90. A single ride inside the city costs between $0.65 and $2.00 depending on distance.
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Taiwan on a Shoestring
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Taipei’s MRT runs on a stored-value card called the EasyCard. A single ride inside the city costs between $0.65 and $2.00 depending on distance. The card itself costs about $3.25, and you get that back when you return it. That is the entire transport system, more or less. Trains every two to four minutes, clean, air-conditioned, signed in English.
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The airport train from Taoyuan into Taipei Main Station takes 35 minutes and costs $4.90. A taxi for the same trip runs $35 to $45. Take the train.
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Sleeping Cheap
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Hostel dorms in Taipei sit at $13 to $22 a night. That is for a bed in a six- or eight-person room, usually with a locker, a shared bathroom and free drinking water. Private rooms in the same hostels start around $40. Outside Taipei, in Tainan or Hualien, dorms drop to $10 to $15.
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Capsule hotels exist in Taipei and cost $25 to $35 for a single pod. They are quieter than dorms and lock properly. If you are arriving off a long flight, that $30 is money well spent.
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Temple stays are a thing at a handful of Buddhist monasteries, mostly in the central mountains. They run $20 to $30 including two vegetarian meals. They are not bookable through any normal channel and often require Mandarin. Assume you will not get one on a first trip.
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Camping is legal in designated areas of the national parks. Taroko and Yushan both have campgrounds, and some are free with a permit. Yushan’s Paiyun Lodge is $15 a night but the permit lottery is brutal, with acceptance rates under 10 percent on peak dates.
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Eating for Under $10
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A bowl of beef noodle soup in Taipei costs $5 to $7. A pork rice bowl at a night market is $1.60 to $2.60. A scallion pancake with egg is $1.30. Bubble tea is $1.60 to $2.30. A plate of stinky tofu is $1.60.
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The night markets are the point. Raohe, Ningxia, Shilin, Liuhe in Kaohsiung. You can eat a full dinner across four stalls for $6 and walk away stuffed. Bring cash. Most stalls do not take cards.
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Convenience stores are a genuine budget tool. 7-Eleven and FamilyMart are on nearly every block. A rice ball is $0.80. A tea egg is $0.35. A packaged sandwich is $1.60. Hot water is free, so instant noodles plus a tea egg is a $1.50 meal. They also sell SIM cards and train tickets.
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Sit-down restaurants in Taipei run $10 to $18 a head for a normal meal. Taipei has a handful of Michelin-starred places where a meal costs $3 to $6 because they are street stalls. Expect a queue of 30 to 60 minutes.
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Getting Around the Island
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The Taiwan Railway Administration runs the regular trains. Taipei to Hualien on the Taroko Express takes 2 hours and costs $14. Taipei to Kaohsiung on the fastest TRA service takes 4.5 hours and costs $26. The high-speed rail covers the same route in 1.5 hours for $47, or $37 if you buy the early-bird discount, which needs booking 28 days ahead.
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A three-day HSR pass is $60. A five-day flexible pass is $95. Unless you are doing two long HSR legs, skip the pass and buy point-to-point.
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Buses are cheaper again. Taipei to Sun Moon Lake is $13 and takes four hours. Taipei to Kenting is $20 and takes six to seven hours. The overnight buses save a night of accommodation, which matters at $15 a dorm bed.
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You can rent a scooter in Hualien or Kenting for $13 to $18 a day. You need an international driving permit with a motorcycle endorsement, and the one issued by most US states does not cover it. Check before you fly.
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Bicycles are the classic Taiwan move. A Giant rental from the official rental network costs $33 a day for a decent road bike, dropping to $23 a day for three days or more. The round-island route is roughly 960 km and takes 9 to 12 days at a comfortable pace. There are convenience stores every 15 km on the west coast.
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What Things Cost
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Museums are cheap. The National Palace Museum in Taipei is $11.50. The Taipei 101 observatory is $19.50 on the standard ticket, and $23 if you go at sunset. Most temples are free, including Longshan and Bao’an in Taipei and the Confucius Temple in Tainan.
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Hot springs in Beitou cost $1.60 at the public bathhouse, or $13 to $20 at a private hotel room. Wulai and Jiaoxi are similar. Bring your own towel or pay $1.30 to rent one.
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A SIM card with unlimited data for five days is $10 to $15. Ten days is $20. The airport counters open early and close late.
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A single museum-heavy day in Taipei looks like this: $2.30 in transport, $11.50 for the Palace Museum, $6.50 for lunch and dinner at a night market, $1.60 for a bubble tea. Total, $22. Add a $15 dorm and you are at $37 for the day.
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A week in Taiwan, staying in dorms, eating at night markets and convenience stores, taking regular trains and one HSR leg, comes to $350 to $450 including the flight if you find a $500 round trip from the West Coast. Without the flight, $250 to $320.
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Two weeks, moving slower, adding Taroko and Tainan, is $450 to $550 on the ground.
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A Few Things That Catch People Out
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The EasyCard works on the MRT in Taipei and Kaohsiung, on most city buses, and at convenience stores. It does not work on the high-speed rail.
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Taiwan uses the same two-prong 110V plug as the US. No adapter needed.
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You need your passport on you. Convenience stores, some museums and all hotels require ID for anything involving a form.
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Rain in Taipei is a year-round thing, not a season. The east coast, Hualien and Taitung, gets the worst of the typhoon season from July to September. Flights and trains get cancelled. Have a buffer day.
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Tipping is not expected. Taxis, restaurants, hotels, nobody.
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The night markets close around midnight, not later. The last MRT trains run around 12:30 am. If you are out past that, a short taxi is $5 to $8.
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Taiwan is small. You can see the whole island in two weeks without rushing, and you can do it on $30 a day if you sleep in dorms, eat where the locals eat, and take the slow train. The numbers above are what it actually costs.
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Worth reading next
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Our sources
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- XE currency converter
- Rome2Rio routes and timetables
- Hostelworld listings
- US State Department travel advisories
- Weatherspark climate averages
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