Taiwan is a thrilling East Asian destination deserving of your recognition.
The capital city of Taipei is where most travelers start their adventure, and despite being the nation’s most expensive city, a visit can still be done without breaking the bank. Here’s how to explore Taipei on a budget.
Is Taipei budget-friendly?
Absolutely! A number of the best Taipei attractions come free or very cheap, including visits to most museums, temples, and parks around the city.
The secret to exploring Taipei on a budget is to move through the city like a resident by eating Taiwanese food, mastering public transport, and quelling the urge to buy Western brands.
How much money do I need per day in Taipei?
That all depends on how easy you find it to integrate. If you’d like to experience the more touristic attractions—by dining at Din Tai Feng and scaling Taipei 101—you would have to budget around 2,000 NTD (about $61 US) per day. Add luxury hotel accommodations to the mix, and you could be looking at as much as 5,000 NTD (about $154 US) per day.
To explore Taipei on a budget, however, we recommend sticking to small guesthouses or hostels, dining at local restaurants, and moving out into nature for your activities.
Travelers willing to stay in low-cost accommodation will find it relatively easy to stick to a more modest 1,000 NTD ($31 US) per day, perhaps as little as 600 NTD ($18.55 US) for a truly frugal backpacker lifestyle.
Master the subway system with an EasyCard
One key aspect of budget travel in Taipei is to quickly navigate the public transport system. Compared to other metropolitan areas, Taipei’s transport system is very affordable and immaculately clean. Subway fares average around 20-30 NTD for a single journey within an 11-kilometer radius or 15 NTD for a single bus fare.
Although there is an option to purchase a daily or weekly travel pass, or even an unlimited Fun Pass that includes all major attractions, the city’s EasyCard is the best way to travel seamlessly on the subway (MRT), bus, Maokong Gondola, and YouBike system at discounted rates.
If you exceed the cost of a day pass with multiple journeys on your EasyCard, cardholders are automatically reimbursed at the end of the month.
To purchase an EasyCard, you can simply ask at the information booth in any metro station, any 7-11 convenience store, or find the automated card machine with the EasyCard logo. The one-time card fee is 100 NTD, and you can top up any amount.
Hop on a YouBike and cycle the riverside
Taipei City’s YouBike system is free for rides up to 30 minutes and 10 NTD per half hour for the first four hours; the half-hourly rate increases the longer you keep the bike. You’ll often find YouBikes left undocked on the street while riders take breaks in Daan Forest Park or enjoy drinks at Dadaocheng Wharf; they’re that inexpensive!
To use a YouBike, you’ll need to register your EasyCard with a local phone number (easily done on the automated screens beside docking stations). This is a good reason to pick up a prepaid SIM card upon your arrival at the airport.
Nab a data plan on arrival
Interestingly, Taiwan’s airports are among the cheapest places to buy prepaid SIM cards, making onward connections and Google search emergencies a breeze.
Even for short trips, having data and internet access allows you to navigate the city with ease while discovering hidden gems beloved by locals.
Of the various companies offering prepaid SIM cards, Chunghwa Telecom, Taiwan Mobile, and T-Star all offer reasonable rates (around 300 NTD for three days or 500 NTD for 10 days). For additional savings, consider booking your SIM card in advance before picking it up at Taoyuan Airport. For long-term usage, T-Star is the only provider available for tourists.
Budget-conscious travelers can alternatively make use of the free 4G service available in certain areas across the city (such as Ximen and Xinyi districts) and inside most Taipei Metro stations. While this option provides less reliability than a personal data plan, it remains a great free alternative.
Jump on the airport express bus from Taoyuan to Taipei
While you can opt for a taxi from Taoyuan International Airport into Taipei City center, be prepared to pay around 1,100 NTD for the privilege. Thankfully, there are two convenient and budget-friendly alternatives: the Taoyuan Airport subway line (MRT) and the 1819 Kuo Kuang bus service, both of which run to Taipei Main Station.
Most importantly, you’ll only pay a fraction of the taxi cost, with a slightly longer journey time (just over one hour)—160 NTD for the MRT and 135 NTD for the bus.
Go high-end when picking a hostel
Hostel living has evolved into an art form in Taiwan, heavily influenced by Japanese minimalism and capsule concepts. As such, budget travelers can consider booking an upscale hostel at a relatively low cost, choosing either a dormitory bed or a double room.
Though it may be your largest daily expense, dorm beds can allow you to reduce costs to around 300-600 NTD per night, while double rooms are priced comparably to hotel rooms, ranging from 1,000-1,500 NTD.
Solo travelers will find better value in dorm offerings, many of which feature pod partitions and privacy curtains alongside clean, modern shared bathrooms.
Explore the night market crowds for cheap street eats
If Taiwanese people are famous for one thing, it is their dedication to late-night snacking. The best places to find cheap eats in Taipei are the local night markets, situated around the city in various unassuming spots and generally operating until 11 p.m. most nights.
Head to Songshan’s Raohe Night Market or search online for your nearest “夜市 (night market)” and join the bustling crowds to snack on skewers of various meats—barbequed, roasted, and braised. You should also give the fermented delicacy of stinky tofu a fair chance while you’re there.
You can wash it down with a vast variety of teas and tofu puddings, jazzed up with aloe vera, tapioca, and brown sugar toppings.
Get your fill of fresh produce
Granted, dining out in Taiwan is never going to break the bank, and most accommodations lack kitchen facilities, but preparing a spread of Taiwan’s tropical fruits is the very least you can do for your taste buds.
Even in the capital, you’re never far from farmland in Taiwan, ensuring domestic fruits and vegetables are both flavorful and economical. Eat local and in season for the lowest prices, sampling locally grown mango, watermelon, and pineapple in summer (arguably the juiciest in the world), wax apple, and custard apple (also known as Buddha’s head) in spring, and dragon fruit in fall.
Get busy on weekdays
There are numerous attractions in and around Taipei worthy of your time. Weekday visits to major sites can sometimes be cheaper; for instance, discounted rides on the Maokong Gondola and ice skating at Taipei Arena are available.
By travel on weekdays, you’ll also avoid the crowds on weekends, allowing you to nab a good seat on popular public services such as Pingxi Old Railway and trains traveling to places like Fulong Beach and Jiufen village.
Get savvy with museum admissions
Doing your research before heading out could save your budget for the day and prevent you from making the mistake of arriving on a Monday (when many museums are closed).
The Taipei Fine Arts Museum offers free entry on Saturday evenings, and the National Palace Museum opens its doors for free on several special holidays (including New Year’s Day and National Day on October 10).
You can also combine your ticket purchases for top Taipei attractions to save money, adding the Miramar Ferris Wheel or Taipei 101 to your National Palace Museum ticket.
Avoid 101 and scale Elephant Mountain instead
The trouble with the view from Taipei 101 Observatory is that you can’t see Taipei 101 itself, the city’s most iconic building. For this disappointing discovery, you’ll have to spend 600 NTD.
Savvy travelers will instead head to the tallest nearby structure and climb that for better (and cheaper) views of the Taipei skyline. My recommendation is the Elephant Mountain trailhead, which is just a 20-minute walk from Taipei 101 or five minutes from Xiangshan MRT station. This trail leads visitors up a steep jungle track, offering exceptional cityscape views framed by forest and mountains.
Best of all, this hiking trail is free for all, making it one of the city’s most popular spots, although foot traffic remains low outside of peak sunset-watching hours.
Ditch the mall and head straight to Yangmingshan
The icy allure of air conditioning might tempt you to hide in a department store to escape the sweltering afternoon heat (especially from May to August). However, to truly appreciate the free wonders of Taipei, you’ll need to get a sweat on.
Wear your lightest clothing and set out in the early morning or late afternoon to visit Yangmingshan, a lush mountain range just north of Taipei City, featuring ten hikeable peaks. You can arrive at a trailhead within 50 minutes by bus from central Taipei, immersing yourself in nature on trails of varying difficulty—all for free!
All major peaks can be conquered in a single (long) day of hiking for those with some experience. But if you don’t have 10 hours to spare, consider hiking one or two peaks via the Mt Datun trailhead or the Erziping trailhead.
If volcanic activity interests you, stop by Xiaoyoukeng for fumaroles and sulfur crystals (accessible via the S15 bus to Lengshuikeng from Jiantan or Shilin MRT station) before hiking to Qingtiangan Grasslands to help clear the sulfury smell from your nose.
Fly to Taipei in winter
A solid piece of advice for any traveler is to fly to Taipei in winter (or during the brief autumn months) from November to March. By doing so, you can avoid typhoons and heavy rains common throughout summer, especially the extreme heat from May to August (regularly exceeding 35°C). Plus, you’ll likely save money.
The last thing you want is to overspend by hailing a taxi on a whim due to humidity, making cooler months a wonderful time to travel. Walking and cycling become more pleasant in winter, allowing for economical exploration throughout the city and long, leisurely rides along the city’s riverside bikeway without overheating.
Additionally, budget travelers may consider the shoulder seasons of September and October and April and May for lower flight and accommodation rates. Times to avoid include Chinese New Year (early February), when everything in Taipei shuts down for several days, causing a spike in travel costs. August and December also see increased flight fares due to heightened demand during school holidays.
Travel during Ghost Month
“Ghost Month” is a traditional Taoist festival lasting for one month on the Chinese calendar (typically around August). During this time, it is said the gates of the underworld open, allowing spirits to roam around visiting loved ones.
Although the spirits are not considered harmful, many locals avoid certain activities believed to be inauspicious. Among these is traveling, particularly crossing water or swimming; thus, budget-conscious travelers can take advantage of lower accommodation rates in popular destinations near Taipei, such as Jiufen, Jiaoxi, and Wulai Village.
Bathe with locals at Beitou Public Hot Springs
During the few weeks of the year when Taipei cools down enough to justify a steaming bath, consider visiting a hot spring. Nestled in Beitou, you’ll find a variety of hot springs resorts fed by mineral springs from Beitou’s Thermal Valley, just 30 minutes from Taipei Main Station via subway.
Though you can splurge on an upscale hotel akin to Japan’s top onsen towns at half the price, travelers on a tighter budget willing to share their rejuvenating experience with the community can enjoy Beitou Public Hot Springs for a modest entrance fee of 40 NTD—arguably where the real fun is!
Eat noodles, not pasta
Steering clear of Western food while in Taipei will not only save you money, but it will also enhance your authentic Taiwanese food experience. Even if there are no pictures to help you decipher a hand-written menu in Chinese, don’t let that deter you from trying a restaurant.
As a workaround, you can point to dishes shown in photos on Google Maps or take a chance on the owner’s English proficiency (the younger they are, the more likely they’ll understand). A slightly more time-consuming—but certainly rewarding—option is learning Mandarin phrases for popular Taiwanese dishes and numbers, reciting them to get your orders across. For instance, “yi wan” means “one bowl,” while “niu row me-en” refers to “beef noodles.” Vendors might at least pretend to be impressed!
Consider exploring more of East Asia
Once in Asia, regional travel becomes significantly more affordable. Onward flights to the Philippines, Japan, South Korea, and Indonesia are readily available through local budget airlines like Scoot, Tiger Airways, JetStar Asia, and Peach, often with the best prices found on weekdays outside holiday seasons.
Take the slow train on day trips from Taipei
While the idea of speeding down the country’s high-speed rail system (HSR) can be appealing, it’s not the most economical travel option. For example, traveling 300 kilometers per hour from Taipei to Kaohsiung (Zuoying station) costs about 1,490 NTD, though slightly cheaper options exist with non-reserved seats.
If you have some flexibility, consider taking a regular train to closer destinations such as Yilan or Hualien. This way, you’ll experience significant savings, even on express train reservations. Prices from Taipei to Yilan rarely exceed 200 NTD and take less than two hours, while Hualien’s Taroko Gorge is accessible within three hours at a cost of 400 NTD.
Daily costs
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Hostel room (dorm): 300-600 NTD
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Basic room for two: 700-1,000 NTD
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Nice room for two: 1,000-1,500 NTD
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Self-catering apartment (including Airbnb): 1,500-2,000 NTD
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Public transport ticket: 35 NTD
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Coffee: 100-150 NTD
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Bubble tea: 50 NTD
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Night market meal for two: 200 NTD
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Restaurant meal for two: 600 NTD
This article was first published May 11, 2022, and updated October 20, 2023.
