Taipei Travel Tips | How Expensive Is Taipei, Taiwan?

How expensive is Taipei? In our Taipei travel tips guide to Taiwan we cover arriving from the airport, accommodations, local transportation and free attractions in the city. We explore what to see and do and local must eats including what we loved about Taipei along with what we hated about Taipei. Now let's explore the cost of travel in Taipei, Taiwan in depth!

Official Exchange Rate: $1 USD = 31.53 New Taiwan Dollar (current as of January, 2017)

Arriving from the International Airport in Taipei:

1) Express airport buses (NT$120 and NT$150 = S4 to $5 USD)
2) High Speed Rail (NT$165 = approximately $6 USD)
3) Airport shuttle (TWD 350 = $11 USD)
4) Taxi ride ( NT$900-$1200 = approximately $30 to $40 USD)

Accommodations in Taipei:

1) Hostel in Taipei - ($12 to $20 USD)
2) 2 star or 3 star Hotel in Taipei - ($40 to $120 USD)
3) AirBnB in Taipei or apartment in Taipei (rental) - ($40-120 for entire flat)

In our opinion it doesn't matter where in Taipei you stay as long as you're within walking distance from a Taipei Metro Station (MRT).

Local Transportation around Taipei:

MRT Metro in Taipei with an EasyCard giving you a 20% discount on single rides starting at 16 Taiwan Dollars = roughly 50 cents USD and can go as high as 60 NTD depending on how far you go.

The EasyCard costs only NT$100 (just over $3 USD) and can be used for the MRT, certain museums, the Maokong Gondola and public bicycles.

One Day Pass is NT$200 for unlimited Taipei Metro travel.

Taipei Free Attractions (Free things to do in Taipei):

1) Views of Taipei from Elephant Hill
2) Night markets in Taipei
3) Chiang Kai Shek Memorial
4) Beitou Hot Springs
5) Longshan Temple

Things to do in Taipei (Taipei must see):

1) Taipei 101 - Adult ticket is NT$600 =under $20 USD
2) Maokong Gondola - NT 120 = $4 USD each way
3) Taiwanese Food (restaurants and street food) - Various prices

What to eat in Taipei (Taiwanese food):

1) Night Markets for street food - 20-150 NTD = less than a dollar up to five dollars UDS
2) Din Tai Fung = $7 to $12 USD per person
3) Cheap Meal - $2-4 dollars USD (example - Beef Noodle Soup)

Things we LOVED about Taipei (I love Taipei):

1) Taiwanese Street Food and Taipei Night Markets
2) Proximity to nature - many easy day trips away from the city centre
3)Awesome metro system = Taipei MRT is your friend :)
4) Friendly and helpful locals
5) Foodie Scene (inexpensive and tasty local eats)

Things we HATED about Taipei (I hate Taipei):

1) Weather (lots of rain) in the supposed dry season. Highly subjective and our bad luck
2) Rush hour for taking the MRT (it gets really crowded at times)

Final Thoughts:

We absolutely loved our time traveling to Taipei, Taiwan and would recommend visiting the city to everyone. We found plenty of things to do in the downtown core and outside of the city centre and we're not exaggerating by saying we think Taipei is the Foodie Capital of Asia.

GEAR WE USE

SOCIAL MEDIA & TRAVEL BLOGS

AUDREY:

SAMUEL:

Taipei Travel Tips | How Expensive Is Taipei, Taiwan? Transcript:

This is part of our Travel in Taiwan video series showcasing Taiwanese food, Taiwanese culture and Taiwanese cuisine.

Music in this video courtesy of Audio Network

[samuelandaudrey]

I hope you enjoyed our Taipei travel tips video and that it will help you save some money during your visit. We also created a 30 Things to do in Taipei travel guide where we highlight all of the places we visited and local foods we sampled on our trip --->

[jethrolai]

There is MRT extension directly from airport to Taipei main station now. Super convenient.

[Lanttimatkat]

Taipei is awesome! I've been to Taiwan several times and I love it. The food there is amazing and it's very affordable. Great tips for anyone visiting Taipei! I think westerners should visit there more. It's mainly Chinese and Japanese tourists but Taipei has so much to offer! We also did a video of Taipei and found our favorite night market there. Cheers!

Lotta/Lanttimatkat

[estellewang]

Hi! I'm Taiwanese. So glad that you guys had a good time here. But beside Taipei, there are many cities and places worth going in Taiwan. If you guys travel back here again, I really recommend visiting Nantou or Hualian. They are kind of different from Taipei. They're not big cities, instead, they are famous for their beautiful nature sights. Since Hualian and Nantou are not big cities, it may be more challenging for foreign travelers to get around, but it should be worth awhile.

[WORMGERM]

Thanks for the tips, putting Taipei on the list of places to visit.

[allisonyangwalsh]

Glad to see your thoughtful recommendation of Taiwan! Really like it😊
Maybe you can come in summer next time! Hope to see you again in Taiwan, and very welcome everyone come to visit this beautiful and fun place💕

[vinaquero]

I've never been to taiwan and this video is really informative and helpful! Thanks for the tips :)

[nedhappily]

Compare to my city Vancouver, Canada
Taipei is very expensive to buy movie tickets ( $15 USD - $17 USD), branded clothing ( $80 USD for Zara shirt ), beer ($12 USD), Real Estate ( average $ 1.02 m USD for condo )
just cheap for food and transit
I brought some Canadians back to Taipei last Oct, they were surprised by the cost of living there.
A lot more expensive than they expected.

[tericam]

Thanks Samuel and Audrey. Yours is the best informative travel video I have encountered. This is so helpful for my 3 days layover in Taipei. Thank you.

[sockhawk]

Just came across your site...awesome! Finally...intelligent people and a site without the attempt at entertainment fluff! No offense to anyone but I come here for information and facts. The fact that both of you present well is just a bonus...without going any further I clicked the like and subscribe buttons...Now I have to go back and do my track and binge watch 'till I catch up. Good presentation...thanks!

[ltm]

Both of you are amazing, thank you for visiting and introducing Taipei very well. I am proud of that I am a Taiwanese who live in Taipei. Yes, we are friendly and love to help the people who might get lost around Taipei. So happy to subscribe your channel. Welcome to come back and explore the new parts of Taiwan.

[JL]

The Airport MRT, which connects Airport to Taipei Main Station, is going to open in March. It would be the best choice if you come to Taipei next time.

[ryanjamesyg]

Going to Taipei this November and I enjoyed watching all your Taiwan videos. So informative and helpful. Thank you for sharing your travels. ❤😁

[sarvsfalefitu]

Always dependable reviews! We’re planning a trip to Taipei for about 12 days and will defs eat our way through those markets. Love your travels vids. Keep it up

[leesean]

there is unlimited MRT passes for sell at any MRT info station. day pass for $150(5usd), 24 hrs for $180, 48hrs for $280, 72hrs for $380...

[etaps]

I am enjoying all your videos. Recently subscribed to your channel.
Heading to Taiwan in 2months for a few days and then flying to Busan for a week.
Checking out the places/recommendations. I can't wait.

[AussieAngeS]

Very cool tips, thank you for sharing and would come in very handy if travelling to Taiwan.

[jamestay]

Thanks for the information, that is helpful indeed. I am visiting Taipei next month, alone. So excited!

[Mshxer]

if you have chance to Taiwan again, you may try Kaoshung, Taichung.
the trip will be totally different from Taipei.
It is really hot during May to September in Kaoshung or Taichung.
if you don't like the hot weather, you may visit during September to April.
Do not miss Mid-Autumn Festival, Double ten Festival, Chinese New Year and Lantern Festival during September to April.

[federio]

Thank you guys for visiting my country and filming this amazing video! I'm so glad that you enjoy your time here. Welcome again and you must to experience different local festivals, beautiful attractions and culture in other place in Taiwan! Cheers! :)