Taiwan is by no means the cheapest country in Asia, but it is certainly possible to travel Taiwan cheaply.
If you’ve already read my Taiwan travel budget planner, you know that budget travelers can get by in Taiwan for around TWD 2000 (USD 65) per day, including accommodation.
But you can get that number lower!
In this article, I’m going to provide several practical tips for spending less money on your Taiwan trip, from my years of experience living (and trying not to spend too much money) in Taiwan. With my tips, you can potentially cut the above number in half.
My wife has frugality embedded into her Taiwanese genes, while I still have a backpacker’s minimalist mentality after years of traveling before I settled in Taiwan. This makes us a money saving power couple, here to share our top tips!
My Taiwan Budget Travel Tips
I’m going to dish out these money-saving tips roughly in the order that you will face them when planning and paying for your trip.
Find a Cheaper Flight to Taiwan
Depending on how far you’re coming from, your flight may be your biggest expense on your Taiwan trip. Here are some tips for finding cheaper flights to Taiwan:
- Fares to Taiwan peak in summer (even though it’s not a great time to visit), late December (peak tourism season), and Lunar New Year (when many Taiwanese travel abroad or come home). Avoid those times if you can.
- The best time to buy long haul flights is around 6-7 months in advance (not earlier!), or at the last minute (2-3 weeks if you somehow can).
- Check the promotion pages and follow the social media of major Taiwanese carriers like China Airlines (promotions / Facebook page) and Eva Airlines (promotions / Facebook page) for special discounts and promotions, especially in January for spring flights or September for fall flights.
- There are many budget flights to Taiwan from nearby countries. In particular, Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. See my list of budget airlines flying to Taiwan.
- If you can get a cheaper flight to any of those, or you plan to visit one of them as well on the same trip, then use a budget airline to fly between them.
- Use the fare calendars on sites like Kiwi.com or GoogleFlights to find the cheapest dates. Changing your dates even slightly can make a big difference, and weekday flights are often cheaper.
Avoid National Holidays and Lunar New Year
Holidays in Taiwan are limited. When they come, half the country seems to hit the road and travel around. Trains and HSRs sell out the moment they are released, hotels jack their prices way up and still sell out, and attractions get packed.
When I’m planning my next trip to Taiwan, I always search the holidays for that year (see here for 2026 and note anything labelled “national holiday”). A single day off mid-week won’t affect anything, but it’s the long weekends you should try to avoid.
If you can’t help being in Taiwan for a long weekend, don’t worry too much about it. But ideally, try to spend long weekends in a big city, rather than going to a popular tourist place like Sun Moon Lake or Alishan, which will be expensive and packed.
December 24 to 31 is the busiest week of the year for international tourism in Taiwan. Expect big crowds and much higher prices.
On December 31, rooms in Taipei literally double or triple in price and they all sell out weeks or months in advance. See my December guide for more info.
Lunar New Year (usually sometime in late January to late February) can be a rough time to visit.
Flights are pricier, everything shuts down for a few days, then the whole country goes traveling all at once, with train tickets particularly hard to get and rooms particularly expensive or sold out, except in big cities.
If you must visit at this time, read my Lunar New Year guide.
Cherry blossoms and the Lantern Festival also bring a new wave of crowds from February to March. Finally, Alishan region gets very busy with the final blooms of the season (late March to early April).
At that time, all the rooms there (which are already quite limited) sell out, traffic controls are put in place on weekends, and train/bus tickets to the region are hard to get. Here’s my annual cherry blossom forecast.
Overall, the sweet spots for travel to Taiwan are fall and spring, while summers are uncomfortably hot and typhoons can disrupt travel, so it’s the low season. See more in my guide to the best times to visit Taiwan.
Try Couchsurfing for Free Stays
When I first moved to Taiwan, Couchsurfing was super popular there. Not just for finding free places to stay (I hosted several travelers myself) but also for their fun social meetups, where I met people I’m still friends with to this day.
In 2020, Couchsurfing implemented a membership fee, but it’s only about $20 per year, less than one night in a hostel in Taipei.
Couchsurfing is still VERY active in Taiwan, with over 100,000 hosts listed across the country. Taiwanese are extremely friendly and welcoming to visitors, so this is a great way not only to save money but also make local friends.
What’s more, you don’t even need to pay for a membership to find a free stay. If you join the Taiwan Couchsurfing Facebook page, you can easily find free hosts by posting your accommodation request in there.
Just be a little more careful, since it’s just a Facebook group and doesn’t have safety controls like the official Couchsurfing site.
Try Hostels in Taiwan – They’re Excellent
The next cheapest option for budget solo travelers would be hostels (couples or groups can usually find private rooms for cheaper).
The hostels in Taiwan are quite different than what you might be used to in other parts of the world, like Europe, North America, or Australia. Taiwanese hostels are NOT party-oriented whatsoever.
Rather, they tend to be quiet, clean, and extremely respectful. They also offer a lot of personal space – many of them are capsule style, with curtains to give you privacy.
Personally, I’ve stopped staying in hostels many years ago after so many sketchy or annoying experiences, but I still sometimes stay in them in Taiwan.
Here’s my list of my most recommended hostels in Taipei. You’ll find these can still be farily pricey, especially on weekends. Hostels anywhere else in Taiwan are cheaper.
Also see my recommended ones in Taichung, Tainan, Kaohsiung, and Hualien.
Unfortunately, popular Alishan region doesn’t have any hostels, and hotels there are quite overpriced. To tackle this, budget travelers can stay in hostels or cheap hotels in Chiayi city and just visit Alishan as a day trip.
Take Advantage of Travel Passes
Taiwan has a variety of travel passes which can save you varying amounts of money.
The only catch is that they tend to be complicated, so you’ll have to do some research (i.e. read my guides to them!) and calculations to determine how much they will save you, if anything. It’s important not to buy these passes blindly and expect they will just save you money.
Here’s a quick run-down of Taiwan’s main travel passes:
- EasyCard: This is a Taiwan-wide transportation card rather than travel pass. Almost every local and traveler uses them. After an initial cost of TWD 100 (non-refundable deposit), you simply load cash onto it and swipe it to ride the Airport MRT, city MRTs, city buses, buses to famous places like Sun Moon Lake and Alishan, local trains, and more. This pass is mainly about convenience rather than savings. See my EasyCard guide and order one here (with option to add my most recommended SIM) or buy one at any MRT station or convenience store, with cute designs available.
- Taipei Fun Pass: 1-3 day travel pass for Taipei City, with unlimited MRT and local bus rides, 30+ attractions, 5 local experiences, discounts, and a fun souvenir. See my Taipei Fun Pass guide to see if it will really save money for your plans and order the pass here. There’s also a Kaohsiung version.
- Taiwan Pass: This pass bundles different types of transportation around the country, with five different versions of the pass, including Taiwan Railways and High Speed Rail versions, so this pass does get complicated. I break it all down and give real traveler examples of poor and good savings with it in my Taiwan Pass guide.
- High Speed Rail Pass: If you plan to ride the HSR at least twice within 2-7 days, this pass can save you money, including options that combine HSR and regular trains. Again, the different versions and what they include are complicated. I give many examples with amounts saved in my HSR pass guide. The pass is sold here.
Use the Wise Travel Card to take out cash with lower fees in Taiwan.
Get a Cheap SIM Card (or eSIM)
Even for the lowest-budget travelers, I still recommend spending the money on a SIM or eSIM so you can access maps, train schedules, GoogleTranslate and other much needed apps for Taiwan while traveling around.
But you can cheap out here, as most of them are good enough nowadays.
My most recommended one, this Chunghwa SIM, only costs TWD 644 ($20) for 15 days. It gives you unlimited browsing and a local number with data for some phone calls. See my Taiwan SIM guide for more info.
If your phone doesn’t have a SIM card slot (some newer ones don’t), or you’re already used to eSIMs, an eSIM like this will cost around the same price. It will work as soon as you land in Taiwan, but you won’t get a local number or calls.
Or try this one, which does come with number and calls, but requires you to visit a kiosk at the airport to register it.
See my Taiwan eSIM guide for information about these and other options.
If you’re hardcore low budget, you can get by without a SIM or eSIM in Taiwan. Just about all hotels, restaurants, cafes, airports, convenience stores, and even the MRT offer free WiFi (though the latter two are a hassle to sign up for and tend to be slow).
But, in my opinion, having unlimited data everywhere you go is a very small expense and absolutely worth it.
Ride YouBikes to Get Around
YouBike is Taiwan’s extremely popular public bike-sharing system. Currently there are over 5000 bike sharing stations across the country, and the number keeps growing.
YouBikes are an incredibly cheap way to get around. For comparison’s sake, a short MRT ride in Taipei will cost you TWD 20 or $0.64 (which, to be fair, is already very cheap).
Meanwhile, the first 30 minutes on a YouBike only costs TWD 10 or $0.32!
There’s a common misconception that you need a SIM card (local number) to rent YouBikes. In fact, you need one to sign up for a YouBike account and assign an EasyCard to your account, so you can just swipe your EasyCard to rent and return the bikes.
However, you can also rent YouBikes without a local number, using a credit card each time instead. When I tested it out, it was amusing to later see the tiny charges, all less than a single dollar, on my credit card statement.
Read my YouBike guide to learn how to rent these bikes with or without a local number.
Spend Less Time in Taipei
Taipei is by far the most expensive city in Taiwan. In terms of general cost of living, Taipei is about 25% more expensive than other major cities in Taiwan like Taichung, Tainan, and Kaohsiung.
In fact, my wife and I lived for years in New Taipei City, the sprawling city which surrounds Taipei, despite all our friends living in the Taipei city center.
For the slightly longer commute, we got a significantly lower price on our apartment and had no problem saving much of our earnings. Meanwhile, our friends in Taipei tended to spend way more on food and pretty much everything, and put aside much less money than we did.
Taipei just has more money-sucking temptations, from fancy cocktail bars and craft breweries to high end international restaurants and places to go shopping.
As a traveler, you’ll notice that you get more bang for your buck at hotels in other cities.
What’s more, on weekends, most hostels and hotels in Taipei jack their prices up by about 20%, while at peak times like New Year’s Eve they can even double or triple their prices! Other cities do this too, but it’s not as extreme.
While I would never suggest skipping Taipei, my favorite city in Taiwan, which so many awesome things to do. The key take-away here is that more time spent outside of Taipei usually means less money spent.
Travel Around on Weekdays
Generally speaking, hotels across Taiwan tend to raise their prices on Fridays, Saturdays, and national holidays.
In Taipei, they often go up around 20% on weekends. However, the weekend price jump can be even more extreme at popular tourist places like Sun Moon Lake and Alishan, such as 50% higher, especially at high demand times.
More importantly, traveling around the country is just so much easier on weekdays, when most locals are working or in school.
On weekends and holidays, locals travel around en masse, trains and hotels sell out, and attractions around the country get packed.
Meanwhile, big cities actually feel quieter on weekend days, with no rush hour traffic and many locals catching up on sleep or leaving the city. They only get noticeably busier in bars, restaurants, and night markets at night, but that won’t affect your wallet.
Buses and Trains > High Speed Rail and Drivers
Purely from a cost perspective, buses and local trains are the cheapest way to get around Taiwan.
However, buses won’t get you everywhere and local trains can be painfully slow.
If you have the room in your budget, express trains will be your best bet for longer rides (see my train booking guide).
The High Speed Rail (see my HSR booking guide) is a little trickier. It’s around twice as fast as express trains, but nearly double the price. For shorter trips, it’s usually not worth it, especially since any time saved is often wasted getting from the HSR station (usually located outside the city center) to the city center upon arrival.
However, for a long ride like Taipei to Zuoying (Kaohsiung), the HSR can save you two hours, so it’s very tempting!
Meanwhile, getting a private driver (see my recommended ones) can also be very tempting, but your costs will shoot up. It will be more reasonable if you have a group to split the cost, but still more expensive than taking local buses or trains.
Here’s a table to give you an idea of the price difference we are talking about here. All prices are in TWD.
| Trip | By Bus | Local Train | Express Train | HSR | Private Car |
| Taipei to Taichung | $300 (2 to 2.5 hrs) | $322 (2.5 to 3.5 hrs) | $500 (1.5 to 2 hrs) | $700* (45 min to 1 hr) | $3000 (2 hrs) |
As you can see from this table, the bus from Taipei to Taichung (book here) is the cheapest, and a very reasonable option for low-budget travelers. The local train is similarly priced but can be even slower because it stops at every little station, which makes it feel even slower.
The express train doesn’t cost much more but gets you there an hour faster. Both buses and trains will get you right to the Taichung city center, which is a major plus if you’re staying there.
The HSR is tempting, especially once you get 15% off on Klook (new price: $594).
However, you must consider that once you arrive, if your destination is the Taichung city center, you need to add an additional 30 minutes (and TWD 15 fee) to take a local train there. Thus, the total travel time is not even faster than the express train – that’s why HSR makes more sense for longer rides, when you can actually save lots of time.
A private car is of course the priciest, but with four passengers, it will only cost slightly more than taking the HSR. Generally, private cars are better for places that are more difficult or complicated to reach by public transportation.
From Taoyuan International Airport to Taipei, the bus only costs TWD 135, Airport MRT costs TWD 160, or a private transfer in a small car will cost TWD 1000-1200. Read more about both options here.
If You Take the HSR, Get Discounted Tickets
The higher cost of HSR tickets can be mitigated by getting discounted tickets. There are two ways to do this.
The first way is to buy your tickets early on the official HSR site or T Express app – they are released 28/29/30 days in advance for weekday/Saturday/Sunday rides.
Many (but not all) routes come with early bird discounts (ranging from 5 to 35% off) when they are first released.
The second way is to buy your HSR tickets here on Klook or here on KKday (available to foreign tourists only), where they are always 15% off. They also frequently run buy-one-get-one-free promotions on the same page.
The B1G1 deal only works for two adults traveling together on the same ride, and only in a southerly direction. If you have an odd number of people, like three, you can combine the deals (2 people get B1G1, add to cart, then select one person at 15% and also add to cart).
Also keep in mind that children’s HSR tickets are 50% off for age 6-11, and ages 0-5 ride free (but need to share your seat). The same goes for regular trains.
DIY Travel is Cheaper than Guided Day Trips
There are loads of very tempting organized day trips in Taiwan, especially on popular platforms like Klook and KKday.
Some of these are extremely convenient, such as day tours from Taipei to Jiufen, Shifen, and other stops (like this one or this one). Dozens of other similar tours are available all over the country.
These can save you tons of time figuring out the logistics and lining up for busy local buses between these popular tourist spots.
However, these day tours will NOT save you money. DIYing it is still always going to be cheaper (one exception is when they sometimes have seasonal promotions and these tours are heavily discounted).
It just means you’ll have to do a little more homework and you might not be able to see quite as much in one day.
I have dozens of articles here on TaiwanObsessed and my other website (or just Google search your destination and add “Nick” at the end of your query to find my posts) explaining how to do these kinds of trips on your own.
Or use the search function in my Facebook group and start doing your research!
Get Discounted Attraction Tickets Online
Many discounted attraction tickets can be purchased on Klook or KKday.
Sometimes the discount is so small that this is only really for penny pinchers, but there are other benefits too. One is that you can pay for things by credit card before your trip (thereby reducing cash needed on trip).
Another is that you can use Klook promo codes and accumulate Klook points for even more savings. Lastly, it’s very convenient to keep all your bookings together on one app.
And sometimes, the discount is very big!
Here are some examples of online discounts for attractions in Taiwan:
- Spring City Resort (my most recommended hot spring in Beitou): $500 on Klook (vs. 800 on site)
- Leofoo Village Theme Park: $750 on Klook for day pass (vs. 1400 on site)
- Maokong Gondola and Taipei Zoo: $380 on Klook (vs. 400 on site – small discount, but I’ll take it!)
However, for some famous attractions, such as Taipei 101 Observatory, the prices online are exactly the same as paying in person, but you still get those other benefits I mentioned above.
Do Free Activities
You can do tons of free activities any day of the week in Taiwan. Some examples include:
- Exploring cool neighborhoods on foot (see my guides to Ximending, Dihua Street, Tamsui, and Yongkang Street)
- Going temple hopping (here are my favorite temples in Taipei and in Tainan)
- Checking out traditional daytime markets across Taiwan
- Hiking (see my favorite hikes in Taipei and across Taiwan)
- Going to the beach (here are the best beaches near Taipei and across Taiwan)
- Attending free local festivals like temple parades, Lantern Festival events, fireworks festivals, Lunar New Year dragon dancing, and flower festivals throughout the year. See my monthly guides for coming events.
- Hanging out in local parks, public squares like Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, and these cool nighttime hangout spots.
- Visiting other free attractions like Huashan 1914 Creative Park in Taipei, Rainbow Village in Taichung, Hayashi Department Store in Tainan, and Pier 2 Art Center in Kaohsiung.
Eat on the Streets or Hole-in-the-Wall Shops
Food is something you don’t want to skimp out on. Luckily, Taiwan is famous for its street food, which is also dirt-cheap.
Starting with breakfast, many hotels offer free ones, so take advantage of that. Having said that, don’t miss your chance to try a traditional Taiwanese breakfast, where the average item usually only costs around TWD 30 ($1).
In your average hole-in-the-wall noodle shop, which you’ll see everywhere and open at all hours of day (and some even all night), you can expect to spend TWD 60-120 ($2-4) on a large, filling bowl of noodle soup.
You can also get a filling bento box from many restaurants, especially at lunchtime, for TWD 60-120. Just search 自助餐 (buffet) or 素食自助餐 (vegetarian buffet) on GoogleMaps for these awesome spots where you fill up a plate or box with any items you want and pay for them by weight. Also read about Taiwan’s famous railway bentos.
By contrast, if you go to a more modern, mid-range restaurant, the price can easily jump to NTD 250-500 ($8-16) per meal.
And for fancier or more extravagant meals, just as nicer sushi, all-you-can-eat hot pot, or international cuisines, it’s very easy to spend 600-1000+ ($19-32+), especially in Taipei.
If you do eat in some nicer restaurants, lunch specials are often quite a bit cheaper than dinner.
Night markets are an essential part of the Taiwan experience. They are relatively budget friendly, but it’s also easy to spend quite a lot.
You can fill up on one high-value larger night market item and call it a cheap meal. But who can only try one thing?
It’s just as easy to buy 4-5 things in one night market stroll, with costs ranging anywhere from TWD 20 to 200 per item. Next thing you know, you’ve spent just as much as a mid-range restaurant.
Pick and choose carefully, and read my night market guides before you dive in!
Drink at Convenience Stores (But Watch the Food Costs!)
Taiwan has one of the highest concentrations of convenience stores on the planet. Locals love them, and they are a godsend for many travelers.
When it comes to drinking, you can get a small can of Taiwan beer at 7-Eleven or FamilyMart for TWD 35 ($1.10), while the same beer at a restaurant or bar goes for TWD 60-120 ($1.90 to 3.18).
For a large craft beer, expect TWD 90 ($2.86) at 7-Eleven, versus TWD 200-300 ($6.30 to 9.50) at a bar. Don’t rule out smaller chains like Hi-Life – I’ve found some of the best beers there.
Some 7-Elevens even have mini bars with draft beer inside!
You can even makebudget cocktails at convenience stores – they sell the booze, mixers, cups, and ice. You and your friends will be saving money with every sip, compared to these speakeasy cocktail bars, where a single drink can cost TWD 500 ($16).
Sometimes my friends and I will even spend a night “7-Eleven hopping” instead of bar-hopping.
What’s more, unlike Japan, you can drink or eat anywhere in Taiwan – inside or outside the convenience store (both may have seating), on the streets, or in parks.
I’ve even had a beer while shopping or riding the train (being quiet and respectful is more important). Only the MRT and city buses are off limits.
Convenience stores are also great for snacks and meals on the go, including sandwiches, onigiri, tea eggs, fresh fruits and salads, roasted sweet potatoes, instant noodles that can be made on the spot, soft serve ice cream, and full coffee bar, not to mention all the other services they offer.
As fun and convenient as these food items can be, they can quickly add up.
For example, a quick meal for me could look like an egg salad sandwich (TWD 49), a roasted sweet potato (TWD 40), and a pack of mixed nuts (TWD 80). That’s already well over the cost of a typical bowl of street noodles.
And if I add an Americano or beer, which is very tempting, now we’re in mid-range restaurant price territory.
Use Free Water Refill Stations
Taiwan is hot as hell for half the year and incredibly humid. You will need to drink tons of water. Bottled water is cheap, but the price (and plastic) adds up.
Luckily, you can find free water refill stations all over the country, including in most hotels, MRT stations, and public buildings.
Simply bring a refillable water bottle from home, or keep reusing the first plastic bottle you buy in Taiwan, and you can easily save several dollars per day.
Decrease Spending, Increase Enjoyment on Your Taiwan Trip!
Traveling on a budget in Taiwan doesn’t mean cutting out the fun.
With a bit of planning, smart timing, and some of my insider tricks, you can spend less and experience more, from incredible street food and natural scenery to unforgettable cultural exchanges.
Have questions as you plan? Drop them in the comments below – I’m always happy to help!