Cost per day · Taiwan
Taipei on $35, $95 or $300 a day
How much does Taipei cost per day? Budget travellers get by on about $35 a day, mid-range trips run around $95, and luxury starts near $300 — accommodation, food, transport and activities included.
That makes Taipei the 25th cheapest of 82 cities for a mid-range trip — see all 82 ranked.
A city of night markets, hot springs and mountains that start where the streets end. Taipei 101 anchors a skyline ringed by volcanic ridges, the National Palace Museum holds the imperial collection that left the mainland in 1949, and you can be soaking in a Beitou sulphur bath twenty-five minutes from downtown by metro.
Taipei may be the best-value major city in East Asia. Night-market dinner runs to a few dollars, the MRT is cheap and comprehensive, and the hiking, temples and riverside parks are free.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
Taiwan's largest wooden building, a 1921 hot-spring inn above the valley
Get tickets on Tiqets →Cable car over the tea terraces south of the city, with the zoo included
Get tickets on Tiqets →The imperial collection — jadeite cabbage, bronzes, Song ceramics
Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
Design-led hostel in Ximending with a good common floor
Plant-filled hostel two minutes from Taipei Main Station
Simple, well-run hotel near Ximen MRT and the night market
Eat at Raohe or Ningxia rather than Shilin — smaller, better and less aimed at tourists. Elephant Mountain is a twenty-minute climb for the definitive Taipei 101 photo and costs nothing. Public hot springs in Beitou are a couple of dollars.
Mid-range gets you a design hotel in Da'an or Ximending, the ticketed sights, and day trips out to Jiufen, Yehliu and the north coast without wrestling with buses.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
Cable car over the tea terraces south of the city, with the zoo included
Get tickets on Tiqets →The imperial collection — jadeite cabbage, bronzes, Song ceramics
Get tickets on Tiqets →Eighty-ninth floor and the tuned mass damper that steadies the tower
Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
Music-themed rooms above the Ximending pedestrian district
Taiwanese design and craft throughout, near Daan Park MRT
Da'an boutique with a rooftop pool and a serious cocktail bar
The National Palace Museum needs half a day at minimum. Combine Yehliu, Jiufen and Shifen in one guided day rather than three separate trips. Book a private Beitou hot-spring room for an hour rather than queueing for the public pools.
Luxury Taipei is Mandarin Oriental and Regent territory, with hot-spring resort suites up at Beitou and a Michelin scene that has grown quickly since the guide arrived in 2018.
✈️ How to Get There
🗺️ What to Do
Guided day to the geopark, the mountain teahouses and the lantern railway
Get tickets on Tiqets →Taiwan's largest wooden building, a 1921 hot-spring inn above the valley
Get tickets on Tiqets →Cable car over the tea terraces south of the city, with the zoo included
Get tickets on Tiqets →🏨 Where to Stay
Long-established luxury above a designer arcade in Zhongshan
Dunhua North's marble-and-crystal landmark with a 20m garden pool
Five suites in Beitou with private sulphur and white-spring baths
The Mandarin Oriental on Dunhua is the city's best hotel by some distance. For hot springs, stay at Villa 32 in Beitou. Book Taïrroir or RAW well in advance — RAW releases seats monthly and they go in minutes.
About Taipei
Humid subtropical: hot muggy summers (Jun–Sep, 28–34°C), mild damp winters (Dec–Feb, 14–19°C). Rain is possible year round; the north-east monsoon makes winter grey.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
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| 16° | 17° | 19° | 23° | 26° | 29° | 30° | 30° | 28° | 25° | 22° | 18° |
| 10d | 12d | 12d | 12d | 13d | 13d | 11d | 13d | 11d | 9d | 8d | 9d |
| mid | high | mid | mid | mid | low | low | low | low | high | high | mid |
The MRT is clean, cheap, signed in English and reaches almost everything including Beitou and Tamsui. An EasyCard covers metro, bus and convenience stores. Taxis are plentiful and metered.
The oldest temple in the city, the preserved Qing street behind it, the teenage district and the memorial square.
The hot spring valley, the wooden bathhouse museum, then the climb with Taipei 101 in front of you.
A travel eSIM gets you online the moment you land in Taiwan — data plans start at $4 — no roaming bill, no queue for a local SIM, and nothing to swap in and out of your phone. Install it before you fly.
Travel Insurance for Taipei
Travel insurance is strongly recommended for any trip to Taipei. Safety is rated Among the safest cities anywhere — violent crime is very rare and lone night-market walking is normal. Typhoons between July and September are the real hazard. — even in safe destinations, unexpected medical emergencies or trip cancellations can be costly. Make sure your policy covers emergency medical treatment, hospitalisation, trip cancellation, and emergency evacuation.
Visa note: Visa-free for 90 days for UK, EU, US, Canadian and Australian passports. Taiwan is not mainland China and a Chinese visa does not apply.. Some countries require proof of travel insurance as part of the visa application.
Get travel insurance for Taipei →FAQ: Taipei Travel Questions
Is Taipei safe to visit? ▾
Among the safest cities anywhere — violent crime is very rare and lone night-market walking is normal. Typhoons between July and September are the real hazard.
When is the best time to visit Taipei? ▾
October–April is dry and mild. Avoid July–September if you can — hot, humid and typhoon season. Humid subtropical: hot muggy summers (Jun–Sep, 28–34°C), mild damp winters (Dec–Feb, 14–19°C). Rain is possible year round; the north-east monsoon makes winter grey.
How much does a trip to Taipei cost per day? ▾
- budget: $35–$70/day
- midrange: $95–$200/day
- luxury: $300–$700/day
Do I need a visa to visit Taiwan? ▾
Visa-free for 90 days for UK, EU, US, Canadian and Australian passports. Taiwan is not mainland China and a Chinese visa does not apply.
How do I get around Taipei? ▾
The MRT is clean, cheap, signed in English and reaches almost everything including Beitou and Tamsui. An EasyCard covers metro, bus and convenience stores. Taxis are plentiful and metered. Taipei has a metro system. Taxi base fare ~$3. Day pass ~$5.
Is tipping expected in Taipei? ▾
No tipping culture at all. Restaurants may add a 10% service charge; otherwise leaving money is unusual and can confuse.
What currency is used in Taiwan? ▾
The local currency is TWD, and the official language is Mandarin Chinese.