Bryan LimNumerous people have asked me about the affordability of travelling to Taiwan and how to do so on a budget. Here, I’ll share with you how I travelled Taiwan on a budget of SGD 1000 for 21 days. Before my trip, I gave myself a daily budget of SGD 50. This included accommodation, transport, food, and probably one or two drinks every night. I did a clockwise tour of Taiwan, down the east coast and back to Taipei via the west. Some of the major places I travelled to included Taipei, Hualien, Taitung, Kenting, Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung, Alishan and Cingjing.
Flights
Singapore has one of the best airline hubs in the world, which means there are many flight options, making prices really competitive. For people doing transits, check out flight combinations involving a stop in Singapore. The Singapore – Taipei route offers some of the best prices for the distance covered. There are numerous budget airlines such as Scoot, AirAsia, and Jetstar. A typical ticket in 2025 costs around SGD 200.
Scoot Return Flights: SGD 200
Travel insurance
Always travel with insurance – you wouldn’t want to spoil your holiday by paying more because of unexpected adverse circumstances. I always ask myself this defining question: Do I want to pay the insurance premium or risk paying at least ten times more if I don’t buy insurance? The answer is obvious. So do it, buy travel insurance! I got my insurance from MSIG with a 25% discount, which came to SGD 58.12. It came with a complimentary Adidas travel pouch. My advice: compare between different travel insurance agents and get the best deal for similar coverage.
MSIG Insurance: SGD 58.12
Accommodation
Here’s the important part of your budget if you really want to do it cheaply. When I was in Taipei, hotel prices were pretty crazy, even at hostels. I got my hostel near Zhongxiao Dunhua Station, which was the perfect location in terms of accessibility. When you travel out of Taipei, hotel prices drop dramatically. In some cities, I even stayed in hotels, provided they were of equal cost or just slightly more expensive than hostels. I was able to do this because I was travelling with a friend, which made private accommodation more cost-efficient.
Try to factor in the cost of breakfast because some accommodations provide free breakfast. If breakfast is included, that’s a plus. Some of the hostels I stayed in provided free bikes to explore the surrounding area – a good extra service, I’d say. These things matter when you’re on a budget. On average, I spent a total of SGD 750 on accommodation, which comes to around SGD 35 per day. It’s a large percentage of my budget, if you’ve realised.
Accommodation: SGD 750
Transport
Transportation in Taiwan is pretty straightforward. I travelled either by trains or buses. I took a taxi twice; the first time was because I had no other choice, as I was at a night market and buses weren’t running anymore. The second time was from Kaohsiung to Kenting, and it was a carpool, so the price was the same as if I had taken a bus. Your best bet to save on transportation cost is to stay away from taxis unless you’re carpooling. Travel like a local and you’ll experience more. I walked a lot because I wanted to see more. You’ll miss out on some things if you don’t travel on foot. My total spend on transportation was SGD 200, which is roughly SGD 10 per day.
Transport: SGD 200
Food
This is the reason most people travel to Taiwan for. Even though you’re on a budget, remember that you’re also on holiday. The food is cheap in Taiwan. A normal meal costs just a couple of dollars; for example, a plate of beef fried rice will set you back around SGD 4. I ate mainly from street stalls and night markets. I advise to set aside a budget of SGD 300 to SGD 450 on food, an average of SGD 15-20 per day.
Food: SGD 300 – 450
Also read: 21 Taiwan Street Snacks You Must Try
Laundry
I had two laundry runs over the 21-day period. Yes, laundry, because I travelled light and I can’t stand dirty clothes. Self-explanatory.
Coin Laundry: SGD 4
Entertainment
I hit the clubs twice in Taipei and once in Kaohsiung. I spent an average of SGD 20 per visit, including free flows of beer and selected alcohol.
Entry to clubs: SGD 60
Summary
The grand total of my Taiwan trip came to SGD 1034.79 a few years ago, meaning I was spending SGD 49.27 a day on average. These days, it would probably be closer to SGD 1,800. This is inclusive of flights and insurance. As you’ve noticed, I wasn’t really on a shoestring budget. I stayed in hotels for some nights, and I went partying. Throughout this trip, I reminded myself that I was on holiday, and the most important thing was to enjoy myself. The only major improvement I could make to reduce the budget further is to Couchsurf. I never tried it in Taiwan because I was travelling with a friend. We were also travelling without fixed plans and were willing to pay for the flexibility, something hostels provide.
That’s all I have. What do you think of my Taiwan trip?
Sunset at Alishan
Contributed by The More I Travel.
