What I Spent Per Month in Taipei, Taiwan

Curious about how much you can expect to spend per month in Taipei, Taiwan? Well, then this post is kind of for you. Sort of…

If you read the rest of the blog, then you’ll know that this is not a budget travel blog. While I do have some budgeting advice, and don’t mind saving a dollar here and there, I can be a bit careless with spending. Below is an expense breakdown of what I spent per month in Taipei, Taiwan, as a mid-twenties (single at point) male who enjoys his fair share of beers, BBQ, and baozi (包子). 

First, I just want to get out there if you think Taipei is extremely cheap AND good quality, then you’re dead wrong. It is very possible to live sub-$1000 or sub-$1250 (USD) per month, however, that comes with some sacrifices. If you want to live in a walk up building and on the 10th floor with no kitchen, eating the corner buffet and fried rice, then yes, it’s extremely cheap. However, once you start mixing in some more Western activities and goods, costs can add up fast, so just keep that in mind!

From here on out, I will be referencing everything in NT, since you may be from a different country than the United States. Currently, the NT sits at 30.58 to 1 USD, as of 10/25/2019. 

Let’s get started with one of the most pressing costs – rent. 

How Much I Spent on Rent in Taipei

I won’t get into this into great detail, as you can find more about my exact costs by checking out my article “How Much Does a Luxury Serviced Apartment Cost to Rent in Taipei, Taiwan?” I will go over it briefly. 

For rent in Taipei, Taiwan, I paid NT $27,800 per month for a luxury apartment in Xinyi District. This also included a roughly $1,560 management fee for security and building staff. The grand total? $29,360 per month. I do know friends who were able to secure a lease in my building for slightly less, and those who paid significantly more (for short-term stays). 

I negotiated a one year lease, and renewed it for another year after that. I also paid roughly a half month’s rent for the agent fee, or $14,500. 

My building came with a:

• Rooftop pool
• Small gym
• Lounge room
• Karaoke room
• Rooftop terrace

It was also located right in the heart of Xinyi District (the business district), and a 7 minute walk from the towering Taipei 101 and a 2 minute walk from Tonghua Night Market – which I mention in my post on 6 date ideas for couples in Taipei!

Utilities & Phone

Taipei Internet & Cable Costs

For my job, I need extremely fast Internet, which I had no problem shelling out extra for. This ran me roughly NT $4,800 every 3 months, or $1,600 per month. I should note about my Internet, it actually wasn’t worth the price, as I consistently had slow Internet and would sometimes lose it for an hour or two. 

Let’s just say, I was in pretty frequent contact with my Internet and cable guy. 

This also included quite a comprehensive cable package, which allowed me to enjoy a good variety of both Western and Taiwanese television. Once again, I probably didn’t need this, as there weren’t too many times I sat down on the couch to actually watch a movie on TV. But, who really does these days with Netflix and other streaming services? 

Water & Electricity Costs

Taiwanese electricity and water bills are quite cheap. That’s coming from someone who runs their AC almost every hour they are home. I was on a 2 month cycle for paying electricity and water, so this roughly came to NT $1,500 every 2 months, or $750 per month. 

I should note that I didn’t do much laundry at my place, and took it to a local laundry spot around the corner, which cost roughly $350-$500 per month, depending on how much I’d do. I’ll include that below under “Miscellaneous Costs.” 

How Much Did My Phone Plan Cost in Taipei?

Once again, I 100% overpaid for my phone plan, which cost me NT $700 per month for 14 gigs of data. In reality, I really only used about 4 gigs, and had friends who had unlimited data for far cheaper. I went through Chunghwa Telecom, and actually had very few issues with them. I simply just paid my bill at 7-11 or Family Mart every month (you can do literally anything at both in Taiwan). 

Keep in mind that it’s free to receive calls in Taiwan, but costs money to place them. So, as long as people are calling you, then you’re fine. Taipei is also a relatively connected city, so there’s WiFi most places. 

Writing all that has made me pretty hungry, so let’s dive into one of the best countries (gastronomically) that I’ve ever lived and their food. 

My Food Budget Per Month in Taipei

One of my favorite dumpling spots is called “Happy Dumpling DongFeng Restaurant” located at: 106台北市大安區復興南路一段263號.

For purposes of this section, I’m actually just going to tackle food and non-alcoholic beverages – alcoholic beverages and nightlife will be their own section. 

Taipei Breakfast Cost

During my average work week, I would usually skip breakfast, or grab a cheap fruit smoothie for NT $30-$40. If I was feeling up for it, I’d grab a “Dan Bing 蛋餅” (egg crepe stuffed with assorted ingredients), which would ring in around $30 as well. 

Taipei Lunch Cost 

Throughout the day, I’d go through several sparkling waters, priced around $35 per bottle. I only mention sparkling waters as they are somewhat an excessive cost, so you’re likely not gulping down NT $120-$150 worth of sparkling water per day. 

For me, lunch varied, however, these were my staples. Keep in mind that I’m listing several of my favorite dishes that I’d mix in every day, and will provide a total for my food budget at the bottom.

• Beef noodles, sesame noodles, spicy wontons: Should I have grabbed a single bowl of sesame noodles or beef noodles, 1 bowl of spicy wontons, and one or two small vegetable dishes, that would run me just about NT $180. 
• Italian pasta at a non-overpriced spot: 1 bowl of Chicken Parm (a massive serving), would run me just about NT $120. 
• Sushi (on a conveyor belt): You can expect to pay around NT $40 per plate here, no matter the plate. I’m talking averages here. 
• Japanese curry: A huge fried porkchop with rice, curry, egg, cheese, and several small vegetable dishes would cost me just about NT $200-$250. 
• Cambodian: I don’t know why I was so into Cambodian at the time, but for essentially all-you-can-eat Cambodian, I would spend about NT $150. 
• Taiwanese Style Buffet (Bian Dang 便當): This is your classic, cheap, usually self-serve buffet. I would absolutely load my plate up with pork chops, chicken, steamed vegetables, eggplant, and rice, which would cost me anywhere from NT $100-$140. Keep in mind that my total was about twice as much as the average Taiwanese person would spend here (I often saw their averages coming in at about NT $70). 
• Vietnamese: A decent Vietnamese restaurant in my neighborhood usually cost a tad more than Taiwanese food. For green curry with chicken and rice, along with a banh mi, coconut water, and Vietnamese coffee, this would run me about NT $530. 

I always work out of coffee shops, so am going through about two or three coffees per day, which have run me anywhere from NT $70 to $110. I’m mostly a latte drinker. 

Now, we’re going to get into some steeper prices (at points), as we’re moving onto dinner. 

Taipei Dinner Cost

I started off quite simple and straight-forward when I first arrived in Taipei, and would either hit up one of the lunch buffets ($100-$140), or grab a friend rice with lamb or beef for NT $70-$80.

There was also a great stand outside my apartment which specialized in pork buns for NT $15 each. They were about the size of your first, so I could grab 3 for dinner with some rice next door and be satisfied.  

I also happened to live about 3 minutes from Tonghua Night Market (make sure to check out my post on it here), which became a go-to spot if I was in the mood for several types of cuisines. Think cuban sandwiches, stinky tofu, thai curry, fried dumplings, and kumquat juice/lemonade. My trips to Tonghua would cost me about NT $300, for a juice (or two), a fat stack of dumplings, and either a cuban sandwich or some gua bao (刈包) (pork belly buns). 

Here’s just a quick list with actual prices of the foods and drinks I’d grab from Tonghua Night Market. 

• Banana Milk or Kumquat Lemonade ($40-50 NTD)
• Steak cubes with teriyaki sauce ($100 NTD)
• Pan-fried dumplings ($40 NTD)
• Cuban sandwich ($80 NTD)
• Bahn Mi sandwich ($70 NTD)
• Lamb, Chicken, Beef, Pork skewer ($30 NTD)

Sometimes, I would pop down to a Western pub to grab a steak and ale pie and a beer or two, which would run me NT $200-$500 per dish. A special note – Brass Monkey’s steak and ale pie is one of my absolute favorite comfort foods, and will cost you only NT $400. 

Taipei Drinking & Nightlife Costs

This one definitely deserves its own section, and will include a general overview of where I would go to drink (and eat simultaneously), along with some of the costs I incurred when going out-out. 

Taipei Izakayas

I always tell friends and family, no where in the world beats drinking and eating in Taipei from the hours of 6:00PM to 11:00PM. This is thanks to ‘Izakayas’, Japanese-style BBQ and beer spots which are often intimate and short on seats. 

For a meal which often consisted of essentially all-I-could-eat skewers (yakitori), grilled salmon, bacon-wrapped anything, cow tongue, and one-too-many ice cold draught Asahi beers, my personal bill would cost anywhere from NT $1,200-$2,000. The $2,000 nights would usually include me grabbing 2-3 bottles of sake as well. I will mention that in moderation, I’ve spent far less than that. On one particular date, the total bill was NT $900 for 4 beers, 4 skewers, several plates of grilled mushrooms, and a whole fish. 

An Absolute Staple: Re-Chao (热炒)

Izakayas are definitely more upscale than the next spot I would start my night out at – Re-chao (热炒), which refers to a hot-stir fry. These include all the classic Taiwanese dishes you’re used to eating at a Taiwanese buffet, and are very much the way to go if you’re looking to get nitty and gritty with the locals. 

At most spots, you’re given a bucket of beers or freely grab them from the fridge, and the total is calculated by the number of empty bottles at the end of the night. 

Re-chaos are the spot you want to go when you don’t want to break the bank, want to eat to your heart and stomach’s content, and sling back some ice cold Taiwan beers. My average night here would cost anywhere from NT $400 to $600 when going with a big group.

No joke, there’s even a NT $100 all-you-can-eat re-chao on Fuxing N. Road in Songshan District. 

Actual Drinking Costs in Taipei

Most travelers are unaware that drinking outside of 7-11 and Family Mart is extremely popular in Asia – especially Taipei. They are on nearly every corner, and not a bad way to get a few extra drinks in before hitting up a bar with a cover or expensive club. I usually stick with tallboys anytime I drink at 7-11, which cost NT $55 per can. They also boast some of the cheapest and poorest quality whiskey you could imagine, so nights can escalate very quickly. 

Or, if you’re looking for a decent craft beer at a brewery or bar, that will cost you about NT $120-$220. Two of my favorite breweries include:

• Taihu Brewing
• Zhang Men Brewing

I’m not much of a club guy, but I’ve been dragged to my fair share in Asia. Clubs and nicer bars (ex. Rooftop bars) in Taipei are a bit more on the expensive side, and cost anywhere from NT $120-$250 per drink. Tack on to that an NT $500 cover charge (roughly) at most clubs, and nights can add up fast. Gun to my head I have to choose Frank Taipei solely for the rooftop bar and view or WOOBAR (located in the W).

Side Note: The W’s ‘Kitchen Table‘ is 1000% worth going to for their Saturday or Sunday brunch for both the food and bottomless champagne.

Personally, I think the preferred method (and most economical) is to grab a table at a club, which for a no-frills, standard table, will run you anywhere from NT $4,000 to $7,000. This will include at least one or two bottles and some soft drinks. 

A few big nights out in Taipei mixed in with several trips to throw back a few craft beers would usually cost me upwards of NT $15,000 per month.  

Miscellaneous Monthly Expenses in Taipei

My miscellaneous expenses were mostly spent on cabs. Which I would usually take a cab to get to several of my favorite cafes (around 2-3km). This would cost me about NT $120-$180. 

I would also load up my metrocard about once a week with NT $200, and typically wouldn’t come close to going through it all.

If you’re into biking, Taipei makes it extremely easy to get around thanks to YouBike, which I think costs NT $30 for an hour or two ride. I had a good buddy who had a wild night out after parking his bike briefly somewhere and lost it. He was ultimately charged about NT $4,000 for it. 

Total Costs Per Month in Taipei – Drumroll Please…

My total costs while living in Taipei came out anywhere from NT $75,000 – $91,000 (USD $2,500 to $3,000) per month – which I would consider on the higher end of what most are spending there. I also had several months where I quit drinking alcohol that my total came to about NT $60,000 (USD $2,000). 

Once again, this is what I spent per month in Taipei. I budgeted for it, and was still saving the most money I have in any city I’ve lived. As mentioned above, you can definitely live here way cheaper, but hopefully this sheds some light on some general costs (ex. Food and drinking). 

Best.

Big Body