There are plenty of posts around that discuss how to live on a budget in Taiwan, but thought it might be a good idea to demonstrate how easy it is to break the bank in Taiwan. Doesn't take much effort at all.
Rent - everyone needs a home, and not everyone is looking to live outside of the action. In Taipei finding a 1 bedroom for $4,000 Canadian and up is really easy. Finding a cheap place is difficult. If you are looking for a place, this is the best site around. If you use the translate function the site tends to crash. I have found it best to run a tab with the English version and another with the Chinese version. Use the English version to choose the options on the Chinese site. Any place that is priced right can be gone within a day, so if you see it and like it, you will need to jump on it.
Drinks - who doesn't love going out for drinks? This comes with quite the sticker shock. Cocktail bars in Taipei sell drinks for $350 NT ($16 CDN) and up. Beer that costs $35 NT ($1.60 CDN) at the store sell for $100 NT and up. If you are looking for a cool place to check out in Taipei, you should visit
THY bar. They make incredible custom drinks. The service is a bit slow but well worth the wait, and they speak perfect English. If you are looking for budget drink options, the best places are similar to
100 Seafood. They are typically beer only, but some will let you bring your own liquor with you. A large bottle of beer at these places will typically run around $80 NTD ($3.75 CDN).
The Taiwanese drink beer out of small glasses, and only drink when someone joins them. It is considered rude to drink on your own. They also tend to add ice to their beer to keep it cold, so don't be shocked to see them put ice in their glasses.
Food - Food is one of the best items in Taiwan, and the reason so many flock here, but it is far from cheap. Hot pot can easily run you $800 NTD ($36 CDN) per person. Ramen is around $400 NTD ($18 CDN) per person. Sushi, steak, and western fare will run even higher.
Food at the night markets - this can easily get out of control. You can end up buying a lot of small dishes which on their own might seem cheap but as you add up the total cost of your meal, you can spend just as much at the night markets as you do at the hot pot places. If you are looking for cheaper alternatives, the lunch box places tend to run around $100 NTD ($4.50 CDN).
Coffee - there are a few small coffee shops around that are very cozy and neat looking, but these places also tend to charge a serious premium for coffee. Prices tend to be around $180 NTD ($8 CDN) and up for a small cup. They give their coffee fancy names, serve them with a shot glass of sparkling water, and essentially treat it as something to be savoured instead of just a drink.
Overall, one can live on a budget and spend $100 NTD to $300 NTD ($4.50-$14 CDN) per day per person, but don't be surprised that a day can also cost you north of $4,500 NTD ($200 CDN) per person. It's just a matter of the choices you make and the places you frequent.
On the penultimate matter of this blog post, it is surprising that the noodle, a staple to any Asian diet, and considering that its manufacture and its preparation for consumption to the community are undoubtedly within the local bailiwick, is priced so high. All things considered, ramen is to Asians, the Mac and Cheese to the Western world.
ReplyDeleteFood here is actually pretty weird if you ask me. Not what I was expecting at all. There are very few dishes sold here with rice or noodles. I think Taiwan is truly different from the rest of Asia in this regard.
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