How Much to Budget for Taiwan Travel (in Philippine Peso)
Taiwan became a popular destination among Filipinos, when it announced the temporary removal of its visa requirement. This even ushered in a milk tea craze in the Philippines, since a lot of those who visited Taiwan wanted to reminisce their travel by drinking milk tea back here. Nowadays, Taiwan's appeal for Filipino travelers is starting to wane. More people prefer to visit Japan or Korea instead. However, Taiwan has its own charm worth exploring.
In this article, we will be looking at various aspects of Taiwan such as accommodation, food, transportation and activities. Likewise, we'll talk about how much to budget for it, should you wish to travel there.
Yang Ming Shan going to Qing Tian Gang Grassland
Generally speaking, you will need to allot about ₱6,250 per day for a typical 4D 3N stay in Taiwan. This shall cover all the usual living expenses along with a few activities such as Taipei Zoo and visiting Yang Ming Shan.
Unlike other destinations with stark cultural similarities such as Singapore and Hong Kong, Taiwan does not have world-famous theme parks namely Universal Studios and Disney Land, respectively. The bright side of this is that it saves you from steeper expenses, since tickets for those cost more or less ₱3,000.
You typically go to Taiwan for the food (e.g. hotpot, street food) and drinks, particular milk tea!
These estimates are as of February 2025. Prices may change depending on inflation and other factors
Breakdown of expenses
Same with most other destinations, the largest expense you will need to budget for is the airfare, along with the travel tax. Although it's still possible, it's difficult to score a piso sale for Taiwan. Hence, the ticket will most likely cost you on average about ₱10,000. Sometimes, it's worth checking out China Airlines as well, because in our case, we got to book there for the same price as PAL or Cebu Pacific. Given that China Airlines has a bigger leg room, and inclusive of a meal, it was such a win!
The Chiang Kai Siek Memorial Hall along with the surrounding park is truly wonderful
The next expense you will need to budget for is accommodation. You will need to allot about ₱2,250 per person per night for a decent hotel (3-stars or 4-stars). However, if you plan and book earlier, you may score good hotel deals for only ₱1,750 per person per night, which will make a huge difference if you will be staying for a longer period of time. Also, Agoda is key, since the rates there are typically more affordable compared to booking directly.
This is a room good for two in Caesar Metro Taipei Hotel, very accessible (1 min away from train)
For the case of Taiwan, hotel prices are normally higher during February (for Lunar New Year), October (for Taiwan Pride) and December (for Christmas or New Year). Then again, if you book early, normally you can still get good rates!
Food in Taiwan is generally pricier than in the Philippines. Dishes of same quality normally cost 20% to 30% more than what we usually pay for here. To enjoy Taiwan, you will need to allot at least ₱1,250 per day. However, this can spike in certain days especially if you plan to enjoy unlimited hotpot. Yes, 'unlimited' or eat-all-you-can is also a thing in Taiwan.
Two of the famous hotpot places in Taiwan are Mala Hotpot and Xiang La Hotpot
Unlimited hotpot costs around ₱1,400 per head. However, quality is definitely worth the price! Plus, this normally includes tons of seafood options and top-notch desserts such as Häagen-Dazs. It's pretty sulit!
Taiwan's famous stinky tofu are sold almost everywhere!
There are actually relatively affordable eats around Taiwan. For example, stinky tofu are sold more or less at ₱150. While a hefty Taiwanese fried chicken costs about ₱250 each. Hence, you need to balance your dining spends to make the budget work!
Two Peck's famous fried chicken (left) and the iconic Taipei 101 tower (right)
Trips will never be as memorable without supplementing it with activities. For your Taiwan trip, you will need to budget roughly ₱500 for each activity, not unless you'll be joining tours which may cost around ₱1,000 to ₱1,500 in Klook (such as trips to Jiu Fen or Shi Fen and includes the famous lighting of lanterns). What I'm saying is that for DIY activities, you will not have to allocate that much, but if you want to go a little extra with the experience, you will need to pay extra too.
For less than ₱200, you can check out Taipei Zoo which houses lot of animals
If you are going sightseeing, most of these do not require any entrance fees. Examples are Chiang Kai Siek Memorial Hall, Yang Ming Shan, Taipei 101 (unless you'll go into the observation deck), to name a few.
Chiang Kai Siek Memorial Hall is such a picturesque sight to behold!
This family photo is take in the Qing Tian Gang Grassland, lots of great landscapes!
The expense that you don't have to worry much about is the transportation cost. On a day to day basis, you will need to allot just ₱250. Trains and buses there are efficient, but can be confusing. Hence, it's best to always have internet with you, so that you can check Google Maps. It's a good thing that the information there are almost real-time. For your convenience, it's best to get an IC card (can be bought in convenience stores), so that you can just tap the card whenever you use the public transportation. Otherwise, you will need to buy ticket every time you ride.
Bus and MRTs are fairly affordable, but Google Maps will surely come in handy
I hope this article gives you a glimpse of what to expect in Taiwan, and at the same time, have a gauge of how much you need to budget for. If you have questions, suggestions or anything to share, please drop a comment!
