Taipei Travel Money Guide

Taipei is a friendly, affordable city with food on every corner, and it rewards visitors who carry cash. Department stores and convenience stores take cards, while the heart of the city's appeal, the night markets, runs on coins and small notes. Add a transport card and you will have a very easy trip.

How much cash to bring to Taipei

A rough daily budget for a comfortable mid-range trip:

• Food — NT$600–1,200/day (night-market snacks are NT$50–150 each; a hotpot or dumpling dinner costs more)
• Local transport — NT$150–300/day on the MRT and buses
• Attractions & shopping — NT$300–1,000/day (Taipei 101, hot springs and shopping streets)

Paying your way around Taipei

• Buy an EasyCard — a tap-and-go card for the MRT, city buses, YouBike and many convenience stores. It works across most of Taiwan's transport, and the card itself costs about NT$100, which isn't refundable.
• Top up with cash — most station and convenience-store top-up points take cash only, so keep some small notes for that.
• Convenience stores are your friends — 7-Eleven and FamilyMart sell drinks and snacks, and some have ATMs that accept foreign cards.
• Cards work in the bigger places — malls, department stores, hotels and chain restaurants accept them; independent shops and stalls often don't.

Neighbourhood cash notes

• Shilin & Raohe Night Markets — stalls are cash-only or cash-first. Bring plenty of NT$50 and NT$100 coins and notes, because change gets thin on busy evenings.
• Ximending — shops and bubble tea chains take cards or mobile pay; the street-food stalls prefer cash.
• Dihua Street — a heritage street of tea, herbs and dried goods where cash is the safer choice for small purchases.
• Taipei 101 & Xinyi district — upscale malls take cards without hesitation.

A couple of Taipei habits

• No tipping — it isn't expected in restaurants or taxis, though larger hotels and some restaurants add a service charge.
• Keep small coins — NT$10 and NT$50 coins are handy for vending machines, YouBike and market snacks. Use them up before you leave, or tuck them away for your next trip.