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Major cities have backpacker hostels for around NT$400 to $600 per bed, and a double at a low-end hotel runs up toward NT$1000. In areas frequented by domestic tourists, there are also many "minsu" (sometimes translated as "homestays" but really more like B&Bs or mini hotels). Rates vary, but expect it to cost more than a hostel.
==Health and Safety==
Taiwan has amazingly little street crime, and you can live there for years without ever hearing even a second-hand story of a mugging, pickpocketing, or robbery. Political and religious terrorism are completely unheard of. Sexual assault by strangers is almost never heard of either, though many women in the cities eventually experience a scary incident of some creepy guy following them down a dark street. Locals may tell you about mob-on-mob violence and a recent series of recent random knife attacks in public places, but these are so astoundingly rare as to not be worth worrying about. Gun ownership is forbidden with very few exceptions, and property owners rarely guard against trespassing, much less enforce it threateningly.
The biggest causes of accidental death in Taiwan are motor scooter accidents and drowning (most locals are not strong swimmers, but also watch out for rip currents and submerged rocks at beaches, which kill both locals and visitors every year). When camping in wild or brushy areas, be aware of [http://snakesoftaiwan.com/ venomous snakes] (mainly the [http://snakesoftaiwan.com/Viridovipera%20stejnegeri/species_viridovipera_stejnegeri.htm green tree viper] and [http://snakesoftaiwan.com/Bungarus%20multicinctus/species_bungarus_multicinctus.htm banded krait]), which are common but rarely cause any problems. Snakebites can be treated at most medical facilities, and deaths are very rare. Barking and aggressive dogs can be a major annoyance, but just avoid them as best you can. They don't usually bite.
The emergency phone number in Taiwan is 119. Don't hesitate to call it if you or someone else's life is in danger. Even if you're lost in the mountains and need to be airlifted out, it's likely that you will be rescued free of charge.
Taiwan has a highly-developed healthcare system, and prices are low enough that it's often worthwhile going to the doctor or emergency room even without insurance. Mosquito-borne dengue fever is rare, but a possibility in certain areas during the summer. A bigger health hazard is air pollution, which reaches moderate to high levels especially during winter months in the south (and year-round on busy streetsides island-wide, do to heavy traffic and unfiltered exhaust from motor scooters). Taiwan can be very hot and humid in the summer months, so make sure to stay hydrated. However, you're unlikely to find yourself out of range of a place to buy water except in serious wilderness areas.
== Cities ==
== General costs ==
Taiwan is quite a developed country compared to much of Southeast Asia, as you will see when first entering Taipei. Unless you couchsurf The cost of living is generally much less than in Western Europe, North America, Japan, or Korea, but can be a bit expensive compared to Southeast Asia and hitchhike it might get quite expensiveother "low-cost travel" parts of the world. From one author's experience you can stay in Taiwan for a month for about 300€ and see almost everything. Food is generally cheap everywhere (NT$40 to NT$100), hostels cost 400 to 600 NT$, transportation is mentioned above. Save some money in Taipei by oftenly using the Ubikes.
== Experiences ==
