I just left Taipei yesterday. I was one of the lucky ones last week that was approved without further documentation but i submitted plenty docs. I agree hotels are more pricey. I stayed in a single room at the work inn hostel beside Taipei main station which was under 20$ a night (weekdays). On the weekend the price almost doubles. It was an easy commute to the consulate, there's plenty buses too that go there.
PS: dreamers cafe is a lovely coffee shop near the Thai consulate if you dont want to commute back when waiting til the afternoon to pay for the visa.
however you still have to provide a few months statements as they will look if you have consistent payments coming in, either salary or client payments from freelance projects. The amount of those payment doesnt seem to matter as long as there was a consistent pattern of payments coming in - bring payslips or invoices