Best "smaller" city to live in Taiwan ?

Taiwan Living in Taiwan
1

Ok, everybody have a different view and preference.
Nevertheless, considering places with less than a million people, what is your favorite city and why ?

Keelung, Yilan, Dansui, Taoyuan, Hsinchu, Miaoli, Changhua, Douliu, Chiayi, Tainan, PingDong, Taitung or Hualien (forgive me if I forget a city-name) ?

Personally I really like Pingdong a lot. After more than 10 years of living in Kaohsiung it was time for a new enviroment and so far I dont miss anything here. Cost of living is cheaper here, traffic is smooth and the surroundings are great. Amount of foreigners are quite “limited” as well.
My second choice would have been Chiayi.

I do wonder why Tainan get so highly praised though. People claiming the street-food, which I dont really get and understand. Traffic is a huge turn off for me, but who knows maybe each time I was probably at the wrong places during wrong times (who knows).

Hualian is beautiful, but somehow too small. Taitung is more like a village than a city.
Dont know anything about other aboved mentioned places.

2

I’ll take the first stab at this and offer thoughts, right or wrong, on them.

Keelung: only good to visit. Rain, rain and more rain. Get used to mildew. Or run dehumidifier 24/7. Harbor now much better. Did I mention rain?

Tamsui: would take this over Keelung to live any day and twice on Sunday. MRT into Taipei. Affordable housing. Near north coast and Yangmingshan.

Ilan: just as rainy as Keelung, but more pleasant as out in countryside type atmosphere. Near surfing, Taipingshan. Housing prices up since tunnel opened years ago, but still cheap vs. Taipei. Hot springs in Jiao-Xi and cold springs in Nan-Ao. Great seafood down in that harbor there.

Taoyuan: too much connected to airport in my mind. Some small towns there may consider, but not the city itself.

Hsinchu: windy, bland. Unless you work in high-tech firm.

Miaoli: even windier. My wife lived there as young kid. Sad memories for her. She would kill me if I thought to live there. But that’s just us. Anyone offer its redeeming values?

Changhua: only want to pass thru here, but they have that cool train turnstile museum by station. Coffee fields to the east/southeast.

Douliu: Yuntech. What else is there?

Chiayi: gateway to Alishan and mountain biking. Famous for turkey rice or something, but not much else. Why do you like Chiayi?

Nantou: one of the few really inner places I could accept to live. Glorious biking and hikIng. Yes, Sun Moon Lake is crowded, but so what. Good vibes whenever I visit. Probably stay in Puli or even Chi-Chi, just to tell people I live there.

Tainan: street food the best. Culture, culture. Traffic not anything to write about, but getting own MRT in a decade. Winter weather nice vs. north Taiwan.

Pingtung: my ace card, too. Close to KHH intl airport for asia trips, yet countryside living. Get away from south or east of Kaohsiung. So that means closer to Hengchun or further east of PT City. Southward: Pineapple Fields Forever…

Hualien: what’s up with those rash of quakes? Lol. Beautiful landscape of towering peaks rising up west of the city. Rift Valley. best cycling region. Could go on.

Taitung: only need to read my name.

What part of Pingtung you live?

3

Can you elaborate more on Taitung? Would love to hear more!

4

About Earthquakes, this is so true as of 2022!

1 Like
5

Aside from maybe the outlying islands, the mellowest county in Taiwan. If you want time to slow down, just go anywhere. Even its namesake city is not too overflowing. Has Rift Valley with so many outdoor things to do. Hot springs are nice throughout the county. Anyway, there’s other positive things. Has my favorite fruit, custard apples.

2 Likes
6

Been in Hsinchu for 1.5 years now and can’t agree more. It’s easily the blandest, most soulless city in Taiwan in my opinion. Actually makes me miss Kaohsiung.

1 Like
7

Are you hanging in the old city center near TRA Hsinchu Station—or in the soulless places closer to Science Park? If it’s the latter, I get it. If it’s the former, I don’t think you’re doing things right. :slightly_smiling_face:

Guy