Does my budget make sense?

This is very helpful, thanks for the advice, thanks.

I have ridden a scooter in Chicago and North Carolina and have ridden dirt bikes a bit in the past. However, I’m thinking that I will possibly rent a scooter and feel out the traffic wherever I end up settling in - I would really prefer to avoid death and dismemberment if at all possible…

That said, I appreciate the point about a larger motorcycle or car. I would like to be able to go on longish trips (hour+) so 50cc’s might not do it for me. I’m looking into international health insurance for the short-term, thanks for that tip as well.

Just buy insurance (if you feel you need it; clinics are so cheap that it’s almost not worth it to just cover yourself for 1 month or so) until you get your ARC with your teaching job. After that, you’ll be on Taiwan’s National Health Insurance, which covers like 99% of the people.

If you’ve ridden scooters before, you’ll be fine. I had a scooter for 5 years in college and came here and immediately got one. The key is to expect everyone in the left lane and right lane in front of you to swerve over into your lane at any given moment (remember, “expect”, as it’s just a precaution and not a certainty) during your drive. Defensive driving is the key. ABL: always be looking. You’re better off getting a 125cc. That’ll get you over any mountain in Taiwan.

600 is fine if you are working 26-30 hours a week.

Go up 101 when it’s a perfect day, sunny and clear blue skies. IT IS CRAZY WHAT YOU SEE :smile:

I created a cost of living and basic budget guide to living in Taiwan, Taipei specifically. Do you agree? Would you add or subtract anything?? Tell me your thoughts :slight_smile:

http://onadatewithasia.com/2017/06/08/cost-of-living-in-taiwan-budget-guide/cost-of-living-in-taiwan-budget-guide

Your food prices vary by as much as a factor of ten. It’s not useful unless you’re also listing quantities and where you’re getting them from. There’s a difference between buying fruit at 7-11 and getting it from the fruit seller on the corner, or the fruit market down the street. Milk, for example, is cheapest from Costco, but you’ve got to buy 2 (US) gallons at a time (NT$210) which may not make sense if you’re a single guy who only puts a little milk in his coffee.

Where’d you find internet at 200NT? (Saver’s budget)

you might aswell list quan lian prices as its the most common supermarket here. otherwise theres quite a big price discrepancy as has already been said.

I am not familar with quan lian prices. Are they much lower??

They have a reputation for low prices. A lot of their prices are lower than other places, but some are also the same or higher. It would be helpful if you listed actual prices of actual products, maybe a mix of local and foreign stuff. The kind of comparison you could do if you were actually browsing in a store.

its lowish? its the most common supermarket here by far (theres like 5 close to my house) so its basically as standard as u are gonna get for taiwan. it seems kind of unhelpful to list 60 - 200 for chicken. i mean that goes without saying that different shops will have different prices, its the same everwhere.

First I’ll say it looks like you did a lot of good research. I’ll just give you suggestions up to you. But seems you’re looking from the bottom of a well up and not seeing the whole picture on cost of living, especially compared to what many visitors or people moving to Taiwan are used to.

  • I think you need to be very clear that you are talking about a very specific type of people or population or segment of people.

  • Is English your first language? Can not be sure from your writing.

  • You’re missing a big segment of the population.

  • If you’re poor and eat cheap meals out, then you do not really save that much money if you buy your food from a store and cook it yourself. But if you’re middle income, you save a lot of money if you buy your food from a store and cook it yourself. It’s definitely cheaper. And more healthy.

  • A typical meal from a shop can range from 30NTD-200NTD ($1-6.50 USD) at a LOW-level restaurant. MID-level would go from NTD300 or more and up.
    Taxi

  • To take a TYPICAL ride in a Taxi is usually about 100. (Few rides go over 150 because there are better methods of transportation for longer distances. Taxis always use the meter and are cheap, safe, and easy to flag down most places within a couple minutes.

  • Buses usually have the Chinese name written in English characters so you don’t need to read chinese characters if you know the English characters or can sound out the word. They also have NUMBERS so you know which bus to ride. All bus stops have the name of the location written in English characters.

  • Are you only talking to English teachers or all visitors to Taiwan? Be consistent because sometimes it seems like you are talking to every one or just English teachers.

  • Middleman and Spender are off. Many foreigners here spend 30-40000 per month on rent and many spend 100000 or more per month on rent. 16000 for rent isn’t even close… Many easily spend a couple thousand on just one meal and a night out at the club or a fancy bar could easily set the Spenders back 3000-10000 NTD per night.

UPDATE: Checked your blog. Nice. Do you realize the picture on “Fu Long Beach: The East Coast of Taiwan” is a NUCLEAR power plant? Not a great introduction for a beach :wink: