We’re moving to Taiwan in a couple of weeks. Work will be based at CKS airport. Several of the locals recommended living at Nankan which is about 10 mins drive to work, and apparently 40 min or so into Taipei(non rush hour)
Their logic is to avoid the frequent traffic problems, and save 3+ hrs travelling time per day (compared with living in Taipei)
Had a quick look there. Seems like everything of need is there, but obviously it isn’t Taipei.
Any comments? Cheers.
Nankan is tolerable like most places in Taiwan. It gets pretty stinky here as there are lots of factories. Tai Mall is pretty cool and there are restaraunts opening all the time that are worth trying. There are several buses that go into TPE for 50NT. We usually take the bus to TPE and than a taxi back after late night fun (600-800NT). There are lots of foreigners here, many pilots engineers, and teachers too. If you are working at the airport, yes, Nankan is veeeeeery close! There are lots of places for hiking nearby which is nice too. I don’t plan to spend all my Taiwan years in Nankan but for now it’s good.
Thanks for the quick reply.
Any recommendations for apartments. Had a look at about 3 including Manhattan which seemed to have an excellent location, any other suggestions to try?
Thanks for the info re taxis from TPE to, I was wondering about that and 600-800NT is OK considering the distance.
are there any MTB tracks within riding distance of Nankan?
How about English tutoring opportunties in this area?
Thanks again.
Getting in and out of Nankan can be a real hassle…
If you plan to commute by car, I would not recommend Nankan…It’s congested, Impossible to find parking and has only one freeway exit to serve the area, arguably the most traffic-tied in Taoyuan County. There are a range of possibilities, ranging from behind the airport (Chuwei) to Tayaun, Taoyuan, Neilli and Chungli…All have their pros and cons.
Living behind the airport will give you quick access to work, and easy access to Nankan(Taimall, shopping) going against the major traffic flows. You would also have access to two freeway exits as opposed to one. Rent would be cheaper, and the area is far quieter as well.
Tayaun is a little farther away, but still less than ten minutes from CKS. Taoyuan is a little farther, but has better infrastructure, higher rent and several back roads to sneak into the airport…20 minutes.
Neilli and Chungli would be options as well, say 20-25 minutes with back road access to the airport.
Maybe the best option would be Tachu…Lot’s of decent housing, not as hectic, and very centrally located. Ten minutes to Taimall, shopping and easy airport access…10 minutes or so. You can rent a 2,000sq foot apartment with a garage for around 15,000NT a month.
Do you want to live out of the city, or do you prefer to be in the thick of things?..Nankan would be one of my last choices as a new arrival to Taoyuan County. Traffic is a nightmare, and you won’t enjoy the confinment of deciding whether or not to go out because it’s rush hour…
Good luck with your choice and welcome to Taiwan!
The Manhattan is nice. We looked at a place there. Settled for Marco Polo. It’s near the EVA building, AMAZING LOCATION. You wont need an agent to find an appartment here, just drop by and speak to the staff in the office, will save you big cash! There are lots of oppurnuties for tutoring in Taoyuan and in Nankan! I’d prefer Nankan over Taoyuan city any day. Taoyuan is the most boring city by far and it’s more congested than Nankan!
Cheers.
Any ideas for typical rents for 2 & 3 br apartments (furnished) in Manhatten and Marco polo?
Do any of the complexes in the area have facilities such as gym ,pool, bbq area etc.
Thanks
Marco Polo is a litle epensive for the value. There is a gym/unheated indoor pool. 15,000 for a 2 bedrooom furnished unit.
Again, if you are driving a car…Nankan is not the place to be.
But, if you are a scooter commuter then Nankan should be fine.
15,000NT for a two bedroom apartment?..Damn, that’s expensive for anywhere in Taoyuan County. I only pay 14,000NT and have 60pings, a big yard, parking and one hell of a view. As I’m typing this there is a squirrel chomping on my papaya tree, a nice mountain breeze and palm tree shade…Nothing behind me but forest…
Living in Nankan would be nothing short of hell for me…What kind of environment are you looking for?..Cooped up in a high-rise or something out of the city?
Michael J, do you have room for 2 wise-ass Canadians and our obnoxious dogs? Sounds like a great place where you live…how does the air smell there?
Michael,
We will be coming to Taiwan for my job, but my wife is keen to work also. Out of interest, what is the commuting to Taipei situation like from Yangmei? I see on the map there is a railway line that goes straight thru Yangmei to Taipei city…is this viable for commuting. What about buses?
It sounds like your place is great. What is the availability of similar?
BTW Steeevie, the apartments I looked at around nankan were 21,26 & 27,000 NT respectively and I didn’t think they were overly huge for that money.(haven’t grasped pings yet, but I’m guessing less than 1000 sqft - so 30 pings?) E.g. Manhatten was an apartment with 1 normal B/Rm and a loft type thing off the lounge that had a sleeping area up top and a small kids room underneath. Only 1 bathroom. A reasonable size lounge, tiny galley kitchen. Minimal furniture for 26K.
From what I am reading that is WAY over priced. I am fortunate enough to be going to a job where accom cost up to a certain limit will be picked up by the company. I’m just starting to wonder if I am being told the rent is $X when really it is $Y, so the company can save the difference?
I live in the same community as Michael Botti, and well, I can add a few things to his thoughts, and ride my personal hobby-horses at the same time:
Nankan. I worked there for nearly a year, and it’s hell when it comes to parking etc. The Chinese word for Nankan (南崁) has nearly the same sounds as the one for ugly (難看) - hardly a coincidence. Mesy development, and spending 20+ minutes getting from the interchange to Taimall every morning also detracted from its attractions. I know a couple of people living there, and they pay nearly the same in rent as I do - and my house is overall bigger than Michael’s, plus I have a banana plant in my front yard (and a nice barbecue patch in my back yard). Michael’s part of the community is known as “foreigners street” - there are at least 5 bignoses living there.
Commuting to Taipei on a daily basis. I commuted from Yangmei to Taipei for more than one year. My advice don’t. I left at 6:20 Am every bloody morning in order to beat traffic (and make it to the office at 7 AM) - if I left Yangmei at 7, the ride could last 2 hours on bad days. If your wife plans to teach, then there are opportunities for that not just in Nankan, but all over the island as well, and that includes Yangmei with surrounding towns. Buses, there are buses leaving Yangmei every 40 minutes throughout the day, but well, if you take those then you’ll be stuck in traffic as well. The train… does your wife mind standing for 2 hours every day? Outside Taipei, commuting using public transport can be hard.
Living on the hill and working at the airport. I assume that you will get a set of wheels. If you leave home at 8AM you are looking at some 40 minutes from where we live, but that’s a price I would not mind paying. Back road routines might cut down the time a bit, or make the commute more stable. If you leave earlier or later, then you are looking at 25 minutes.
Finding accomodation on the hill. Feel free to PM me right before your next visit to Taiwan. I will happily take you to the 3 real estate agents in the area, who will then take you around here. You can also take a walk up here and look around for any “for rent” signs. Oh, and did Michael mention that we always have a breeze here? I don’t have aircons and still find it bearable. The evenings are cooler, and the air is so much better than in Nankan - or (gasp) Taipei. Also, the hill appears a bit like a western suburb, IE with a lot of free-standing houses, some semi-detacheds etc. Here, you can also find gardens, well-trimmed hedges, no stray dogs, peace and quiet (not like the 24 hr noise plaguing the rest of the island), and great views - actually you can see Taipei 101 on a clear day from a few vantage points in the community. Parks are good, with the foreigners playing frisbee Sunday afternoons in the big one. You like hiking and mountains? Well, you have mountains bigger and less overrun than the Linkou range behind Nankan 25 minutes minutes by car from here, mainly a drive down small back roads framed by tea plantations. The hill is excellent if you have a car, 5 minutes from the freeway (a hill in front takes the sight and noise), and even shorter to a a somewhat localized hypermarket. The bad things are that the place is a bit far away of you like clubbing, and it’s not a place for people who want to party every night - unless your version of partying is to drink with a bunch of aggresive Canadians down at “River” bar in Zhongli
However, there is something I might want to add in. I only know of 2 foreigners here married to non-local females. There aren’t that many western women settled here. If your missus likes going places, then you might want to get her some wheels, you can get something smallish of local make for 3,000 US which will drive her around. Western female stuch on the hill with no car? She might get bored. That said, you find the biggest concentration of middle-aged foreigners in Taoyuan County right in Michael’s and my community.
Oh, and a flat starts at NT$10,000 while a small semi-detached will be yours for NT$12,000 if lucky.
With luck, you can get a free-standing house with a big garden for NT$20,000.
truant I wouldn’t trust that agent. She’s probably taking you through the ringer. The place we saw in the Manhattan sounds VERY similar to the one you mentioned and was for 15,000/month. I’d bet you could just show at the Manhattan without an agent and speak to someone who works there. There is also Marco Polo (where we live) and a bunch of newer (and cheaper) places on the other side of the river…
In Taiwan it is TOO f*^$$#% common for employers to rip off foreign employees. If you can, find a place on your own!
Anyways, every day we talk about moving out of Nankan. It stinks (the smell) here. Sounds like Mr He and Michael J live in a very beautifull community. Because we are very happy with our jobs we stay in Nankan. My gf walks to work and I scooter 15 minutes to mine. So that said, do you want convenience or serenity?
Steevie,
my thoughts exactly regarding the agent, but when I was shown the place I had a company rep from my future HR come along to translate…at first I figured they would be trying to stop me getting over charged, but now I’m guessing it is a $$ saving exercise for them to let me think it is worth more that what it is.
Mr He & Michael, I will definitely be checking out your area, so may PM you for more info in a few days or so.
Any other things I should be watching out for with the new company? Also any reputable agents out there I can use myself if needed (rather than using the company supplied agent?)
Appreciate the advice!!
All the middle-aged lau-wai’s up here have kids and have been in Taiwan for a long-time.
Commuting to CKS from here would be pretty scary in the morning. Look for anything between a 40-60 minute drive. But if you want to live in the burbs, then this is the place to be…
I know all the real-estate agents personally and have lived up here for 8 years. I’d be more than happy to inquire for you once you arrive. The downside is that there is no night life and it’s freaking cold in the winter…Despite that, it’s quiet, my daughter can ride her bike in safety, and yes we do play frisbee in the park on Sundays. We have tennis courts and basketball courts with lighting, five parks, no parking hassles, and excellent security (sometimes too good). The views from some of the homes are stupendous, ocean on one side and the Central mountain range on the other…
If you like the great outdoors, we are very centrally located. We are only about 15 minutes from Shr-men dam, which is sort of the gateway to the Northern cross-island highway that offers fantastic scenery and awesome camping/hiking/river swimming opportunities.
I have to commute to Taipei a couple of days a week, and I despise every traffic filled minute of it. However, if you avoid rush hour, it’s an easy 45 minute drive.
The question is, are you willing to commute for this kind of serenity?
To stevieboy: Yes, the air here is great…
To Mr. He: The only way your yard would be bigger than mine is if you tore up the street behind you… 
To Steevie,
Wonder if we can establish if it was the same place…
15 or 16th floor by memory, entered by elevator on left side of main desk. View onto the main street, situated above Mos burger?
I will ask the company if I can locate my own place, and see what their reaction is. 
My house is bigger! My yard is too small, only some 20 pings - however plan to get a bigger one in 2-3 years time - and yes, that would include digging up the street in front - or take over one of the free-standing houses with a fireplace.
[quote=“truant”]To Steevie,
Wonder if we can establish if it was the same place…
15 or 16th floor by memory, entered by elevator on left side of main desk. View onto the main street, situated above Mos burger?
I will ask the company if I can locate my own place, and see what their reaction is. [/quote]
Most companies would prefer not to deal with the hassle. Do they give you a car?
Now, do you want the burbs or the city?
Oh, about the winter, what you can do is to go to all the local tips and se if you can get an old kerosene heater for 7US. Then you dry-burn it, and it will keep your house warm thru winter. That’s what I do, and some other foreigners up on the hill have started to do the same.
truant I doubt your company will let you do anything on your own! you’ll understand more of what I am saying when you start working here.
The place we saw was around 6 months ago so I don’t remember too many details. I do remember that there was a little tea room on the left (waste of space) and some stairs going up to a bedroom of some sort over the tea room. The kitchen was small. The building is new and quite nice though.
That community Mr He and Michael J are talking about sounds VERY alluring. We are probably going to move next summer to somewhere cleaner.
Since you are working at the aiport, and if you do decide to move to Nankan, I’d suggest moving into a new appartment building (there are SEVERAL!). There are some new ones that are cheaper than 25,000 and are very nice! I’d stay away from the Manhattan for 25,000 that sounds rediculous (unless the unit is HUGE!)
Hi there Mr_He!!!
I was reading some topics about living in areas close to the Taoyuan Airport. I’ll be working at the airport and I’m considering areas nearby. Do you still live in the hills? Are there many options of housing available there?
Thanks a lot!!