A lot of the people I know in Taiwan (not on this forum tho), are English teachers.
When I lived back in Europe, we had a tons of them in my country.
Zero geopolitical knowledge, zero financial knowledge (so everything was “so cheap!” and “with 2,000USD you can live perfectly in Spain!” Yes, if you want to retire with 100.000USD after 30 years, it is true) and always living in a sort of fairytale.
I guess Taiwan is similar.
You can see on reddit, tons of non-Taiwanese saying things like “CCP! Try to attack as and you’ll see!” Yes, they will see how you will go back to USA promptly.
If you can work remotely (i.e., if your company doesn’t require you to show up at the office often), and if you’re working to save some $$ for retirement, then I’d choose the US.
If you have kids then your searches will surely revolve around the quality of the schools. I’d also make sure that healthcare is plentiful. Both of these criteria (esp quality of healthcare) are going to eliminate 90% of small towns in any state.
If I were you I’d take a close look at any major university town in any state that’s close enough to meet your job requirements. Healthcare is going to be good there (there may even be a research and/or teaching hospital), and so are schools (uni types do value education). Boise, Boulder, Austin, Tempe, Tuscon, Santa Fe all come to mind. University towns usually score very high on quality of life measures. Lots of recreation options, lots of open minds, clean, usually competent city government. You should be able to sock away $$ substantially, too.
Personally, at this time I’d avoid the Pacific Northwest altogether. I think Oregon and Washington are both entering a world of fiscal hurt, and I think taxes are going to rocket up soon.
I’d avoid California if you can, for those reasons and also the poor quality of government there.
Most of you guys from the US are making more than a majority of Americans are making. I mean talk about 100,000 a year? A huge percentage of Americans make nowhere near that. And 100,000 a year is not even enough in some parts of the country. For those that make the 10-20 dollars an hour, the US is a hellhole. They can’t afford anything, must live in bad neighborhoods, and God help them if they ever get sick or injured. At least Taiwan is livable at Taiwanese wages. Sure it’s not much, and it really limits play, but you won’t die. And if you’re sick you won’t need to pay 1000 dollars a month for insulin. Most Taiwanese finds the idea absurd. I still stand by the fact that you’ll live like a god at 100,000NT a month, unless you just don’t know how to handle finances.
Everyone’s been afraid of China for a long time. I really don’t know what to say about this because every ex KMT civil servant all think that China would just attack and they will wake up one morning to find the Chinese flag flying around the country. I seriously doubt this would happen as the amount of prep work needed to invade is so much that Taiwan would get several month’s warning. But from what I see so many Taiwanese all go to China anyways so I highly doubt there will be a non peaceful unification if it happens. We might lose freedoms however but if you think US is as “free” as they say they are you believed too much MAGA propaganda. Few things China does America doesn’t also do, except China says they do those things while America tells you that you are free while infringing on your rights behind your back. Just ask Snowden.
You keep saying I have bad experience in America. Truth is, I don’t. I just hung around with real Americans enough to know that things aren’t rosy there. If all you know are rich Americans then things are different for you.
100k NTD does NOT let you live like a god in Taipei!
I am not sure about the South or Hualian, but trust me when I say this; I get paid more than that and I have rejected a job that was offering me close to 120k/month; The reason being that once you start considering the housing, cost of western food or commodities, Spouse (and I am NOT talking about raising a kid), mortgage and what all - You will realize 120K really doesn’t cut it!
If you are in your 20’s, then hell yes! You can indeed live well and might even save a substantial amount ; however, do keep in mind that if you have indeed reached a figure of 120k/month, you will start to hit a wall and the next big increment becomes difficult. Also, Taipei might not be Manhattan or the Bay area, but is also not South East Asia when it comes to living cost. 25k for a nice place, 1k for a nice meal, 25k for tickets back home etc. are just some expenses that will eat your so called god-like 100k super fast.
The people I know earning 2M NT in Taiwan (160k NTD) are all 40+ and had to wait a long time to reach there. This multiplies by the torrid working condition, brainless Taiwanese supervisors, closed economy, lack of fresh ideas, clueless team mates etc. makes waiting to reach that figure worthless.
My advice : Reading your post, it seems you want to work in Asia and if that’s the case, then why chose Taiwan? Singapore has a much more open and advanced economy and pays well! Malaysia ,which might sound like sacrificing your life style but is not , is also a good option! Kl is as diverse as any Alpha city and also offers you a chance to practise Mandarin (if that’s something you want) .
It all depends on lifestyle. If you want to live the same lifestyle as in the USA, eat out at nice, western style restaurants, have a nice car, etc., for sure 100K NT$ is not a ton of money.
But … if you live more like a local, have an apartment under 30K NT$ (probably in New Taipei City), eat only once or twice a month at average western restaurants, etc, you will live well, and likely save a fair amount too.
It just depends on you, really, when it comes to lifestyle and what you are comfortable with.
If the whole thing is about career advancement though, Taiwan isn’t really the best choice IMHO.
Note: I am nearing 50, and myself, wife and son can live on 100K NT$ in Taiwan, and live well enough. But we are on the frugal side, enjoy mostly free outdoor sports (running, biking, etc.), and don’t have expensive tastes overall. Once again, YMMV.
100K in the US definitely varies by location but it also depends on how old you are. If you’re just starting out your career, with no wife or kids, 100-120k USD is great and bodes well for a good career trajectory. Moving to Taiwan later in life and spending every vacation there makes the most sense. If family is involved/you’re already established in your career etc, there’s many more factors, and the quality of life in Taiwan may be worth it for the trade off in career trajectory.
I agree with this. I’m from the US and I feel like I like a pretty great life here, while spending very little. I rent a modern, renovated Western-ish 2BR in Taipei City with nice hardwood floors and furnished with all new-ish furniture, TV and appliances for under 30K/month. No car, no scooter (rent while traveling if needed), just take the MRT, bus, or HSR. Go running, cycling, swimming, work out at the Sports Center, play music, sing, cook all the time (especially Western meals), go hiking, and learn Chinese. Wife and I go out to eat at all sorts of restaurants 2x-3x a week, and travel a few times a year. Healthcare covered, no crime and violence here, a lot less BS to worry about, can just focus on being happy/fulfilled and pursuing my goals.
Yes, if I were young or relatively young, I’d probably go for the US. Because when you’re young and you’re motivated, you have nothing to lose. The way that I’d approach it is I’d try to make as much money as possible, live like a pauper, save 50-70%+ of my income and invest it all to try to make more. And then return to Taiwan with a nest egg.
When you get older, you just don’t want to deal with all the shit that comes with living in the US.
Life is short (probably shorter than we realize). Enjoy it while you can. When I was younger, my friends and I decided to take the $$$$ instead of pursuing a simpler and happier life with family. At the end of it, many of us wondered why we did so and whether we make the same choice again.
They probably have other things in their mind at that point But assuming that is true, I bet some have wished they had earned more the work they did and we’re able to retire a bit earlier.
I’m not sure early retirement is such a good thing…
I read somewhere that people tend to die sooner when they retire early. Something about losing purpose, and then they end up living very unhealthy lifestyles… I don’t know for sure.
I’d choose the US if I could be living in a lower COL area. The heavy hitters (NYC, Bay Area, SoCal) will offer a lower QOL vs the Taiwan salary in Taipei.
Since this is clearly not a hypothetical for me but an actual dilemma for you, what kind of lifestyle do you prefer? What do you like about Taipei? This will help in determining if there’s a cheaper US city that can offer you what you seek.
FYI there is rail transit to avoid the traffic if you really want to. Austin has a commuter line that runs out into the burbs on dedicated ROW and Houston has three light rail lines that also runs out to the burbs with dedicated ROW (I believe the sections in Downtown Houston are in mixed traffic)
This is a minor quibble and I certainly wouldn’t suggest somebody can rely on transit and live carfree like you can in Taipei, just saying that it is easy enough to position your life to commute to work and sidestep the “bad traffic.” Also, if OP is working remotely they probably have no commute anyway.
This is only true if your life was dominated by your job and you have nothing to fill it with. My job is super time consuming, and prior to starting it ten years ago I was a semi-professional musician, and had time for meditation, yoga, etc . Now I barely have time to run.
In truth, most people who “retire early” don’t retire, they just do what they want to do, and don’t have to worry about money anymore.
But assuming that is true, I bet some have wished they had earned more the work they did and we’re able to retire a bit earlier.