Cost of studying in Taipei

#1

Hi Guys,

I am hoping that someone can help me out regarding expenses of living in Taipei, I plan on visiting and studying Mandarin for 1 year in Taipei, I have some money saved up at the moment and wanted to know what other students situations were, I have been accepted for a scholarship but this is only for 3 months after that it my stay will be self financed, is it possible to get a 1 bedroom apartment + expense (food, electric ect.) with 37000NTD a month in Taipei?

Any help is greatly appreciated, one thing I fear while away from home is not having enough money to get by.

Many thanks

#2

type “study in Taiwan” first and then later try “study in Taipei” in the search box next to magnifying glass.

All kinds of previous chats over the years on your common topic.

#3

short answer is yes.

#4

I did it.

Find a hole in the wall apartment (search for a 雅房) for $4,000nt/month. Eat frozen dumplings every day for $3,000nt/month.

I made my 3 month stipend last 6 months.

Note that this doesn’t mean you’ll have fun in Taipei. Forget about drinking. And eating meat. Eat a lot of tofu. My apartment was tiny. 3 ping. I could touch 3 walls at the same time. Enough room to sleep and that’s about it.

But if you want to make your 3 month stipend just last 3 months, you’ll be fine.

#5

I think he meant 37k per month for 3 months? meaning he´s got 111000 available. I think.

#6

This is many monies. You’ll have a ball.

#7

37k a month is a salary here. Will you have this amount per monthfor the whole duration of your stay, like, the whole year?

Most people share apartments. Or live very humbly. Food is cheap, utilities depend on you.

Do not rent from abroad, without seeing. Do not sign anything by yourself, always have witnesses. Never share the place with the landlord and NEVER take a place where you share utilities.

#8

This will be for the whole year, I am from the UK and have saved some money (13,500gbp) I’m wondering how long I can make this last me as some websites for living costs don’t seem reliable I thought it was best to ask people have been in a position to answer themselves.

#9

Christ man, 13,500 squid will easily last a year here. Stop sweating the small stuff.

#10

That would be 530000 NTD, which is what I spent in 3 years of MBA.

Your allowance of 530000 means you can spend 44000 a month, which is quite generous. Just do not go crazy overspending.

Find a well located place to live, but do not overpay. Budget 200 a meal, try to cook at home at least breakfast, for your own health. Try to learn as much as possible and travel around. have fun but don´t be wasteful.

#11

If you live VERY frugally, you can make your 3 month stipend last the whole year. I ate frozen dumplings every day for three months, then I decided to start dipping into savings. But not by much.

But if you plan on having fun money to spend, you’ll use up your 3 month stipend in a little over 3 months. Then start dipping into savings.

Don’t trust cost of living websites. There info they post is just plain wrong.

#12

What do you eat now?

#13

Mostly hotpot. Pick up the frozen mixes from the grocery store. Add noodles (bulk from Costco) and tofu.

Feeds a family of four for $100nt because the mixes and noodles last many meals. That’s 25nt/meal/person. Beats eating out by far.

Curry is also a deliciously cheap option. Get the mixes in the jars, not the dried mixes. A bit more expensive (but then again, my definition of expensive), but totally worth it.

And now that I’m no longer sick of frozen dumplings, there’s a lot of those too.

Btw, my time on the studying Chinese stipend was a long time ago. I don’t feed a family of 4 on a student’s stipend.

#14

Step one, replace “apartment” with “room”.