Just to add that the places I stay(ed) at are fully furnished.
Guess I should move out and buy a car from the savings. 
Cui Mama, is definitely the place to go. Some people knock them a little. Maybe if you want an executive-style fully furnished place with an English-speaking landlord, yourāe out of luck, but Iāve found 2 great places with them, in central Taipei (my ācentralā means near Guting MRT, Shida area), and saw many more while I was looking.
You do not have to go out to Yong He or Zhong He or somewhere to find a decent place fairly cheap. Theyāre available right in Taipei City. Right now weāve got a 15K a month, 29 ping, 3 bdrm independent house (not aprtment) that we found through them in the Zhong Zheng District of Taipei City.
Single foreigners also often like rooftop apartments and Cui mama is great for these. Locals donāt really like them, so you can get great deals. I used to have a 15ping taofang with a fantasic 11th floor rooftop view and a huge balconey, right next to Guting MRT station.
Here is the post where I added the new address of Cui Mama:
forumosa.com/3/viewtopic.php?t=1 ā¦ hlight=cui
Hereās the post I made which shows average rents:
forumosa.com/3/viewtopic.php?t=8 ā¦ hlight=cui
As for Chinese ability needed, it would be easier if you went first with someone who speaks Chinese. Thereās some English language material available I think that explains it. Anyway, once you get how the printouts are laid out, you can decode the info pretty easily. You do need someone to ring the landlords for you though. Most wonāt speak English. Cui Mama isnāt liek a normal agency that takes you to see places. You just tellt hem the parameters you want to search for and get a printout wiht info on each place including what floor, how old, how many rooms, rent, what appliances furnishings, how many floors in the building etc. The plus side is that itās virtually free. At a normal agency youāll have to give them one months rent.
Brian
a Taiwanese friend if mine is looking for a small apartment in Taipei. Is it possible to get a place for say 10k or less in Taipei? Itās just for one person, so a small place would be fine. And what would be the best way to go about finding such a place?
Tsui mama is the place for NT$10k ratholes.
Thatās pretty much what you get.
I am coming to Taipei just after chinese new year. Luckily, I have a few friendly couches to crash on for up to two months, but I hope to find a great place before I become a nuisance. Also i like my own space.
My dream home allows me to mess around with paint and wood and sculpture materials, play loud music, and generally be creative. I am very handy at the decorating end of things and can install or repair almost anything i need to be comfortable. a small living space and a big work/play space is fine.A small kitchen is neccessary, and iāll cross my fingers for a bathtub to soak in. Storefronts and warehouses have been some of my best homes.
What I would like to know is- can I have that in Taipei or the outlying communities? I have no idea what part of town i want to live in yet, but I do have a scooter budget, and would be fine with a little commuting for the right enough, cheap enough place. I can swing 10000 to pushing 15000nt$, but who doesnāt like a good deal?
I hope iām not being too unrealistic. Those rooftop places look and sound great, too.
Well thatās my wish list; thanks to forumosa and any replies.
canucky
A post on this site giveās Tsuei Mamaās address as being on Lane 269, Roosevelt Rd, Sec.3.
However, English page of their web site gives the address as being on Wen-chow Street, Da-an.
Can anyone confirm which is correct?
But stillā¦ NT$14K for a 15 ping studio is a bit steep unless it is right near Tung-Hwa.[/quote]
Right near Dunhua? 50 meters, if I remember correctly, and quiet too.
As I wrote in an earlier post, based on all the places Iāve looked at in various parts of town, itās possible, but itās going to be one (or more) of:
- barely larger than a closet
- old
- dirty to the point that only a remodeling will clean it up
- in Taipei County
- a room in a shared apartment or a family renting a room of their apartment
When I wrote the previous post, I had forgotten about the rooftop additions. If youāre willing to live with some of the disadvantages:
- if itās a building with no elevator, thatās a lot of stairs to climb each day
- sometimes they have no air conditioning (and get really hot in the summer)
- often times they are illegally built, and not to code
then you can probably find one for NT$10K/month or less.
Your mileage may vary, sometimes you get lucky. 
[quote=ājonny2beersā]A post on this site giveās Tsuei Mamaās address as being on Lane 269, Roosevelt Rd, Sec.3.
However, English page of their web site gives the address as being on Wen-chow Street, Daāan.
Can anyone confirm which is correct?[/quote]
Wen Chow is the old address.