I sometimes miss Taoyuan. It has its charms. Lived in Nankan for a few years which is another place that’s easy to get to Taipei.
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I lived in Nankan for 4 years and you’re right, it’s pretty convenient to get to Taipei and other spots with so many bus routes going through there. Now I live pretty close to Taoyuan train station so it’s even more convenient to get outta Dodge 
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Nankan is a nightmare of heavy traffic on the main roads. The riverside is nice though.
The OP can consider to live in hutoushan which is a very decent neighbourhood near his school backed by a park and mountain…Also the area around the civil sports center is good too and near that school.
I think being fairly close to the train station (but not to live right beside it , its very messy) is by far the best option for travelling around the island.
Bade, Pingzhen, Jhongli and Dasi now have supercharged highway buses that regularly go from their respective centres to MRT Yongning Station.
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Where and how much?
Your recruiter should set you up with an apartment. They will cosign for you.
I lived there for a couple if years. It’s nice for a country boy, the big city is not for me. My rent was less than 10,000 with security fee included.
Hi I just wanted to help you with taxes since you mentioned something and I think you’ve been mislead (probably not on purpose)
The rule in taxes is really annoying. First you must be in Taiwan for 183 days of a calendar year to earn the low tax rate. So if you get here after July, you will owe 18% from July to December and cannot get any money back.
Also sometimes, your employer will charge you 18% taxes every year from January to June. This means they don’t trust you. they do this because if you leave Taiwan and haven’t stayed for over 183 in any calendar year (it restarts every year) you are supposed to go to the tax office and pay your taxes. If you fail to pay the proper taxes, the government will fine the school.
Also regarding the refund. You can only apply for it during tax season which is in May (it’s may right? Or is it April I forget). Then you get your refund sometime in October. That means you will go a very very long time without that 15% extra taxes you paid. Also the tax refund has to be collected in Taiwan. They will not send it overseas.
Edit: by the way, the tax law says the school is allowed to base the tax rate on your contract dates if they want. So if your contract says you will be in Taiwan more than 183 days in a calendar year, they can choose to take only 5%. If you leave early, just remember to pay back what you owe. But your school has to agree to this
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Ahhh great thank you very much for the information!
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You would find way better deals with your scooter than online 