Couldn’t have said it any better. If you want something here similar than what you already have in Toronto 54k is not gonna make the cut even by far. The apartments in the link, if you have never been to Taiwan, are in rundown places and will look horrible in person, think leaking building staircase, tiled up walls to hide the fungus and moisture infiltration, styrofoam office ceiling throuout the apartment and a kitchen and bathroom that look like it was a reminiscent of WWII. I would say you need at LEAST 30million Taiwan dollars To buy something decent for a family of 4. If it is in a new building forget about large size. All this of course is in Taipei, if you go central Taiwan it is much cheaper.
I think you are dreaming too far with 150k, sure it may look like Taiwan is pretty cheap when you can buy an OK meal for about 10CAD/person in the corner restaurant but serious costs like housing and education etc is not like Canada unless you don’t live in Taipei.
I am sorry to break the news to you, but if your wife doesn’t work and is expected to be highly estimated here then she will have a bad time. Chinese citizens do suffer discrimation here especially if they are female housewives, it might be even worse than what she is experiencing in Canada.
I think your idea of “Western” only exists in movies. I’m in the West now and your comparison is simply laughable. The cost of rent isn’t remotely close even between Taipei and a “cheap” city in Western Europe like Berlin, except maybe Portugal where the minimum wage is even lower than Taiwan’s.
You also give way too much credit on your so-called “Western” apartment quality. There are so many shitty apartments here that have all the problems Taiwanese apartments have, same size, and cost 4-8 times as much. The best part is when you call someone to come fix your leak or some other crap, you need to wait for forever. I know someone who’s renting a fucking room not in central London (she has to take the bus every day since there’s no tube station nearby) with a toilet that didn’t work for weeks and a landlord who ignored them. The only apartment that I’ve been to and fits your idea of “the West” is a 2 bedroom rented by 2 Swiss girls who got a cheap deal (which is still expensive, like 900 pounds each) solely through parent’s connections, otherwise they would have to pay like 2500 GBP each, and it’s in one of the worst areas in London (Aldgate).
That is unless you’re gonna argue that Britain is not the West now.
I won’t even bother replying to the 80k and the 0.01% claptrap. What a load of crap.
I also know someone who used to rent a “room” in a small city in the Netherlands (Arnhem). I quote the word “room” because it’s not really a room. He had to sleep on a deck (like a bunk bed) because that “room” is too tiny to fit a bed. He paid like 280 euros per month for that. Oh and his neighbour who lived on the ground floor was high out of his mind on drugs when I visited this friend a few years back, and the reason we found out he was high was because we smelled smoke on the first floor. He soon got the fuck out of that “Western” brilliance of a place and moved into a student residence. Yeah, so much for your “Western” quality and amenities.
Not sure if this has been mentioned but I find it difficult to believe that being mixed is tough in a big city like Toronto, and they’re still quite young. People are having more and more mixed children across all races; it’s already very common, and it’s only going to become more common.
So, I wouldn’t factor that too much into your decision. Listen to everyone here who’s talking about how decidedly shitty it is to be just about any kid going to school in Taiwan. Goodbye, childhood!
Honestly, you’d just be going from one version of inhumane weather to the other. Especially if you live up in the north end of the island. Right now we’re enjoying cold, wet, and perpetually misting suicide weather for over a week. And in the summer it becomes a boiling hot hellscape.
I’d still vastly prefer this to snow in any capacity, but boy…it ain’t pleasant.
As I mentioned already a lot of money has flowed into the medical and biopharmaceutical area from Hsinchu electronics companies and also govt orgs. It’s feasible for the OP to get a job there if he comes over , sends his CV around and meets people and able it talk the talk. He needs to broaden the job scope that’s all. It might take a while. In the meantime he could possibly teach English or pick up a random sales or marketing job.
As for pay, that’s another story but it should be pretty good for Taiwan .
Yep as I said if you can’t be a mixed kid in Toronto, melting pot Canada, where could you be a mixed kid ?
You will face WAY more discrimination here as foreigners and mainland Chinese. It’s not in your face racism but legal discrimination sucks too. Asia is nothing like Canada.
I agree with Gain here.
Rentals in many Western capitals are insane, queues of people fighting for the rental (many have hundreds of applicants ), shitty quality, overcrowded, crappy furniture , big deposits ,references required, credit checks , you name it but worst are the outrageous costs.
Dublin city is already at 60k-70k NTD for an average apartment. You can commute and will hate your life after a year or two and vehicle and associated costs will eat away all the savings.
Renting in Taipei and Taiwan is just really easy in general . Easy easy easy for average folk.
Why is everyone so focused on rent anyway? Rent is expensive in Taiwan (compared to local income), everything else is cheap. The OP plans to buy a place anyway so stupid argument imo.
Oh the burst bubble of the dream that once was. pop!
I once viewed flats in Paris where it was subdivided so you either got a kitchen, or a toilet, but not both. And they were charging good money too for that. My only experience of the States was San Fran, where its either six people in a two bed flat. Or you are a high flying global executive (and still not saving)
This is an interesting read because I’m doing the exact opposite. We’re planning on leaving Taiwan in a year or so and heading to Canada. We’re looking at buying a house a couple of hours out of Toronto, I work from home so the commute is not an issue.
We’re looking at leaving mainly because of the kids. I don’t like seeing them come home every night and have a minimum of two to three hours of homework. I’d like them to have a bit more of a life outside of school.
I also think they will have better opportunities in Canada than they will in Taiwan later in life. I see too many people working long hours for little pay here.
I don’t know about Western shitty cities and shitty living conditions outside of Canada and the USA. I was comparing to what I personally know and to where the OP currently lives in: Canada.
Again, I am comparing to the US and Canada. I am not excluding other Western countries, just using what I know. And what I know is that housing in most major cities in the US is not all that bad in quality. Just shop around until you find what you need.
Wow…interesting use of vocabulary there. You are entitled to your opinion just as everyone else is. 80k for a nice modern 4 bedroom + parking + western (US/Canadian) appliances + nice furnishings is actually on the low end.
I never said Sweden and Finland are not in the West. I said, Helsinki is not where the OP lives, therefore not a good comparison for the OP.
Hope you can have a better day. From your tone it sounds like you need a hug or a good cup of coffee.
I have so many horror stories about rent in Europe. Just last year in September I was invited to a house-warming party in bar-none the WORST area in Paris. I swear to god it was hands down the most third world place I have ever set foot in my life so far (Aubervilliers) and I was almost amazed that I got out of there alive. They are renting a place there (the interior was ok though) because that area is the only place they could afford. Everything inside Paris is more than what they earn.
Because it’s what the OP asked. He asked for both rent and buy.
The thing is rent is even more expensive in many parts of the West compared to their local income.
You wrote “Western” and “the West” like 8 times in your single post.
It is true that housing is in much better shape in the US and Canada because of all the space (except probably NYC and Bay Area), but that is not the norm since in Europe (and places like HK) the situation is the complete opposite.
Can the OP buy? He has no residency status. I have no idea if non-residents can purchase homes independently. He would need a huge chunk of change to use for a down payment.
OP did not say anything about buying. Typically, when someone from the US or Canada says “apartment” they mean “renting”.
OP, can you clarify?
That will get your foot in the door to the teaching world of Taiwan. BUT, like I said before, get a license!
She would most likely have to work in order for you and your family to live comfortably. Her fluency in both Mandarin and English can land her a teaching job at a buxiban. If she can get a licence, that would be ideal. However, she will most likely be paid a local salary as she is Chinese and not “Western” looking.