We are moving to Taipei soon and looking for a place to live now.
We are a couple (no kids) and considering Nangang, as it is really close to the office (for one of us) and are thinking that cutting out the commute for the few years we’re here would be nice, especially as the office days will be long. Also we prioritise a modern, high quality home over a central location (have not found anything in the central area in our budget that also equals the standard we have back home).
Anyone here live there and care to share some feedback? Is there enough in the area for daily needs, like a dry cleaner, grocery, drug store?
We would be very close to a metro station and have a car, so flexible in getting around.
every area in taipei will have a dry cleaner, grocery store, drug store, a million restaurants, brekfast places, 7 11s and hardware stores in the neighbourhood. if you are close to an MRT station thats one of the biggest problems solved. i live 10 minutes from one and i feel i’m far already. neighbourhoods can be quite different too even when really close to each other. around the corner from me its flashy and nice, but my actual neighbourhood is quite old, grotty and crowded, although convenient. you can check google street view to check out the area.
Exactly. Convenience is key. If your neighborhood is not, then it is not a good choice as every area is well assorted Nankang however there might be some sections that are exclusively offices or high tech complexes. You definitively must choose after getting here.
Can you specify a little better the location like maybe which MRT? Even small variances in location could have a big difference in lifestyle happiness.
I would not normally consider living in Nangang except maybe in certain locations and only if it’s convenient to my office as you are considering or if there are other reasons to draw me there.
Nangang is a comparably good and wealthy District in Taipei City.
As others have mentioned above, there are plenty of 24/7 convenience stores, shops, and even restaurants in Taiwan (especially in Taipei City) than any other countries.
I’m so used to getting everything I need in the 24/7 7-11 or Family Mart around the corner of my apartment. Now, I temporarily live in Europe, and I can’t believe there’re no stores, shops, or restaurant that are still open at midnight. I have to starve myself if I am hungry at midnight.
You should look after you come here . You can live on the MRT line so many many choices for neighbourhoods that are convenient for work. No need to live in Nangang specifically, a lot of it is a dead zone.
I like Neihu, Dahu and Dazhi myself which are especially convenient for Nangang as well. Neihu has a lot of Western conveniences and space (newer part anyway).
For most Westerners and even foreigners not used to Taiwan and no kids Taipei city is often the best choice because that’s where the bars and restaurants are and social activities occur (depends on budget as always).
Within walking distance of Nankang Software Park are there quite a few convenient facilities. They can roughly be divided into sub-zones. 1.) Carrefour, MRT, Train Stations (conventional and High Speed), and department stores; 2.) Nankang Software Park, iStore, and department stores; 3) Nankang Exhibition Hall, Mr Brown Cafe, and MRT. Starbucks are seen here and there.
Libraries and parks are Nankang’s sour spots. Presbitarian, Baptist, and Catholic Churches, and English-speaking non-denominational congregation are available.
Definitely look elsewhere, it’s unbelievable how different the weather is in NanKang compared to just crossing the river into NeiHu or around KunYang Stn. When you’re on the 5th straight day of miserable rain in NanKang and you pop down to City Hall Stn for something and it’s dry there you soon realise how depressing NanKang is.
I have a full kitchen in every place I live.
But the problem is, I don’t want to cook.
When I’m in Taipei, I just bought 3-5 frozen lunch boxes and 3-5 bottles of beverages from 7-11 or Family Mart in the morning, stock all these stuff in the fridge, and they are my food and drinks for the whole day.
When I’m hungry, I put one of the lunch boxes into the microwave oven, and after two minutes, it’s done.
In the U.K., the most similar thing I could find are the frozen lunch boxes in Sainsbury’s.
But the rice they use and the flavor of them are all very different from the ones in Taiwan.
They are not of my taste.
Thank you all for the helpful replies - hope to be of equal help to others in the future.
erdrich, really?!
The weather there is noticeably worse (more rain) than other areas?
It’s section 2. as VOT described - Nankang Software Park, just behind the BR23 station across from the CTBC Financial Park.
We are here now exploring neighborhoods, MRT, driving times, etc. Just added Nangang/Nankang to our list for reasons mentioned, primarily that we do not want to sacrifice quality of the home, so we prioritise that above all, although a park/cafe/shopping area for weekend strolls and people watching would be nice.
Yes, it’s well known that NanKang/ShiJr are a lot wetter than other areas of Taipei. Myself and a number of others have moved from NanKang to get better weather and not regretted it at all. If you’re looking for places to stroll then that’s another great reason to avoid this area of the city. I would suggest having a look in NeiHu.
There are several new buildings that fit your ask near the CTBC financial park area. Yeah it rains a little more there, but from what you describe in your wish list, I wouldn’t let that put you off. The financial center has a mall with quite a few restaurants and with two different MRT lines going directly to the other areas mentioned in this thread, it’s easy to get to other parts of the city. It also has good access to the riverside park system.
Miss those jipai!!! I forgot how good the 7-11 food can be in Taiwan, not as good as the street food of course, but at least it is good and fresh … The stuff in Canada I would never consider eating!
Glad for the additional info on the riverside park system and rain (would not have considered that but makes sense considering the proximity to the mountains).
We will look at a few more places and then decide.
