Hi guys, I am possibly moving to Hshinchu from Singapore if negotiations go well. I am not familiar with Hsinchu and would like to understand more about housing rental and general living. Assuming with a budget of TWD 33,000 per month, would this be sufficient to rent a fully/partially furnished condo apartment for one person? If yes, which area will be ideal if I will be working in Science Park and would like to have convenience store / supermarket, gym accessibility in the vicinity with good transportation access?
NT$33,000 should be good to rent a nice flat for a single person. Public Transport in Hsinchu is poor compared to S’pore. No Metro, poor bus services, better have car or Moto. Possible have markets and gym near home, and city is bit quiet. Social and fun in Taipei, Hsin is more like city of men working hard.
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Thanks @PeiHua-Connie , appreciate your inputs. Good to know that NT$33,000 per month will be good enough for a nice condo for 1 person. Also considering staying in Taipei as I am more familiar with Taipei but since I don’t drive, the journey to and fro from Taipei to Science Park seems like a nightmare thus I am back to considering staying in Hsinchu and probably hop over to Taipei for fun and laughter.
Hsinchu is a shit hole. Seriously. It’s no craic.
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No Orchard Towers or Geylang! 
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It’s not a shit hole but yes it’s no craic at all for urbanites. If you are going to live there best get into outdoor pursuits and get a car or motorbike as well.
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You might try looking in the area around Costco, on Ciyun Road, just northeast of the Science Park. Reasonably close, mostly new, and it should still be possible to find something pretty nice for 33k south of Buding Rd, on either the east side of Ciyun or the west. Lots of engineers living in the area; when I left in 2020 there was even a smallish ghetto of French engineers living across the street from the PXMart just north of the Ciyun Lu night market.
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Hi @Brianjones well noted, thank you for the suggestion (looks like outdoor pursuits and gym may be the most ideal tools to keep sane haha). I did do some quick research about life (or lackof) in Hsinchu and have the basic mental preparedness that it is nowhere near the normal urban lifestyle.
It’s actually not as bad as they are making out at all but for a single young guy it may be very quiet compared to Singapore. Depending on what you want to get out of it…you could join some hiking and cycling clubs or do other outdoor pursuits such as windsurfing or surfing. Join a gym of which there are hundreds. Take the chance to travel around the island on weekends.
You can also live in Taipei and I know people that commuted everyday for years but the science park in particular has very bad traffic in and out of it.
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Hi @bojack appreciate greatly the suggested areas which is really useful for me to discuss and bring up with the housing agent should the move is going ahead. Near Costco would be useful (so I could easily get groceries and/or housing items) and yes I do wish to rent newer properties so thank you for the suggestion! Love French culture by the way, I make my way to France every year.
Hi @Brianjones I am also thinking of living in Taipei as I am more familiar and can move around easily but I don’t have the intention to drive so after some quick research, it is potentially a nightmare on travel time and the travelling in and out (imagine leaving home in Taipei much earlier and arriving home much later) and with the budget I have in mind, I may not necessarily get a sweet condo in central locations so living in Taipei is at best a nice but not exactly ideal option.
Ain’t exactly sure how long I will want to live in Taiwan (or for that matter of fact), maybe a couple of years and if there is another opportunity to move again to another region so I just want to have a balance lifestyle which is not just all about work, Hiking, cycling and outdoor pursuits are absolutely do-able and resonate with me, and there is always gym as well to sweat out some toxins or negativity so I am more concerned about where I can live and at the condition I would love.
PS: I totally get some comments could get dramatic and fun haha
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Zhubei seems to have some decentish places for rent in your budget. Taipei will not. You may have to generally lower your standards about what a ‘sweet condo’ is.
Driving from Taipei to Hsinchu would be a nightmare. Don’t even think about it. Besides, you won’t be able to afford a parking space with your budget in Taipei.
Zhubei has convenience stores, supermarkets, and gyms. It also has 13 bars and at least 20 cafes. There are also 10 (dubious looking) KTV right across the river. That should you hold you until the weekend.
Zhubei has an HSR station so you can come to Taipei on weekends as much as you like.
Like the rest of Hsinchu, it has poor public transit. There is a bus but it appears o be slow and infrequent. Your best bet might be to ride a Youbike. It’s only about 6km and should be pretty quick. Apparently some are e-bikes. Here’s a video.
The area east of Zhudong is an outdoor paradise.
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What do you want to know exactly? Hsinchu is fine unless you’re into night life. Zhubei has proper sidewalks (and yes you’re gonna appreciate freaking sidewalks once you visit other cities here). Lots of decent restaurants, a few malls and cafes and even stuff like a golf course, indoor ski (haven’t been to either so not sure if they’re any good).
The only downside to Zhubei is the traffic to and from science park during rush hour.
If that’s a deal breaker then I’d go close to Guanxin rd or close to Costco. 33k is more than enough for a single person.
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Hi @foc agreed totally that I have to increase my budget substantially for Taipei (more if to include parking space) which I could but I don’t necessarily think it is worthwhile since I am not looking to host parties or visits haha
Zhubei area seems good enough but can I confirm it is generally about 6km to ride a Youbike from Zhubei to Science Park?
Not necessarily. New Taipei can provide lower asking prices for housing while still giving you good transit access to Taipei.
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Hi @Whatevah I was checking whether the intended budget of TWD 33,000 per month would be sufficient for me to procure a fully / partially furnished condo (for one pax) that is newer, near to Science Park and amenities such as supermarkets, gym, public transportation which many had kindly shared suggestions (thank you all again!)
Close to Costco sounds like an ideal choice, thank you too for suggesting Guanxin rd (well noted 
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Ah thanks @Marco I have absolutely not have New Taipei in consideration, silly me though this likely go back to the traffic challenges within Hsinchu? Getting held up in traffic to and from work is really a pain haha
It really depends where you are TBH and where you are working. Traffic isn’t really a consideration if work is near a train station for example.
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The work place would be in Science Park.
The best thing by far when I was living in Hsinchu was the cycling. I lived near Baoshan which meant easy access to the wonders of Miaoli, Nanzhuang and the no. 3 provincial highway. Some of the best cycling in Taiwan.
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