Residential areas for Expats

Taiwan Moving to Taiwan
1

Hi,

I will be moving to Taipei in the next few months with my husband. My husbands office is located at the following address
Sec 1, Zhong XioaW Road, Taipei 100.

We will be coming there before to have a look at the place and also look at housing. Can you please help me what are the residential areas for expats to live in? Ideally would like to live close to the city center (if they have residential areas in the city center) and close to the office as well.

also - another question : how good is public transport? If one has to get their own car, is it self drive only or the option of the a driver available?

Also - just to check if there are a lot of foreigners / expats in Taipei? I am an Indian living in Vietnam and in Vietnam there is a HUGE expat population.

Looking forward to all the help I can get

Thanks
MBK

2

I think you mean ZhongXiao (Chung Hsiao) West Rd? The SKL building is right near the main station, so you could live practically anywhere and commute to work on the MRT (subway).

There aren’t really an ‘expat’ areas in Taiwan anymore, although Tianmu was once a traditional hangout for foreigners afraid of mixing with the locals. Tianmu is very expensive, inconvenient for transportation, and really doesn’t have much to recommend it except for a couple of good schools and some foreign restaurants.

Post some more details of what’s important to you and we might be able to suggest something.

3

Thanks for the quick reply.

We are a young couple with no kids. Am looking at living in an apartment block which has all the amenities such as tennis courts, gyms, swimming pool, etc (a condo basically) - which has a balance of locals and foreigners. We would be looking at a 3-4 bedroom apartment (a modern apartment_. Unless Taipei has a bungalow concept ? (which seems unlikely to me since space is an issue in the country).

Looking at places where there are more foreigners as we believe that it would be easier to make friends and settle in quicker into a foreign land - especially since we don’t know the language. Is it easy to survive in taiwan with only english? Have been reading some scary posts on how its a nightmare.

Thanks
MBK

4

There are lots of new-build apartments going up outside of the city centre with the sort of things you want, for example in Neihu and Danshui. I honestly wouldn’t recommend you live in the city centre. I tried it once and it’s vile. Pollution, smoke, noise, mosquitoes - disgusting. Yes, the commute is a little shorter but the downsides aren’t worth it. All the main residential areas are within 25 minutes of Taipei Main Station on the MRT.

You might be better off finding a less well-appointed place and signing up for membership with a health club. Especially, the gyms in apartment buildings are usually fitted out by people who have never actually seen a real gym and aren’t entirely sure what they’re for, so they’re unusable. Note also that you will pay through the nose for maintenance of “luxury” facilities: NT$1500-3000 per month is normal.

I also wouldn’t recommend driving. A scooter is useful for zipping to the supermarket, but a car is just a large black hole for throwing money into. Taxis and public transport are cheaper, more convenient, and MUCH safer.

If you want to make friends, just hang out on forumosa or the expat bars :slight_smile: Yes, you can exist with just English, but it’s not widely spoken or understood. If you learn some survival Chinese your life will be a lot richer. It’s not a difficult language, at least for the basics.

Download Chrome and have a look on here (use Chrome’s translate feature):
rent168.com.tw/

5

There aren’t enough expats in Taipei for you to find a building with a mix of Taiwanese people and expats.

One exception might be Lotus Hill. Here’s a thread. I think it’s too far away.

Another possibility is New Garden City in Xindian.

I would recommend that you live in Taipei very close to the Green or Blue lines for easy access to work and with all the advantage of the city. The building over the Taipower Station Exit three might be a possibility for you since it’s pretty new. You would want to live in the neighborhoods to the east or south of Taipei station

Each district of Taipei city has new large public gyms that are a much better deal than private gyms and are far better run and maintained than the ones in private buildings.

Taipei’s a great place to live with lots going on and most people in Taipei city proper speak enough English for you to get around.

You will probably have to knock your expectations of ‘well appointed’ down a bit though.

What’s your budget?

Consider going to an agent.

6

If your husband has an accommodation allowance, then I suggest Xinyi district. Quite a few high-end apartments there. Close to entertainment and shopping.

Otherwise if you don’t mind living far out, then yes you could try Lotus Hill in Xizhi. It’s an big apartment complex on a hill next to a lake, has an outdoor pool (try to ignore the swimmers spitting in the gutters …). However it does have a sense of community and the foreigners there are a friendly and welcoming bunch. Ask Maoman, a long-term resident there and another Forumosan who makes the occasional post here :wink: Not sure if the indoor pool, and fitness/ entertainment centre is open again yet …

In general though, as others have said here- you will need to lower your expectations before arriving to Taiwan because you probably won’t find that perfect cosy expat lifestyle that you may have been used to in other places.

7

That sounds a good idea. Definitely not cheap, but if you get one of those places set further back from XinYi road, a nice place to live.

8

If you want to live in an expat zone, take a look at the higher end apartments in Tianmu. Search for “Gulotty,” she posts some nice apartments and deals with foreign clients.

If you want to live in an expat bubble within an expat zone, take a look at jaspervilla.com.tw. The one in Tianmu is older but very family friendly. It is a full-service apartment. I think some are Taiwanese, the rest are foreigners (some Indians, Americans, some diplomats, some TAS teachers, a sizeable Japanese and Korean community, etc.) To get to your husband’s office, which I guess the nearest MRT stop is Taipei Main Station, you’d have to cab to MRT stop Zhishan Station, then take the red line down seven stops.

Being single, you might enjoy the Jasper Villa at Xinyi, which is more luxury, high end, and pricier than the one in Tianmu. Close to 101, night life, bars, restaurants, etc. More chic. But very sterile at the ground level. Your husband can take the blue line all the way to Main Station. The one in Tianmu is in the middle of all the Tianmu action ie. strollers, convenience stores, department stores, foreign restaurants.

Most people can speak basic English around Taipei. You can get by pretty well by public transportation and cabs are cheap. In Tianmu, it’s not as easy to get into the city, but we cab it no problem. Can’t speak for driving but everyone I know says you just go with the flow and there’s order among the chaos!

9

[quote=“bkmonica”]Hi,

I will be moving to Taipei in the next few months with my husband. My husbands office is located at the following address
Sec 1, Zhong XioaW Road, Taipei 100.

We will be coming there before to have a look at the place and also look at housing. Can you please help me what are the residential areas for expats to live in? Ideally would like to live close to the city center (if they have residential areas in the city center) and close to the office as well.

also - another question : how good is public transport? If one has to get their own car, is it self drive only or the option of the a driver available?

Also - just to check if there are a lot of foreigners / expats in Taipei? I am an Indian living in Vietnam and in Vietnam there is a HUGE expat population.

Looking forward to all the help I can get

Thanks
MBK[/quote]

As others have noted Tianmu is probably as close to a place where foreigners congregate as any you’ll find in Taipei. However, I think the whole idea of “expat zone” is probably more applicable in developing countries where perhaps the normal local living standards might not be up to said foreigner’s expectations… Taipei being something of a modern metropolis comparable to Singapore and Hong Kong, the whole idea of foreigners needing to circle the wagon together seems kind of ridiculous. If you were moving to Paris would you be asking where all the expats were living?

Public transportation by MRT (subway) is excellent, far better in my opinion than NYC, HOWEVER for places only accessible by bus it’s much more difficult, nay almost impossible, for someone who doesn’t read Chinese to use without help from someone who does. Being close to a MRT station would be high up on the list of priorities when apartment hunting especially if you’re new to the country.

In decades past I’ve known of people who had hired drivers for their personal cars, but I seriously doubt anyone is doing that anymore these days unless they’re part of the 1%.

10

The Taipei Metro is great. You wont get STD’s sitting on the benches and so far I’ve yet spotted a single hobo taking a dump on a train/shuttle. Think of it as a upgraded, cleaner version of the NY Subway.

I wouldn’t want to drive in Taipei until their driver’s ed courses get their shit together. That said, even when you’re on foot you gotta keep an extra eye out for reckless drivers.

My advice would be to live close by a metro/subway station, where ever you ultimately decide to stay. It’ll make getting around that much more convenient.

11

wow, lots of shit advice in this thread.

The closest thing to ‘expat areas’ in Taipei are East Taipei and Tienmu as they have the highest concentration of foreigners, and the highest concentration of shops, infrastructure and restaurants that are at international standards, and you’ll have neighbors who will treat you normally (ie they won’t act weird and make shit awkward all the time or worse fuck with you). There are some newer tower blocks outside the city, but it gets lonely out in those places and it sucks to ride the MRT 30 minutes each way just to get some food from a different culture or go to a department store.

Despite what you may have read, the pollution in Taipei City is often times much less than in Taipei County, and East Taipei is really good for walking.

I drive a car and find Taiwan quite an easy city to drive in. Traffic generally flows, even during peak hours (except for certain parts of Taipei County) and the city has made huge steps in increasing parking spots.

12

Taipei would be easier to live in and more
modern than Vietnamese cities, but not so beautiful and not as many foreigners especially a lot less tourists.
Very easy to get around and do things in Taiwan, it’s an easy place to live.
Being from India I’m sure it will not be a challenge whatsoever for you.

13

[quote=“Feiren”]There aren’t enough expats in Taipei for you to find a building with a mix of Taiwanese people and expats.

One exception might be Lotus Hill. Here’s a thread. I think it’s too far away.

Another possibility is New Garden City in Xindian.

I would recommend that you live in Taipei very close to the Green or Blue lines for easy access to work and with all the advantage of the city. The building over the Taipower Station Exit three might be a possibility for you since it’s pretty new. You would want to live in the neighborhoods to the east or south of Taipei station

Each district of Taipei city has new large public gyms that are a much better deal than private gyms and are far better run and maintained than the ones in private buildings.

Taipei’s a great place to live with lots going on and most people in Taipei city proper speak enough English for you to get around.

You will probably have to knock your expectations of ‘well appointed’ down a bit though.

What’s your budget?

Consider going to an agent.[/quote]

I agree with Feiren. Some people hate living in the city. But, I wouldn’t want to live anywhere other than where I do, which is at the back gate of National Taiwan University (NTU), and we LOVE it there. I walk across the street to the campus and there are tennis courts, basketball courts, handball courts, a running track and fields for playing soccer/football/rugby. There are ponds and shady areas and cafes and places to eat on the campus grounds. There is very little traffic on the campus, and we walk our dog there daily. He loves it, also.

We are close to several MRT stations and we can walk to many restaurants and pubs. A taxi ride to most places is fairly inexpensive from our place, too. There is a beautiful new public gym/pool complex about a hundred yards from our place. It has courts and exercise machines and three pools, all very well maintained. I walk to and from work, daily, unless it rains. Then, a short taxi ride costs NT$ 80.

I also love the convenience of living in Taipei, as its easily one of the most convenient cities in the world, with most things just a few steps from your front door.

14

Thank you everyone for the leads and help :slight_smile:

I will be visiting Taipei this weekend to have a look around the city and also check out a few apartments, etc.

Shall be posting on this more often for information, if we do decide to move - which we will decide after this weekend trip!

15

hello .

i will also be moving soon to Taipei. Our company gives us a housing allowance of USD 2500. Is that a good enough budget for a 3 bedroom apartment in a new apartment / condominium type of place (if Taipei has that).

Would like to live the 2 areas mentioned in the earlier posts . Da An / Xinly. Those seem to be the most modern areas.

Please help!

Cheers
SA

16

[quote=“Saffronart”]Our company gives us a housing allowance of USD 2500. Is that a good enough budget for a 3 bedroom apartment in a new apartment / condominium type of place (if Taipei has that).

Would like to live the 2 areas mentioned in the earlier posts . Da’an / Xinly. Those seem to be the most modern areas.[/quote]
Yes, US$2,500 (about NT$75,000) is enough for a nice 3-bedroom apartment, though that’s not to say that some places won’t ask for a lot more.

You should know, though, that “modern areas” is perhaps not the most useful way to look at Taipei. Da’an, for example, is not especially modern – which is not at all the same thing as saying it’s not a nice place to live. Xinyi is overall much newer. But whether it’s a better place to live is a matter of opinion.

If you want the newest district you could live in Dazhi, parts of which have no buildings older than 13 years. So it’s got lots of shiny places with big price tags. But some find it boring.

I’d take Tianmu over Xinyi or Dazhi any day. But that’s me.

Regardless, you’re not going to end up in a scary slum in any part of Taipei.

17

[quote=“cranky laowai”]If you want the newest district you could live in Dazhi, parts of which have no buildings older than 13 years. So it’s got lots of shiny places with big price tags. But some find it boring.

I’d take Tianmu over Xinyi or Dazhi any day. But that’s me. [/quote]

I live in Dazhi and agree that it can be a bit boring compared to so many districts absolutely packed with restaurants and nightlife. The main advantage here is for families. There are actual sidewalks and plenty of parks. Easy access to the river parks is a huge bonus with its miles and miles of car free parks and bike paths.

Tianmu never crossed my mind as a place to live in Taipei. It’s like an entirely different city with terrible commute times into Taipei.

18

[quote=“cranky laowai”]
Regardless, you’re not going to end up in a scary slum in any part of Taipei.[/quote]

Well, unless you cross the rivers into New Taipei Shitty. But then that’s not actually IN Taipei.

And as for “most people in Taipei speak enough English”, I’d take that with a grain of salt unless you’re just after Sank Yoo or them understanding Cheque please.

“Does this come in any other colours apart from purple leopard print?” would probably be beyond the functional reach of most shopkeepers.

A little Chinese language for shopping, taxi directions, and restaurant menus goes a long way to making Taipei a lot easier, and even further to making travel beyond Taipei possible.

And I would echo others’advice: stick close to subway stops on the blue, green or red lines for the easiest experience and connections.

19

The Xinyi Line is scheduled to open in August. It’s terminus is around 101, very close to the Jasper Villa there in Xinyi. I believe you would be able to transfer at either CKS memorial Hall or Hsimending to get to Taipei Main Station

Around JasperVilla XInyi are quite a few high rises in “community” style developments

20

[quote=“Goose Egg”]
The Xinyi Line is scheduled to open in August. It’s terminus is around 101, very close to the Jasper Villa there in Xinyi. I believe you would be able to transfer at either CKS memorial Hall or Hsimending (Ximending) to get to Taipei Main Station

Around JasperVilla Xinyi are quite a few high rises in “community” style developments[/quote]

Media reporting that opening of the Xinyi Line will be delayed until as late as November next year (it was officially scheduled for December this year).
udn.com/NEWS/LIFE/LIF1/6988174.shtml

The orange line through Dongmen should be open by September this year, they are testing the line now.