Retirement in Taiwan

Would anyone recommend retiring to Taiwan - probably Taipei. My missus is Taiwanese and has always hankered aftered returning to Taiwan. I’m a reasonably young Brit (43) based in Asia for the past 20years or so. This is not something that is likely to happen in the very near future but i am just wondering if expats out there have considered this. I have spent many holidays in Taiwan and like the place especially the great outdoors away from Taipei but would struggle over the language and without some like-minded fellows.

I was just wondering if there are many people already established who would like to share their experiences or who have considered such a move.

Thanks

AM

The missus being Taiwanese means you certainly could legally reside and even work in Taiwan. And Taipei is a great place to live . And there are some long term expats you should be able to hook up with. Or you could establish a base in Taiwan as well as keep your present base and live part of the year in Taiwan, etc.

Lots of like-minded fellows - I wouldn’t worry about that one too much. :sunglasses:

I definitely intend to stay here after I retire. Since you have Taiwanese family, have liked this place well enough on your many visits, and are partial to its fabulous outdoor attractions, I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t live here most comfortably and contentedly in your retirement.

I just wish I could retire tomorrow, and I’d happily spend the next thirty, forty or however many years I have left river-tracing, swimming, hiking and exploring every nook and cranny of nature on these islands.

I’m close to your age and will most likely stay here after retirement, though actual retirement is likely to be a long way off. I hope, and think it likely, that Taiwan will become a better and better place to live over the next couple of decades.

I guess it would depend on the strength of one’s lungs at the age of retirement.

At the moment, it’s an ideal retirement spot, but with the way prices are rising and inflation is, well, inflating, it might not be such a comfortable lifestyle after a few years.

Time will tell, I guess…

Living in Taiwan can be pleasant enough, if you design your life so it fits in with what’s available here.

I live in a big house in a gated community outside Taipei, the rent is cheap, the air is reasonable clean, and activities such as hiking in the foothills of the central mountain range, hot springs, outings to small harbours with good seafood, gardening, camping, river tracing, diving etc. are all within reach.

The winters can be dreary, however a few good heatiers and the occasional trip down to Kenting should help a bit on that.

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Ideal retirement spot, my ass!
Either you fogeys are overcompensating, or it’s Daydream Believer all over again.

It’s not by any means all roses, but Taiwan has many obvious advantages over the UK (and much of Europe) for post-retirement living. Among the most obvious are:

(1) You can live quite comfortably on modest savings and/or a meagre income.

(2) You needn’t go in fear of being mugged or bothered by aggressive chavs every time you set foot outdoors.

(3) You have access to an excellent, not critically overburdened, and free or all-but-free health service, without having to face anything like those terrible NHS waiting lists.

(4) It’s seldom cold even in mid-winter, especially down south, so you don’t have to worry about suffering from hypothermia.

Agree. Add to that a general respect for the elederly, as opposed to the mocking contempt in much of the west, particularly in the health care arena. Then there’s the social obligation on your kids to look after you, or at least offer a polite little hongbao on those important days. Little buggrs could lose touch with that one in the west if you were in the west, but staying in taiwan would mean no small amount of leverage to see they pay their way. “Did you know aiyi’s kids gave her a new Lexus this year . . .”

HG

Thanks for your replies. Food for thought. The attraction for me is the cheaper cost of living (I’m living in HK), friendly people, plus the access to the great outdoors - river tracing, mountain biking, hiking etc are right up my alley.

I’m not interested in going back to the UK (neither is the missus) and would perfer to stay in Asia. Can anyone suggest an area which is close enough to the city to give access to city conveniences ie. supermarkets, cinema’s, airport, hospital, err and pubs, but still in a green environment to be reasonably quiet and rural.

Thanks

Try typing either “Muzha” or “Bitan” or “Ankeng” into the Forumosa search area and see what comes up. There’s quite a lot of discussion of what you’re looking for in terms of places to live. I always favour the south side of the city (Muzha, Bitan, Ankeng), although there are some silly fools here who prefer the northern outskirts, but they know nothing.

Yes, life in Danshui is terrible. Hiking trails in my backyard, beaches 20 minutes away, the riverwalk and a running/cycling path outside my door, looking at Bali across the river, the uncrowded Old Street on a weekday with great food, the historical sites, the easy MRT access. Simply awful.

But what do I know? I’m still trying to figure out why sandman’s avatar is wearing a skirt. :slight_smile:

I think the ideal retirement for me would be Taiwan in smaller doses, i.e. three months at a time. I’d miss the place and so many people here if I retired elsewhere, but I wouldn’t want to miss out on what certain places in NA and Europe have to offer. If I can afford it. We’ll see.

Bingo! :bravo:

See? I told you. Two northern denizens, neither of whom so much as MENTIONED the fact that here, its quite permissible, nay, expected almost, that elderly people go out in their pyjamas to mumble to themselves and drool in the street.
See? Silly fools.

[quote=“smileymiley”]Would anyone recommend retiring to Taiwan - probably Taipei. My missus is Taiwanese and has always hankered aftered returning to Taiwan. I’m a reasonably young Brit (43) based in Asia for the past 20years or so. This is not something that is likely to happen in the very near future but I am just wondering if expats out there have considered this. I have spent many holidays in Taiwan and like the place especially the great outdoors away from Taipei but would struggle over the language and without some like-minded fellows.

I was just wondering if there are many people already established who would like to share their experiences or who have considered such a move.

Thanks

AM[/quote]

Having been to Hong Kong a few times it seems Taipei is a far superior place to live because of variety of food and more varied environment, friendlier people. Taiwan has loads of awesome places to visit, I’m still finding great places after 7 years. Get a car and you can see much more stuff and travel around easier.
But you should learn some Chinese to make yourself more comfortable so you don’t need to ask the missus to all the stuff and so you can read stuff and you can interact with the majority of population better (takes a couple of years and it’s not boring, it’s fun mostly) and it also helps with the in-laws.
Things I don’t like here is it’s more expensive and inconvenient to fly around but it depends on your income I guess. I think there will be big improvements in Taiwan over the next 10-20 years.
But when all is said and done I’d personally be much happier living in Taiwan only part of the year and leaving during summertime when it can get very stifling, especially Taipei. Taiwan is a small island and it’s also nice to keep in touch with your home roots and culture if you still maintain them. That’s what lots of rich retired Taiwanese do who live in Vancouver and other countries.

[quote] Can anyone suggest an area which is close enough to the city to give access to city conveniences ie. supermarkets, cinema’s, airport, hospital, err and pubs, but still in a green environment to be reasonably quiet and rural.
[/quote]

I think " lin kou" is the place you may want to live.

Leaving in the summertime?? GAds, better to leave in the wintertime :slight_smile:

scratch Hualien off yer list…the place is a PIT… :laughing:
Not.