we should also ask if the OP is into Asian and Chinese people and culture, if not, no point at all coming to Taiwan.
100,000nt / month is nice money in Taipei but not totally stupid money tho, bear in mind. But that same money goes much less further in London.
I wouldn’t even think about trying to live in London on £2600 a month…of course it can be done, but your quality of life would be quite low I think.
Taiwan definitely has its problems and I would much rather live in London than in Taipei, but only with a lot of money. With the money you stated, I would go with Tapei hands down.
300-400% more might be nearer the mark ![/quote]
Wow PGD,where are you living? 
I am probably low with London rent ,I agree but 500GBP a month would get a bedsit in a seedy area (no different to most of Taipei !) and unless you go really cheap i thought a place in Taipei would cost at least 300GBP?(around 15000NTD) ?[/quote]
I was exaggerating to make a point … but you would be looking at least double the prices in London, for anything habitable. 500 GBP per month- no sure what that would get you nowadays, maybe a box room with no windows in an area where you would be scared to go out at night ?
The OP could survive in London on a much lower salary that 2,600 GBP per month and still enjoy what London has to offer- a lot of stuff in London is free like some galleries, impressive architecture, street entertainment, and just being in such a thriving cosmopolitan environment. Travel and eating out is expensive, the weather sucks but then Taipei’s weather sucks even more … and London in the summer can be very pleasant, those long summer evenings, lie on the grass in the Hyde park and stare at the sky with a buddy or lover. It’s a busy stressful and rushed city, but there are plenty of places to chill.
And 2,600 GBP per month is not really that bad- it’s considered an acceptable starting professional salary for London, and way above what the average Londoner (across the whole social spectrum) would earn.
I am doubtful as to the merits of comparing London and Taipei on money alone. The kind of person who enjoys London is not going to be the same kind of person who enjoys Taipei.
I would agree with that. Its not apples to apples here, its apples to pineapple.
£2600 a month takehome is about £31,000 a year - not too bad at all, and more than most of my friends earn.
Saying that though - if you want to be compare exactly the same things (apartment in the center, go to fancy restaurants) - then of course the Taipei deal will be better 
On the flip side, if the OP doesn’t really like the whole Asian culture, and is going to rely on western comforts - then London will work out much cheaper…
Yes, that’s about 38K before tax. Tax/NI takes a big chunk these days.
Of the people I’ve known who work in London, they either (a) commute from outside, where 500-600GBP gets you a mediocre terraced house or a reasonable flat, or (b) house-share in London itself, where 1500-1800GBP gets you a house big enough for 3-4 people in a nice area. The people I have in mind are earning about 35-40K (before tax).
True that. Come to Taiwan because it’s Taiwan. The low cost of living is a (big) bonus.
[quote=“finley”]
Of the people I’ve known who work in London, they either (a) commute from outside, where 500-600GBP gets you a mediocre terraced house or a reasonable flat, or (b) house-share in London itself, where 1500-1800GBP gets you a house big enough for 3-4 people in a nice area. [/quote]
Is this recently Finley ? These figures seem really on the low side. I thought you would need to travel a LONG way from London to find rentals for prices that low.
If I earned close to 100k a month in Taiwan, I’d fly to London every other month to enjoy that… I have to say Taiwan sucks but 100k a month can take you quite far…
[quote=“pgdaddy1”][quote=“finley”]
Of the people I’ve known who work in London, they either (a) commute from outside, where 500-600GBP gets you a mediocre terraced house or a reasonable flat, or (b) house-share in London itself, where 1500-1800GBP gets you a house big enough for 3-4 people in a nice area. [/quote]
Is this recently Finley ? These figures seem really on the low side. I thought you would need to travel a LONG way from London to find rentals for prices that low.[/quote]
I used to live in Kingston - £900 a month for a 2 bedroom detatched house. It now goes for £1100 (I still track it )
Only 20 mins commute to central and much nicer area than most inner London places.
UK supermarkets are cheaper than Taiwan, Electronics are cheaper than Taiwan, Night out drinking is cheaper than Taiwan…
McDonalds however… WOW!
Really? I’m not sure about electronics, but surely supermarkets and drinking are cheaper in Taiwan?
In Taipei a pint of lager in a bar is about 150-200NTD. I doubt many London pubs sells lager for less than 250NTD - certainly not in pubs near the centre of the city.
I worked at Canary Wharf in 2000 and lager was already a fiver a pint even then.
When I was back in the UK last August supermarket food was definitely cheaper, but they did have some special deals such as a crate of Stella for 500NTD which trumped Taiwan. In general most things were more expensive.
I don’t know about fancy up london bars, but a normal pub, you won’t pay £5.50 for a pint!
Electronics are very strange - my friend imports Asus computers to the UK and can sell them for less than you will be able to buy them here!
A replacement keyboard for my HP laptop - here I am quote around 800nt for the part, UK price 200nt. Same goes with the battery - here 1400nt, back in the UK, 500nt.
It’s why I save all my shopping for trips back (or Hong Kong, which has no tax so lower pricing again…)
Supermarket one is down to what you buy though - I am basing assumptions on the OP liking western style foods. Meat is much cheaper here, but things like dairy products… yikes! I made a lasagna the other day, needed the 3 cheeses (ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella) - total price for 2 people was 1200nt!!! Give me an Asda ready made £2.50 one anyday! haha.
[quote=“monokuro”]
Supermarket one is down to what you buy though - I am basing assumptions on the OP liking western style foods. Meat is much cheaper here, but things like dairy products… yikes! I made a lasagna the other day, needed the 3 cheeses (ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella) - total price for 2 people was 1200nt!!! Give me an Asda ready made £2.50 one anyday! haha.[/quote]
That’s very true. Cooking western food in Taiwan is very expensive - plus the available ingredients are generally on the lower end of the quality scale.
ha … probably not. It would have been 3-4 years ago that I bothered asking/checking. I just sort of assumed prices had remained static through 2008-2012 … house sale prices have. When I said “outside”, I specifically meant Colchester, not Greater London.
1200nt for 2 person worth of lasagna? Did you buy your cheese from Jason’s? You know cheese is a lot cheaper at Costco right?
If you want the Taiwan experience, then with that income Taiwan is great. Living wise…big fish in small pond is Taipei. And London? You’re a small fish in a sea. Small fish in the sea has potential for growth. What I see of foreigners in Taipei is that quite a lot of them are frustrated professionally. Not sandman 
, but quite a few. Especially in the corporate world.
Taipei by all means Sir
The risk of out-of-the-sky falling helicopters is quasi nil 
And the convenience of shopping 24/24
And the visit to Adventist for 100 NTD
And a zillion other reasons to be found in a thread called " what do you like about Taiwan"
[quote=“tomthorne”][quote=“monokuro”]
Supermarket one is down to what you buy though - I am basing assumptions on the OP liking western style foods. Meat is much cheaper here, but things like dairy products… yikes! I made a lasagna the other day, needed the 3 cheeses (ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella) - total price for 2 people was 1200nt!!! Give me an Asda ready made £2.50 one anyday! haha.[/quote]
That’s very true. Cooking western food in Taiwan is very expensive - plus the available ingredients are generally on the lower end of the quality scale.[/quote]
Well it is expensive if you pick the best ingredients and the most expensive stuff. Otherwise it’s not expensive at all.
Getting stuff repaired is dirt cheap. Replacement parts for computers or vehicles are very cheap and no charge for labour (buy local or Japanese brands). Low taxes and no poll tax. Very cheap transport. Cheap rent. Cheap electricity. Footwear is cheap. Insurance is cheap.
London is very expensive in comparison, just rent and transport alone never mind the incidentals.
ha … probably not. It would have been 3-4 years ago that I bothered asking/checking. I just sort of assumed prices had remained static through 2008-2012 … house sale prices have. When I said “outside”, I specifically meant Colchester, not Greater London.[/quote]
Yes, that’s the kind of place I was thinking of. One big commute.
A school of thought… well maybe not a whole school but a few fishes… IF you have to drag someone over to Taiwan, that person is most likely not suited to being in Taiwan.
All the people that have liked Taiwan in my personal experience has been those who came over “on their own”. The ones iv known who were sent to Taiwan , or otherwise “found” themselves in TAiwan unwillingly did not enjoy their existence there.
For it OP it really boils down to (in my view), if we have to talk you into it, you probably best talk yourself OUT of it.
[quote=“headhonchoII”][quote=“tomthorne”][quote=“monokuro”]
Supermarket one is down to what you buy though - I am basing assumptions on the OP liking western style foods. Meat is much cheaper here, but things like dairy products… yikes! I made a lasagna the other day, needed the 3 cheeses (ricotta, Parmesan and mozzarella) - total price for 2 people was 1200nt!!! Give me an Asda ready made £2.50 one anyday! haha.[/quote]
That’s very true. Cooking western food in Taiwan is very expensive - plus the available ingredients are generally on the lower end of the quality scale.[/quote]
Well it is expensive if you pick the best ingredients and the most expensive stuff. Otherwise it’s not expensive at all.
Getting stuff repaired is dirt cheap. Replacement parts for computers or vehicles are very cheap and no charge for labour (buy local or Japanese brands). Low taxes and no poll tax. Very cheap transport. Cheap rent. Cheap electricity. Footwear is cheap. Insurance is cheap.
London is very expensive in comparison, just rent and transport alone never mind the incidentals.[/quote]
And gas. I remember the first bill we got I spent a few minutes checking and rechecking it because I couldn’t quite believe it was so cheap.