Twenty years ago we barely had the internet. Three MRT lines in Taipei . No GPS so was constantly getting lost. Oh yeah I was also illiterate so couldn’t read anything. Working conditions were even worse, lots of places would try to make you work Saturday mornings and unpaid overtime was standard. I had multiple years with no paid leave. If you changed your job you would start the first year with no paid leave.
Some people made bank back then of course to compensate . I didn’t .
Getting an ARC and work permit was a real rigmarole, had to do loads of visa runs. You had less than a week to exit upon job or ARC termination.
Income taxes were higher although you didn’t have the 20% non resident rule.
Basically no or barely there (mobile) internet , lack of coffee shops , lack of public transportation and harsher working conditions.
Oh yeah and it was seriously hard to get Western food! You’d get like two cheeses in Carrefour . Easy singles and some other rubbish. Four types of beer. That was it !
There was only CNN on cable as the English channel!
There were almost no western clothes brands, like Zara or H&M. It was really hard (and still a little hard ) to find proper fitting clothes for Western guys and gals. None of my clothes fit me for years and years and you could literally tell who had been here a few years by looking at people. And still can .
Some things were better for sure believe me, but living here was definitely WAY more challenging. Anybody who moans about how hard it is living in Taiwan now needs some slaps 
. It may well have been better back in the day for many, but it was not easier.