Is it possible to live in a lower cost apartment in the suburbs of Taipei without a scooter? In other words, could I get away with paying around 6000NTD for a studio in Taipei county and still be within walking distance to a subway line?
I want to be close to Taipei, but the more I look at my hobbies and various expenses that are important to me, rent looks like the most logical way for me to save. The catch is I have no tolerance for living in a dirty roach/rat infested place, and zero desire to ride a scooter around the city.
Dunno if you find a place within the stated budget but the MRT and bus network is quite extensive, so the suburbs are well connected. Note though that some MRT lines are under construction and will only be completed in a few years, but there is usually a bus stop somewhere.
Yes, it is doable, let’s say, in Xindian, Dingshi on (Yonghe) or even Panchiao, within reach of the MRT line. Once you cross the county line, rents go down dramatically, and so will your utilities expenses. As to transportation, 30 nts twice a day mounts to maybe 1200 nts a month, and you will still be saving a lot more in rent.
Sincerely, you can live anywhere around the city, most neighborhoods have all the conveniences you may need. You just need to match your lifestyle with the housing you want.
As to roach infested places, well, my experience is the closer to the city, the worst it gets.
I lived in Taipei County without a scooter and did fine. There was no MRT station in walking distance, but one was under construction at the time. The neighborhood I was in had everything I needed and I socialized primarily in Taipei so mass transit was convenient. For getting around the 'burbs though, expect to do a lot of walking and cabbing.
I would suggest Tucheng near the end of the Blue line for super deals of rent and proximity to MRT and buses。 I lived there for a while. There are some weird temples and walking trails in the hills around. I had a studio for dirt cheap there. It was like a hotel room with a hot plate and while small, it was quite cool, on the seventeenth floor. Lot’s of schools there as well. People are an interesting mix.
I live in Banchiao now. While it is quite large, it has everything I need (but I scooter around). My rent is pretty cheap and I have a huge place to myself with plenty of room for unfinished projects galore.
Our first apartment was 10 minutes walk from Nanjing East Road Station. Our second was 10 minutes walk from Liuzhangli Station. Our current apartment is 3 minutes walk from a bus stop which takes you to Zhongshan Junior High Station in 15 minutes.
We haven’t ever owned a scooter or car since we’ve been here. We’ve been here for almost four years, and we haven’t once felt the need for a scooter.
[quote=“Icon”]Yes, it is doable, let’s say, in Xindian, Dingshi on (Yonghe) or even Panchiao (Banqiao), within reach of the MRT line. Once you cross the county line, rents go down dramatically, and so will your utilities expenses. As to transportation, 30 nts twice a day mounts to maybe 1200 nts a month, and you will still be saving a lot more in rent.
Sincerely, you can live anywhere around the city, most neighborhoods have all the conveniences you may need. You just need to match your lifestyle with the housing you want.
As to roach infested places, well, my experience is the closer to the city, the worst it gets.[/quote]
Second that.
I live in Dingshi (Yonghe) on Zhu-lin road, and am just a few minutes away from the MRT line. Rent is reasonable - 7,500NT (plus A/C electric bill). I’m sure u can find rent that is 6,000NT if u don’t mind living a bit further down Zhu-lin road (15min. walk to the MRT). There are also 5 or 6 bus lines which all lead to Taipei City, so no worries here.
Btw, roaches are everywhere in Taipei, regardless of how far u r away from the city. They come to u!
Every place has roaches, but if you really detest them just get a cat. Mine wipes out all the roaches within a couple of weeks every time I change apartments.
As well, I lived in the city for my first four years, but recently moved out to the edges of Muzha. Definitely worth it since I got a big 2-bdrm apt for the same price I was paying for a box (but nice box in Taipei) and half the price that I was paying for my first apartment which was similar in size to the one I live in now.
I also haven’t had a scooter for about 3 years and I do not live close to an MRT, but the buses are excellent so it only takes me about 20-30 minutes to get into the heart of the city.
