My family and me are moving to Taipei this summer and I like to pick your brain on moving to Taipei.
What did you wish somebody would have told you about moving to Taipei/ Taiwan before your arrived but nobody did?
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- The kitchens in most apartments are absolute crap compared to the West. They will not have an oven or a microwave. I’ve gotten over that and cook like a local now (jk, I bought a very large toaster oven which has temperature control and works fine for me. I also bought a microwave. They live in my living room because the kitchen is too small)
- You can probably get anything you need that you could get from the West, but be prepared to pay 2-5x more for the exact same thing sometimes. Random things like quality spatulas that you could pick up from anywhere are hard to find or insanely pricy, but a crappy version would be easily available for very cheap.
- There aren’t a lot of sidewalks. Get used to walking in the road
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Bring breathable resilient clothes for the summer. Linen, cotton-linen works well for me. I like merino wool for winter, but then again I find Taipei to be miserably cold in that season.
Good luck!
Guy
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I’m a total linen and merino wool convert too. I do not wear any other kind of socks but wool now and regret wearing anything but 100% linen tops when the humidity is high. Our ancestors in Egypt and Greece knew what was up.
While on the topic of clothing: if you’re going to bring leather (like real leather shoes, bags, belts etc), make sure you’re using them daily (or at least a few times/week) or they will be moldy. I had leather boots that I left in a box for a summer (April-November is not a time for leather boot wearing) and they were unsalvageable
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This is a good thread. Watching intently!
Can you get things like the toaster oven and microwave and dehumidifiers at a reasonable cost there? I actually would have thought that electronics were not more expensive in Taiwan but maybe I am mistaken.
Yes.
Guy
In my experience, leather uppers are fine but leather soles don’t work well with so much rain. Rubber soles for me!
Guy
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Not sure where you’re coming from, but this kind of stuff is nearly always a bit more expensive in Asia than in the US. (Yes, it’s weird, when you consider that it’s usually made in Asia.) It’s not enough more expensive to justify the cost of shipping it here, though, so I would only buy there if your employer is paying for your shipment.
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I bought everything in one go at Costco the day I moved to Taipei. I wasn’t in the mood for price/bargain hunting and I needed food and a means of cooking it and didn’t want to run all over the city to get it. Costco has the same great policies that they have in the US with regards to warranties and returns. They tend to only sell higher end appliances (mine were both Whirlpool, so nothing super fancy), but they seemed to be about what you’d pay for a mid-range appliance in the US. But there are plenty of other places with a range of options to chose from. 3C is a popular store
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Yeah it depends on what kind of leather uppers. I’d imagine shoes are probably ok, but my “fashion” boots (rubber soles and leather uppers up to mid-calf) were dead from the mold. Now that I think about it, the hiking boots I have are fine
How about this: if you don’t want things to get moldy, use them. If you’re not going to use them often, think twice about bringing them.
Oh, and if it’s footwear, make sure it has a waterproof sole
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Is 3C an actual store…? I always assumed it was an abbreviation for something but never thought much about what it was (computers, consumer electronics, and…something else).
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I find certain synthetics the best , I avoid cotton especially in Summer. Never wear linen or cotton if doing exercise . All thatt stuff us available here.
Overall you don’t really need to bring anything with you . You can buy some branded stuff cheaper in Europe . Nice shoes and electronics all cheaper . Electric razors. Check the voltage. Don’t bing your expensive leather jacket
Nice to know ?Well it won’t make any difference or help you if we talk about the climate too much. 
I agree. Except probably extra shoes and clothes, if not Asian-sized. Those can be a pain.
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It’s not Thailand.
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Nice shoes if you like foreign brands . That’s all I can think of except maybe computers and electronics (headphones cameras shavers etc).
Yes if you are tall or fat you better buy the good clothes already. Fit will be poor here
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3坤 says “3C” next to the Chinese, maybe that’s because it sells “3C” products (for non-Taiwanese, that means computer things, aka electronics). The store name is 3坤
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You made that mistake too, huh? 
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It’s an excuse to visit Thailand.
Hey Brian! I’m now at Bangkok Airport! I thought you’ll be picking me up?
Guy
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