For someone attending Tamkang Univ. I’ve heard Tamsui itself is more affordable so is it better to just stay there? The only concern is how far it is to get into central Taipei on the weekends, so would Beitou be better?
Do you mean you’re attending now, or you plan to attend? Are you in Taiwan now?
Beitou is only 10-15 mins from Danshui on the MRT. 35 mins from Danshui to Taipei Main Station. And frankly you don’t want to live too near the city centre; it’s crowded, noisy, and dirty, as well as ridiculously expensive.
Your main problem here is that Tamkang University is in the middle of bloody nowhere and is not particularly well served by public transport. There are some buses, but they tend to be crowded (to the point that it’s impossible to even get on) at peak periods. Wherever you end up, you’ll most likely want to buy a scooter; that gives you a lot more options. For example you might want to look at the new developments around north Danshui.
Yeah, I’m planning on attending. Not in Taiwan yet and not familiar with Danshui area but I’m thinking it’s probably better to live around Beitou so I’m closer to central Taipei. I dont mind have a little commute everyday
Beitou is noticeably more expensive - it may not be worth it. You can get a bus (no changes) from ZhuWei, HongShuLin or Danshui MRT and get off right at the university, so I’d look at those first. OTOH it’s no great hardship to hop on the MRT for a few stops each day and change to the bus. Just boils down to personal preference.
I think my max budget would be 35k, would I be able to find a modern somewhat spacious place in Beitou for that?
Absolutely.
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There are VERY inexpensive housing near TKU, I found a room for 2500nt a month. No AC though (but you can install one yourself for that price).
But if you’re rich enough to afford much better housing, those newer building in Danshui can be had for around 10,000 a month, and it’s VERY spacious.
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That’d be overkill. Personally, I’d look for something around the 20K mark (as mentioned, you can get something pretty nice with that) and spend the rest of your cash on booze and women.
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No, I’d spend 10k for a house in Danshui (10k gives you a lot, either an entire flat in an old house, or a nice room in a new building). 1280nt a month on the MRT pass, and the rest on booze or save it on stuff.
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Cool, I probably will just look in Danshui and try to get a really nice place. I am use to having more space and was sorta concerned that Taipei would be like Japan and I’d need to just take a small apartment but sounds like Danshui is a lot more affordable. I’m assuming for 20-25k I could get something luxurious maybe?
Sure… but there’s a limit as far as space goes as if you wanted to rent 500 ping then the cost per ping is going to skyrocket simply because few places in Taiwan offers that much space, outside of retail establishments.
Just rent a whole flat for 10,000 a month (it will be around 20-30 pings) and use the rest of the money you save to make it better.
I see, 30 ping is like 1k sq ft, that would be a good size for me so maybe I’ll just do that. Look for 10-15k range and use extra money on Uber after late night drinking on weekends
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many rental places are empty. but it is possible to find furnished places. But i’d rather find an empty place and avoid bed bugs…
I’d take my chances with a furnished place because buying furniture would be a pain in the ass
as will the bed bugs
“Furnished” places are usually furniture that’s been found in a skip or discarded from the landlords own place after they’ve broken it with their fat ass so beware
Speaking of pain in the ass, I’ve come across this type of furniture in many rentals, which I’m convinced was designed to get guests out of your house as quickly as possible.
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In theory, they are lasting and sturdy and fresh in summer, can buy padding for winter.
But as you said, they discourage long sitting hours and are a pain if you want to watch anything longer than average movie.
35k is budget for a family home, 3 bedroom 2 bathroom kind of place.
Maybe you should focus on amenities such as 24 hour guard and garbage collection service. Guard picks up your packages when you buy stuff on the internet and garbage collection service chases the garbage truck for you. These 2 things make your life more convenient and liberate time to have fun/release you of scheduled tasks.
Please note Beitou has hot springs and the sulfur is rumored to destroy electronics.
Tamsui has tons of new developments, they have a light rail to TKU too.
Moreover, it is not advisable for newbies who have never ridden a scooter to start here in Taiwan. We lose several students a year in traffic accidents, and the roads in Tamsui and surrounding areas are quite congested. I’d avoid driving a scooter as long as possible for health reasons.
If you like to party then I’d suggest switching universities altogether.
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Nobody in Taiwan goes to universities to party, they go there to study.
One thing conspicuously missing in Taiwanese universities is fraternities or sororities. There are also a lack of university based sports team, or amenities such as full gym, or “stuff”. In fact I find Taiwanese universities to be very austere, with space only devoted to academic pursuit and not much else.
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OMG, I have that exact same coffee table, which isn’t bad. I passed on the Taiwanese Inquisition sofas though…
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