We (international couple) are currently looking for an apartment in/around Taipei.
Everything we found on 591 for under 20,000 turned out to be either horrible or just very old.
Somehow we get the feeling that 591 is the “problem” and there could be better sites?
It’s hard to believe that we’ll have to pay just as much as we did in Tokyo, where we used to live before coming to Taiwan.
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They’re all about the same. 591 just shows what people are asking.
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Is quality/availability seasonal in Taiwan, and if so, are we in a “low”?
We’ve really tried hard to vary search filters and to keep expectations low, but so far all places were either very dirty, in shady areas, very old and/or badly designed.
Are you open to other cities? 20k goes a lot further in Taichung or Kaohsiung, for instance.
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Another way besides 591 is just walking around in the neighborhood and looking for a “for rent” sign. Since 591 charges fee and sticking ads on stuff doesn’t, a lot of landlords do that too.
Also how many pings are you looking for, and which area of the greater Taipei area are you looking in. Anywhere within Taipei city is going to be a little more and unfortunately, if you are looking for under 20,000 and more than 20 ping you’re actually asking a lot. Look for New Taipei City since it’s still accessible by MRT and cost isn’t a factor so much these days with the All Pass tickets.
Otherwise look in Taichung City Taiping District. My dad owns a house there, 3 stories, probably about 15-20 ping per story and a rooftop that is open. He charges 6000nt to rent that entire building. Taiping District is also very earthquake prone however… that district suffered a lot of damage during the 921 earthquake.
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I don’t think that 591 is ‘the problem’. Many of the buildings are old and the rental flats in said buildings are often not maintained very well. There are nicer options but you’d probably be lucky to find one for less than 20,000.
Thank you for the replies, guys!
We’re set on Taipei or suburbs, which could include places such as Beito or Banqiao.
Something that’s max. 30 min by MRT to Taipei center, and ideally not a huge distance to the MRT station, either. Taichung would be an expensive and long commute…in the worst case we’d consider Zhubei or Tamsui, I guess.
As for space, we were looking at 12-20 ping, not more. Some things such as a kitchen and space for a desk are musts, but we don’t mind if there’s no sofa and TV.
I know there are places out there that match our preferences with regard to “quality” (we’ve stayed at AirBnBs and shared apartments before which did), but somehow we don’t seem to be able to find them on 591 now.
I guess the limited budget of 20,000 is a factor, but we’re just wondering if there’s another reason since lots of locals were telling us before that it shouldn’t be a problem finding something decent within that range.
When is the best season or time of month to find apartments? Is there a “tide” in the Taipei housing market?
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Sanxia, near the university area, has a lot of new, nice places for rent under 20,000 month. Includes parking and building fee. If you have a scooter or car and don’t mind being a 30 min ride away from Taipei City or a 15 min ride to the MRT, give the newer area of Sanxia a look. Bei Da area.
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There are a lot of decent places for around $20K - especially in Xinbeishi. Even the places on 591 aren’t bad, especially Danshui, Xindian, etc. What sort of place are you looking for exactly? Danshui has some really new places with pools etc., that should be around your budget, but it depends what you want.
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Thanks, will check Sanxia (sounds a little too inconvenient though as we don’t drive car/bikes) and Xindian!
Danshui is Tamsui, right? The 1-1.5 hour MRT ride to Taipei center is a bit of a turn-off there to be honest. 
It isn’t nearly that far. It is about 30 mins on the MRT, and not far from the beach with nice walking trails.
We’re talking about 淡水, right?
Housing in taipei is expensive, most of the buildings are old and dirty.
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Yes 淡水 , my phone doesn’t do Chinese Characters as far as I know, sorry. Per the MRT website, Tamsui to Taipei Main Station, 37 mins.
Sometimes it is better to choose a building/area you like and ask if there is a house for rent in first floor. The best ones not always make it to the internet.
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Noel: Interesting, Google Maps consistently shows at least 54min from station to station (no waiting or transfer time). I’m confused…
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Does it have to be a first floor? Rent tends to be a lot higher for first floor because of commercial usage.
Sadly, this is true for Taipei City and is gradually becoming true for surrounding areas too.
Good deals get snatched up fast. Best to look again through 591 and have boots on the ground. Go into buildings you like and ask guards for rental leads.
Most landlords rely on word of mouth and community bulletin boards to advertise. A few will use agents. You can try housing agents in areas you are interested in. The landlord has to pay an agent fee that usually is then passed on to you in the form of an additional deposit.
Other than that…not many other ways to find a place. Best of luck!
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www.sinyi.com.tw is one popular real estate company, maybe there ads are alson 591, not sure.
I took the MRT from Tamsui to Taipei Main about a month ago, and it was approximately 40 mins.
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