What’s life in Taiwan like? And in particular, what is it like to move to and live in Taipei?
In this interview, Nick, who calls Taiwan’s capital home now, shares his story, practical tips and the pros and cons of living in Taipei.
This interview is part of the Ask an Expat series. In this series, I interview people living all over the world but outside of their home country. I try to help paint an honest picture of the ups and downs of life abroad, share tips about moving to the place the expat now calls home, and information about what to see and do here.
Living in Taipei, Taiwan
Name: Nick
Age: 40
Hometown: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
His Story:
”I went on my first backpacking trip in 2001, when I was 19. I spent 6 months in New Zealand, Australia, Thailand, and Cambodia. The trip changed me forever. I knew I would spend the rest of my life traveling.
I later graduated with an anthropology and religious studies degree and wrote my honors thesis on Tibetan religion. Right after graduating, I traveled to Tibet, Nepal, and India.
Several more big trips followed, taking me to the likes of Turkey, Iraq, Syria, Pakistan, Bangladesh, all of Southeast Asia, and Central America.
It was during these travels, all of which were solo trips, that I started travel blogging as a hobby. Mainly I did it so my friends and family at home could start following my travels. This was still years before anyone made money from blogging.
Asia had always felt like a second home to me, so around 2007 I started thinking about moving there as an English teacher.
After living in Taipei for nearly a decade, I decided to take my travel blog to the next level and make it my full-time job.”
Why Did You Move to Taipei?
”I actually first took a TEFL course and taught English in Bangkok, Thailand.
Later, I moved to Shenzhen, China and started teaching there because an old friend from home was living there.
However, in 2008, leading up to the Beijing Olympics, the atmosphere was tense in China and we were tired of the air pollution, so my friend and I decided to pick up and move to Taipei, Taiwan.
Initially, I only planned to stay for a year and then move to a different part of the world, like South America. But after a year had passed, I was just starting to get comfortable, learn Mandarin, and make friends.
I also met a local Taiwanese, Emily, who is now my wife and the mother of my two kids.”
What Do You Like About Living in Taipei?
”Taipei is frequently voted as one of the top cities in the world for expats.
This stems from a combination of commonly cited desirable features: the city is extremely safe, the people are super welcoming, and the street food is incredible and cheap.
There’s a tight expat community with all kinds of fun events being organized throughout Taipei.
The transportation and healthcare systems are some of the best in the world.
There are beaches and mountains all around the city.
Mandarin is a useful language to learn, and teaching pays well relative to the cost of living in Taiwan.
Personally, all these were significant, but meeting my wife toward the end of my first year was of course a big factor in my decision to live in Taipei indefinitely.”
What Do You Dislike About Living in Taipei?
”The biggest difficulty for me was being so far away from my family in Canada. This feeling became stronger after I had kids.
I actually enjoyed Taipei a little less after having children here. Some reasons include the pollution (including noise pollution), traffic, small apartments, and having my kids grow up in an environment where they are treated as outsiders, despite having been born and raised here.
It was for some of these reasons that my wife and I decided to move from Taipei back to my hometown in 2019, but we currently spend part of every year in Taipei and the rest in Canada.”
Also Read: Things to Consider Before Moving to Another Country
Is Taipei Safe as a Place to Live?
”Taiwan is regularly considered one of the safest places in the world to live, right up there with Japan.
There is virtually no street crime, so anyone (including females, dressed however they want) can walk anywhere in the city at any time of day or night and not feel at risk.
The locals in Taipei are very honest – for example, being ripped off when buying something or riding a taxi is unheard of.
Also worth pointing out is that Taiwan is the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage, and gay couples can walk freely there without drawing attention. As a member of the LGBT community, this made me feel safer.
A few safety issues to consider are that cars don’t stop for pedestrians in Taiwan. The weather is extremely hot and humid in summer, which can make doing anything outside a struggle.
Also, a handful of typhoons pass the city every summer. Major ones can cause significant damage to the city, but in such cases, there are stay-at-home orders, so it is rare for anyone in the city to die from them (mountainous areas outside of the city are a different story).”
What Is Your Favorite Thing to Do in Taipei?
”A normal weekend in the city with my friends typically involves going bowling (our Friday night ritual), going to concerts or bars, pool parties, eating in night markets, having a picnic in the park, or simply strolling the streets for hours while grabbing beers from 7-Eleven.
We also do a huge amount of hiking in Taipei, New Taipei City (the enormous city that surrounds Taipei City proper), and all across Taiwan.
One amazing thing is that because the country is so small and has a high-speed rail, you can get virtually anywhere in the country in a day. Therefore, the opportunities for weekend trips from Taipei are unlimited.”
What Is Your Favorite Place to Hang Out in Taipei?
”When going out with friends, we often start a night at a “quick fry”.
These quick fries are a local style of restaurant that caters to large groups. You sit on small plastic stools around a large round table and order countless dishes of fried foods to share – most are around US$4 and are seafood heavy. You help yourself to cold Taiwan beers from large fridges. These restaurants are noisy and fun.
Another popular option is DIY hot pot or BBQ. Most of them are all-you-can-eat (and sometimes even all-you-can-drink beer). You serve yourself and everyone helps out cooking the food.
We also enjoy going for drinks in local pubs or bars, which often feature live music. A couple of my favorites are Revolver and Triangle.
Fancy cocktail bars have also really taken off in Taipei, including several “secret” speakeasy-style ones, so those are great for a more intimate gathering.”
What Is the Expat / International Community Like in Taipei?
”The expat community in Taipei is highly varied.
English teachers are the most common, followed by students, long-term residents / business (often bar or restaurant) owners, and a sprinkling of other professionals.
These people often fall into one of the following categories (or a combination of them): people whose main focus is mastering Mandarin, outdoorsy types who travel around or go hiking every weekend, people who party non-stop, artsy folks, people who spend all their time with their local partner, and musicians (DJs or in bands).
There are events in Taipei almost every weekend that are heavily attended by expats. These range from concerts and festivals to pool parties, ice skating events, language exchange events, and more.
Even Canada Day and the Indian Holi festival involve popular events in Taipei.
These kinds of events make it very easy to network with locals and other expats living in Taipei.”
Any Tips for Moving To / Living in Taipei?
”Teaching English is by far the easiest way to secure a local ARC (Alien Resident Card). Getting hired in other industries is very difficult.
If you don’t get an ARC, you are limited to 1-2 month visits, depending on your nationality.
It is possible to get hired before arriving in Taiwan, but you could also just show up and find a job before your visa expires.
You’ll want to show up with at least a few thousand USD to pay for a deposit on an apartment and get by until your first paycheck.
Some good neighborhoods to consider when moving to Taiwan are Zhongzheng (central), Da’An (lots of universities and more international), Xinyi (upscale), and Tianmu (family-friendly but far from the center).
New Taipei City is much cheaper than Taipei City, but you’ll need to commute about 30 minutes to the city by MRT.
The way taxes work in Taiwan, you’ll have to pay significantly more if you leave the country for more than half of a calendar year. Therefore, try to arrive after July 1 if you can, and when leaving, try to stay past that date.”
Also Read: How to View Blocked Websites from Other Countries
Any Resources You Found Useful During the Process of Moving to and Building a New Life in Taipei?
”I have over 100 articles on living and traveling in Taipei and Taiwan on my website. This page links out to all of them. I strive to write extremely detailed guides that I wish I could have read when I first moved to Taiwan.
Tealit.com is a good website for finding jobs, apartments, language exchange partners, and relationships.
Pop-rooms.com is a site in English for finding apartments.
591.com.tw is the most comprehensive site for finding an apartment, but Mandarin only.
Communitycenter.org.tw is a community center for helping expats, with a bi-monthly magazine.
There are also dozens of useful groups for expats in Taipei on Facebook. Just do a search to find them and join any that sound of interest to you.”
Is There Something You Just Have to See or Do When You Are in Taipei?
”Some of the top attractions include Taipei 101 (once the tallest building in the world), Maokong Gondola, Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall, Beitou Hot Springs, National Palace Museum, and Huashan 1914 Creative Arts Park.
Taipei’s single most popular attraction, by visitor numbers, is its night markets collectively. The five biggest ones are Shilin, Raohe, Ningxia, Linjiang St, and Huaxi Night Markets, but there are many more smaller ones.”
About Nick
Nick Kembel is the author of Taiwan in the Eyes of a Foreigner and he manages two websites: nickkembel.com and FunWorldFacts.
His work has been featured in National Geographic Traveller, Vogue Taiwan, and CNNGo.
About Taipei, Taiwan
Taipei, officially Taipei City, is the capital of Taiwan.
It’s a modern, cosmopolitan metropolis and the economic, political, and cultural center of Taiwan.
Taipei City has a population of around 2.7 million. The Greater Taipei metropolitan area, which encompasses Taipei City, New Taipei City and Keelung City, is home to around 7 million people, which is almost one-third of the entire Taiwanese population.
Taipei is seen by many as a great city to live in because of its low crime rate, good healthcare system, convenient public transport, and relatively low cost of living.
English is compulsory in all schools in Taiwan and because of that most people speak at least basic English. But very few are fluent.
Learning at least some Mandarin is recommended if you decide to move to Taipei.
Taipei has a humid subtropical climate. Winters are damp but relatively warm with temperatures between 20°C/68°F and 13°C/55°F. Summers are hot and often rainy. Daytime highs are generally around 35°C/95°F and nighttime lows are around 25°C/77°F.
Taiwan is in the path of typhoons and at least two of them strike the island each year, typically between July and October, with varying intensity.
Also Read:
- 5 Great Reasons to Move Abroad
- A Moving Abroad Checklist – Things to Do Before You Move Abroad
- Living & Working Abroad: What You Thought vs What It’s Really Like
- What’s it Like to Live in China – Interview With an Expat
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