Moving to Taiwan is probably the easiest relocation experience I’ve had so far. It’s also my most recent one, however, and I don’t want to downplay the impact of my previous moves on how comparatively simple it seemed.
As a result, this post might seem overly negative at times. I want to play Devil’s advocate for you, even if it requires writing from a headspace I haven’t yet personally inhabited during my stay in Taipei thus far.
Whether you’re moving to Taiwan as a digital nomad (like I did), or to take a job teaching English or in another sector, I think you’ll find my insights valuable.
My Taiwan Story
Moving to Taiwan was always an idea I had deep in my mind, but it was never one I thought I’d act on. Certainly not after my autumn 2018 road trip through the country, which was almost entirely rained out. Yet in early 2019, frustrated after nearly two years of living in Bangkok, I had an epiphany: Taiwan (and specifically Taipei) could bridge the gap between the chaos of Southeast Asia and the pathological order of Japan or Korea.
In general, since moving to Taipei in July 2019, I’ve found expat life in Taiwan to be relatively stress-free and satisfying. With this being said, I did generally prefer things before coronavirus, when I would “come home” to Taiwan instead of being stuck here for months on end. I hope, for my own sanity, that those days return sooner rather than later.
FAQs About Living in Taiwan
Can I live in Taiwan?
I’ll explain more about Taiwan visas in a second, but if you have a source of income (whether freelance or from a Taiwan school or company) and lack a violent criminal record, you should be good to go RE: living in Taiwan. Note that if you plan to live in Taiwan without being employed full-time, it’s ideal that you come from a country whose citizens get at least 30 days visa on arrival.
Is Taiwan a good place to live?
Moving to Taiwan was one of the best decisions of my life. Life here isn’t perfect (and is tiresome, if I’m honest, after months trapped here due to coronavirus), but it’s decidedly low-stress. Additionally, if you ever get tired of the city where you’re living, it’s very easy to explore all of Taiwan’s destinations (and to travel in Asia, at least when the world isn’t going mad over a virus).
How much money do you need to live in Taiwan?
Is Taiwan expensive? Not really, at least not for what you get. The Taiwan dollar has more or less the same value as Thailand’s baht; with some exceptions (namely rent), I find I spend the same amount of TWD per month in Taipei as I did THB in Bangkok. I would say most people can live comfortably on around 60,000-100,000 TWD (~2,000-3,000 USD) per month, although that depends on your definition of “comfort.”
Where do expats live in Taiwan?
When you consider moving to Taiwan, you probably think that Taipei is the only option. (To be fair, it’s the only place in Taiwan where I would ever consider living, as much as I love other cities.) However, there are a lot of choices, especially if you aren’t tied down to a job. From secondary large cities on the west coast like Taichung and Kaohsiung, to relaxed east coast cities like Hualien and Taitung, Taiwan is bigger than it looks on the map.
How can I get a job in Taiwan?
Working in Taiwan (or at least, being employed by a Taiwanese company) is something I don’t have a lot of experience with. Most jobs for foreigners here, at least from what I can tell, relate to English-language instruction; if you want to work in Taiwan, you should consult a school. There are corporate positions here, namely in the tech sector, but most people I know who work in them have relocated from elsewhere at their company’s behest.
Taiwan Visas (and Other Legal Matters)
The good news? There are many ways to obtain an Alien Resident Card (ARC), even without being employed full-time by a Taiwanese school or company. The bad news? I’m still waiting on the results of my “Foreigner Gold Card” application at the time of this writing, so I’m unable to provide any definitive feedback about that program, apart from re-affirming my own interest in it.
The thing about moving to Taiwan, at least before the Wuhan coronavirus, was that many people did it “unofficially.” What I mean is that we would enter visa-free for 90 days (30 or 60, in some cases) and leave before each stay expired. Thanks to Taiwan’s laxness about checking how many times people re-enter (and, in my case, registration for the automated eGate), this was never an issue.
Moving to Taiwan After Coronavirus
At least not until Covid-19 shat all over the world—I actually haven’t let Taiwan since then. To be sure, while the situation of coronavirus in Taiwan is preferable from an infection standpoint to just about everywhere else in the world, I can’t see a scenario where it makes life easier for expats, certainly not in the short term. Even after the border is mostly open, it’ll be difficult to escape scrutiny while under quarantine for 14 days.
With this being said, I’m not as fatalistic about the future of digital nomads in Taiwan as some of my counterparts in the seedier reaches of the internet. In addition to the fact that I anticipate the Gold Card program being opened up to a wider variety of professionals, I think that once Covid has been contained globally (whenever that is), Taiwan’s immigration system will more or less go back to what it was before 2020.
The Bottom Line
I think you’ll find moving to Taiwan relatively easy, even if it isn’t as simple for you as it was for me. Certainly, living in Taiwan (whether in Taipei or otherwise) is a breath of fresh air, particularly if you’ve resided elsewhere (farther south or west) in Asia beforehand. With this being said, Taiwan is not a perfect country; you will experience some stress during your time here, and maybe for unexpected reasons. A surefire way to make your move to Taiwan a smooth one is to hire me to assist you along the way.
