Appartement

If you are a fan of intimacy and the concept of “better a small home for ourselves than a big one in others”, then the apartment is something you need to find quickly. Indeed, this will allow you to make a lot of savings compared to the price of a hotel/AirBnB which, in general, will cost you a minimum of 30€ per night (sometimes much more depending on location and period).

There are several online platforms, however, you will use more often Facebook (groups and marketplace) as well as the “591” website I told you about in the section “Tools/Tips”. Please note that rental costs in Taiwan are generally cheaper than in France, EXCEPTION FOR Taipei, which is the capital of Taiwan. I will give the price of my monthly rental for example :

Taiwan, Taipei, Wanhua district (very close to the Ximen station) -> 17,500NTD (520€)/month without utilities.

Building maintenance, concierge service and garbage bins are often included in the rent. If you take a furnished accommodation you will probably also have cable (TV) and internet included. On the other hand, this is not always the case for water and electricity charges. For them it will take about 500 to 1000 NTD*/month (15 to 30€).

In general, upon your arrival in the apartment, the owners will require from you 2 months deposit + the first month of rent. Let me give you a piece of advice here : don’t follow the rules without flinching ! N E G O C I A T E ! Personally, I haven't been able to lower the monthly cost of my rental. However, I managed to negotiate 1 month’s bail against 2 originally. In addition, the owner was OK to use the deposit to pay the monthly charges !

*NTD = New Taiwanese Dollar, local money ( 100NTD = 3€, at the moment )

You should also be aware that there are specific prices depending on the rental period agreed with the lessor. For example, you will often find this type of advertisement :

When you see this type of ad, you notice that the price varies according to the duration of the rental. I also take this opportunity to talk about the small “traps”, here you read :

“Management fee : 300 TWD per month includes water, gas, cable, internet, garbage disposal fees”

This means that the charges will cost you 300 NTD each month (approximately 9€), including water, gas, TV, internet and garbage. Electricity is NOT mentioned here, know that in Taiwan, electricity is the most expensive ! Especially for a foreigner who, not accustomed to heat, will use the air conditioning (AC) a lot ! 😅

By the way... I don’t even see the AC mention in this ad. If you face this situation, remember to confirm whether or not the air conditioner is present and plan a little more each month to count the electricity.

Finally, every signed contract, in your best interest above all, must include an English translation. This is true for your future lease, but also for any other official document !