Find an amazing room in Taipei in 4 steps

Congratulations! You are going to teach English in Taiwan, or come to this beautiful island for another great reason, now it is time to find a room or apartment in Taipei.

Housing expenses in Taipei Taiwan

How much does a room in Taipei cost?
The price for a room in Taipei can be anywhere from 8,000 to 20,000 NTD per month.
For a room within Taipei, that is decently comfortable, the price will be at least 12,000 NTD per month.

The price for an apartment in Taipei is at least 15,000 NTD, and a decent one that meets western standards should be at least 18,000 NTD.

How much for utilities in Taiwan

Without A/C, utilities in Taiwan will be around 600 NTD per month.
When you use the A/C, utilities in Taiwan will be at least 1,500 NTD per month.

In Taiwan, utilities are not expensive, except for A/C in the summer, expect to use the A/C from May to November.
Electricity for A/C can be as high as 4,000 NTD per month. So it is very important that you know how much you will pay in advance.
Also, if you rent a room or an apartment, make sure that you know how to monitor you electricity usage, and how to pay the bills.
Quite often, Taiwanese landlords will make money in the electricity, making you pay more per kilowatt than the electricity company actually charges them!

Pop Rooms rents rooms with all utilities and service included, check them out here.

Where to find a room in Taipei/Taiwan

First, check the listing of all our rooms and apartments here.
https://pop-rooms.com/explore

The two following groups have a lot of members and can give you advise as well and they offer regularly properties to rent:
https://web.facebook.com/groups/Taiwanapartmentsandroommates/
https://web.facebook.com/HomesTaipei/

Also, if you can speak chinese, you can have a look at this website:
https://rent.591.com.tw/
(however it is really difficult to convince landlords to rent to a non-Taiwanese person)

Finally, if you are looking for a hostel in Taipei, this website has more than 60 to choose from: http://www.taiwanhotelstaipei.com/en/type/hostels-11/

Rental deposits in Taiwan

In Taiwan, landlords usually ask for a two months deposit for renting a place. However, usually the deposit is NOT refunded at the end of the contract. This is a common practice in Taiwan, so much in fact that a lot of Taiwanese people completely trash the place they rent and don’t even ask for the deposit back.

As a foreigner, it is important that you understand that the culture is very different, and that real estate is a very special thing for Taiwanese people. They will argue that you changed something at the place. If for example you painted a wall, even if it looks way better than before, they will request that you give it back to the original state… which is not possible.

Take many pictures of the property when you arrive, and get help from a Taiwanese friend if you can.