Job Discussion Forums

Rooster_2006 · Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 984

I just did some preliminary research and found that sometimes studio apartments in Kaohsiung are in the $100-$200 dollar a month range (US dollars). Now, in Seoul, I rent a 6'x5' room that costs about $150, and I have to share a bathroom, so paying the same price for an actual studio apartment seems unbelievable.

What does it actually cost to rent an apartment in Kaohsiung? I'd love to believe I could rent an apartment for $150 a month, but I'm skeptical.

dangerousapple · Joined: 18 Apr 2006 Posts: 292

Rents have been slowly rising, but the average is still around NT$12,000 per month for a 2 or 3 bedroom apartment. Cheaper can be found, too, and if you are looking for a bachelor suite you could get one for around NT$7000 in the Chengching lake area.

Taylor · Joined: 24 Oct 2003 Posts: 384 Location: Texas/Taiwan

Hi Rooster,

It's certainly possible to find a cheap, small apartment in Kaohsiung. For around 150 USD (5000 NT), you should expect an older building that may have a few quirks.

The cheapest places available would be located near the universities.

There's a Yahoo group at www.kaohsiungliving.com

If you have a Yahoo account, then you can easily become a member.

Taylor

BigWally · Posted: Wed May 06, 2009 4:18 pm Post subject:

Yup, really low. Although I've said this again, and again, and again, and again, and again....people refuse to read older posts and end up asking the same questions. The average rent that I found among other teachers i knew was around the $10,000-$12,000 range, depending on how nice, and where you wanted to be located.

Cheng Ching Lake area (where I lived) - 1 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 balconies, family room, dining room, kitchen, loft area - $10,000

- 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 2 balconies, family room, bar, kitchen, dining room - $15,000

- 1 bedroom bachelor apartment - $7,000

In Tsoying District - 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, kitchen, office, dining room, family room, 1 balcony - $14,000

- small one bedroom, no balcony, kitchen, bathroom, common area - $6,000

In Downtown District - 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom, 1 storage room, family room, kitchen - $15,000

There are plenty of great places in Kaohsiung, you just need to find an area of town you're comfortable with and look around.

OuterBanks13 · Joined: 18 May 2009 Posts: 33

Hmmm, I'm wondering with the economy on the ebb if rents are peaking and perhaps even receding a bit?

Rooster_2006 · Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 984

Hahaha, I came to Taiwan and within 24 hours found a reasonably large one-room apartment with its own bathroom for 3,500 a month, 500 in utilities, and an initial 2,000 NTD security deposit.

Less than US $107 in rent per month.

I get up, walk five minutes to the beach, sit in a chair and watch the ocean from underneath palm trees.

Back in Korea, I paid more, had no bathroom, my room was smaller, the nearest beach was two hours away and had mud instead of sand, and instead of palm trees everywhere, there were double barber poles on every street corner.

Why didn't I come here earlier? Laughing

steve_c · Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 3:40 am Post subject:

CastleBrav0 · Joined: 09 Jun 2009 Posts: 6

Are there any websites (preferably in English) besides Tealit that have a lot of apartment listings in Kaohsiung or other areas in the country? I checked that Yahoo! group, but I didn't see a whole lot there.

I'm doing my initial research into the country in anticipation of moving there to teach for the first time, and I was just trying to get an idea of what is available. I think Kaohsiung would be my ideal first choice due to the relatively lower cost of living compared to Taipei, but I've also seen some fairly nice looking flats in Taipei County that are cheap as well.

From the information I've gathered, it appears that the average monthly income for newcomers is ~$60,000NT/month after taxes. Still trying to ascertain what I could afford to spend on rent/utilities each month and still have enough to live on with that type of income.

First post! Razz

edit: fixed some missing words!

Rooster_2006 · Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 984

BigWally · Posted: Wed Jun 24, 2009 4:53 pm Post subject:

I've posted these links a hundred times before, but since people can't seem to figure out the intricate nuances of the search function here they are again.

www.kaohsiungliving.com <----- the #1 resource for all things ex-pat in Kaohsiung

www.forumosa.com <------ probably the #1 I'm teaching ESL and living in Taiwan website

CastleBrav0 · Joined: 09 Jun 2009 Posts: 6

dangerousapple · Joined: 18 Apr 2006 Posts: 292

There are plenty of sites like that here, but unfortunately nothing really is in English. They yahoo group is your best bet for kaohsiung listings.

Rooster_2006 · Joined: 24 Sep 2007 Posts: 984

I never saw anything on said resources about a one-room apartment with bathroom for only 3,500 NTD. I don't think you can find that kind of stuff online. If someone puts something online, they know they're going to get more for it.

It was the same in Korea. Before going, I looked for a hasukjip online and found one for 470,000 won a month. Decided to take my chances and look for lodging there rather than go with what was, at the time, over a $500-a-month rent. Went there. Found a place for 300,000 won. Then I eventually found one for 280,000 won. By the time I was finishing up in Korea, I was in a 200,000 won goshiwon with some provided food, in-room high-speed broadband, my own fridge, etc. Looking around in person instead of the web can save A LOT of money...

BigWally · Posted: Fri Jun 26, 2009 8:15 pm Post subject:

Taiwan doesn't run as an internet based society as we do...at least not english internet sites.....

Everything is based on face to face contact....you cant develop any guangshi (phonetic spelling) without face to face contact