Six neighbourhoods where to rent in Taipei, rents by type of home, the steps of renting and mistakes to avoid.
To rent an apartment in Taipei, six neighbourhoods come up in most searches by French people and other foreigners: Da'an, Xinyi, Zhongshan, Zhongzheng, Neihu and Tianmu. The first two are the most expensive, Zhongshan and Zhongzheng offer a central address at a mid-range price, and Neihu and Tianmu focus on quiet, with more accessible or moderate rents.
On budget, a studio or one-bedroom apartment rents for 20,000 to 45,000 Taiwan dollars (TWD) per month in central neighbourhoods, and from 12,000 TWD in more outlying areas. Leases are written in Mandarin Chinese, the security deposit is one to three months' rent, and most listings are published in Chinese.
This guide presents the six neighbourhoods, the budget to plan for, the steps of renting and the mistakes to avoid, especially if you are searching from France.
The neighbourhood of National Taiwan University, Da'an attracts students, young professionals and foreign families. Cafés, restaurants, parks and good metro (MRT) service: supply is plentiful, but rents are high and demand strong.
Around the Taipei 101 tower, Xinyi is the city's financial and commercial centre. Modern residences, shopping malls, offices: it is Taipei's most expensive neighbourhood, where high-end apartments can exceed 100,000 TWD per month.
Boutiques, galleries, restaurants and hotels: Zhongshan mixes cultural activity with neighbourhood life. It is well served by the metro and attracts an international crowd.
An administrative district, close to the main station (Taipei Main Station) and the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial, Zhongzheng offers excellent connections and mid-range rents. A good choice if you travel often around the island.
In the north-east, Neihu is a leafy residential area that is home to a large technology park. Rents there are more accessible and the metro connection is good: it suits families and people who work in tech.
In the north of the city, Tianmu concentrates foreign schools, embassies and international shops. The atmosphere is quiet and green, rents are moderate. It is often the first choice of families with children in an international school.
Wanhua, a historic neighbourhood around Ximending, offers some of the most affordable rents in the centre. Wenshan, in the south, is residential and quiet, served by the metro's brown line, with competitive rents.
The ranges on our city page give benchmarks by type of home:
Add water, electricity, gas and internet, generally paid by the tenant, for a few thousand TWD per month depending on the season: air conditioning weighs heavily in summer. At signing, plan on a security deposit of one to three months' rent, sometimes more for a foreign tenant, and agency fees of about half a month's rent if an agency is involved.
Furnished homes are very common. They often include an air conditioner, fridge and washing machine, which justifies a slightly higher rent but simplifies settling in. The average floor area is smaller than in Europe: most apartments are between 20 and 80 m².
In Taipei, proximity to an MRT station is one of the first price criteria. A home five minutes' walk from a station rents for more than an equivalent one fifteen minutes away, but saves you time every day. The EasyCard lets you take the metro, the bus and the YouBike bike-sharing bikes, found near every metro station.
For a long stay, the Alien Resident Certificate (ARC) makes everything easier: bank account, phone plan, signing the lease. The international office of National Taiwan University recalls the rules: if you enter Taiwan with a resident visa, it must be converted into an ARC within 30 days of your arrival. Once you have the ARC, any change of information, including a move, must be reported online within 30 days. The procedures fall under the National Immigration Agency.
The language, the listings in Chinese and the need to visit make the search difficult from a distance. Many newcomers start with temporary accommodation, then visit in person for one to two weeks.
To save that time, a Remoters home finder based in Taipei can search for you, visit homes, check their condition, put the application together and review the lease with you before signing. The first conversation and the quote are free.
Short answers to the questions our readers ask, written to stand on their own.
Sources cited in this article
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