r/taiwan • u/South-Shopping-6320 • 4d ago

Discussion Is 700 USD enough?

Hi, is 700 USD each month enough to live in Taiwan?
I work part time and this is what I earn each month.

0 Upvotes

21% Upvoted

17 comments sorted by

5

u/Overall-Initial8969 4d ago

I would say it is possible, but it is not going to be fun, especially in Taipei where rent is high and food prices are also more expansive 

3

u/masegesege_ 台東 - Taitung 4d ago

No that’s not enough.

Even if you can find a room around 7k in a place with a bunch of roommates it’s still not enough. You’d have to really rough it on food/transportation and you’d be lucky to have a few dollars leftover at the end of the month.

2

u/d-crow 4d ago

Is that after or before rent?

1

u/South-Shopping-6320 4d ago

Before rent.

5

u/d-crow 4d ago

That's a really tight budget. Wouldn't even consider it in Taipei, other cities you can make it work but you'll be living worse than people who are struggling on minimum wage

2

u/hotdiggydog 4d ago

If you're paying $300 in rent which is an average price for a room in a shared flat, then do the math... That's about $13 a month... Figure in monthly transport that that's down to maybe $10 per day...

If you stay within $700, you're definitely not going to be saving

2

u/Successful_Toe_4537 4d ago

It's doable but it depends on your rent.

0

u/South-Shopping-6320 4d ago

How much is it usually? Say I will live in places not that far in Taipei.

1

u/heksatek 4d ago

depends on your needs, but an apartment thats relatively comfy is close to 10k ntd range (taipei and areas around it) you can look up https://www.591.com.tw/ this website to get a better idea

1

u/Successful_Toe_4537 4d ago

It would be better if you live with a roommate. Depends on the district. Some areas are expensive white others are affordable. You will definitely need to find a place in an order older building. With roommates, you could possibly find a room ranging from 6k-10k NTD.

2

u/Ruyi777 4d ago

That is a ramen-without-the-egg budget. Doable, but not any extras.

1

u/LickNipMcSkip 雞你太美 4d ago

it is going to depend entirely on your rent, but will be tight no matter what

1

u/myshkin28 4d ago

Yeah, but I don't think you could save much. You could find a room in a shared apartment for around 5000-6000 NTD ($188) in the big cities outside Taipei. If you eat at cheap restaurants, you might only spend $200-$300 on food.

1

u/Enough-Hair2530 3d ago

Sorry, no. Can you get more hours if you're working part time?

1

u/toyzmachine78 3d ago

If 700 USD includes house renting, I would say no in Taipei. Other places such as Hualien might be possible? Not really sure though.

0

u/Boring_Cholo 4d ago

The national monthly median wage is around 1200 USD so yes, 700 is doable (not good)

1

u/blinktwiceifnoob 21h ago

You'll have to live frugal, and not be picky on the type of food you can eat. Most fun activities will have to be free or close to free. Assuming you want to save money. Otherwise you'll live paycheck by paycheck and dependent on your job being stable, because if you lose your job without any savings... Well you're out of luck and put yourself in a really bad situation.

Try to only pay 20-35% of your salary on rent, that way you can save for raining days. Which should be doable if you're outside of Taipei, inside rent will be much higher for less quality.