Taiwan, country considered one of the Asian tigers, along with South Korea, Singapore and Hong Kong, for the great growth that has experienced in recent years.
A country that mixes the best of China and Japan ...
Although they have their own currency (the Taiwanese dollar) and almost total control of their policies, it is not officially recognized by most countries in the world, since China has always claimed its membership.
This situation is due to the fact that after the civil war that took place in China between communists and nationalists, the defeated government fled to the island of Taiwan along with millions of refugees. Taiwan continued to be known as the Republic of China and from there claimed the sovereignty of all China and the current China was renamed the People's Republic of China and also continued claiming the territory of Taiwan as its own.
To this day, there are fewer and fewer tensions and closer relations between both countries.
The population of Taiwan not being subject to the Chinese Communist mandate, has always been characterized by being much more open and foreigners tend to emphasize the great sympathy of its population.
Taiwan also escapes China's censorship regimes and its geopolitical situation and circumstances have made this country one of the most prosperous countries in Southeast Asia.
The capital of Taiwan is Taipei and is where the majority of employment opportunities for foreigners are concentrated. This country has a population of more than 20 million inhabitants, the currency in circulation is the Taiwanese dollar (1 € = 35 Taiwanese dollars) and the main language is Mandarin Chinese, although Taiwanese and other dialects are also spoken in other areas. Living in Taiwan is cheap, especially if you are going to live outside of your capital, such as Kaohsiung which is the second largest city in the country, you can find a room for just over € 100 and have all your basic expenses covered (accommodation, food and transportation) for less than € 300.
Below I detail what it would cost you to live in the capital, Taipei, much more expensive than the rest of the country and I leave some resources that will also serve you to live in any other part of Taiwan.
Budget to live in Taiwan
At the end between accommodation, food and transportation, you can live in Taiwan for € 500 per month.
Room in a shared house: € 250
Transportation using the metro 2 times a day: € 50
Eating and other expenses: € 200
Accommodation - € 250
In its capital Taipei you can find studies from around € 400 per month for rentals of at least one year and rooms in shared houses from € 250 per month.
Transportation - € 50
To move in Taipei the cheapest and fastest option is the metro. You have a very good metro network whose tickets are worth around € 1 per trip, depending on the distance you travel. You can also buy cards that you recharge with money, in which you have a 20% discount on each trip you make. These cards can be purchased at supermarkets open 24 hours a day, around Taipei, such as 7 Eleven, Family Mart or OK Mart among others.
You can also use Uber, which is much cheaper than the taxi.
Food - € 150
Eating on the street is very cheap, you can do it for just over € 2 in street stalls, or for less than € 10 in many restaurants. If you cook, local markets are the cheapest option to buy food. But if you like to buy in a typical supermarket, the most popular is the PX Mart. To find international products you have the Carrefour.
Going out is something more expensive, a beer in a Taipei nightclub can cost between € 4 and € 6 and a cocktail around € 8.
Telephone - € 30
At the same airport you can buy your prepaid phone card. The price of a prepaid plan with unlimited internet for 30 days is usually around € 30.
If you get a card already outside the airport, it can cost you half, but in many stores they do not do it if you do not present a Taiwanese identity card.
Security
Taiwan is considered one of the safest countries in the world, at the level of Japan. If you lose something, people usually return it to you if they can.
And like its Japanese neighbor, and changing the third on the subject of security, also recorded a great seismic activity, with earthquakes almost every day, although most are not perceived and do not cause material damage.
Weather
In Taiwan it is hot all year round, an average of about 22º, thanks to the proximity of the sea, which softens the temperatures. Between December and February are the coldest months, with an average temperature of about 17º and rain, it rains throughout the year, especially in the typhoon season that usually occurs between July and October. Each year, between 3 and 4 typhoons usually arrive on the island of Taiwan, times when security measures are extreme, and there is no greater danger as long as the indications given are followed.
In the high mountain areas if temperatures are recorded much lower, reaching snow at the highest points.
Health
Taiwan has a large health system that covers a large majority of its population with guarantees, regardless of their economic resources. But for anyone who comes from outside the price for a consultation or intervention can be quite expensive, so it is essential to travel with good travel insurance that covers any medical expenses.
From mevoyalmundo, I always recommend the IATI travel insurance, with which you have any covered expenses up to € 40,000 and it will not cost you much more than € 60 per month, being able to configure it for as long as you want.
Take money from ATMs
The cheapest option to change your currency to Taiwanese dollars is to take money from any ATM, with a card that does not have very high commissions, such as with N26, which is free, does not charge you anything for withdrawal and only a 1 , 7% on the currency exchange.
Work in Taiwan
Taiwan has full employment, but to work in Taiwan you usually need to have a work permit, although there are many cases of foreigners working in black. The salaries for the premises usually start at around € 600 at the change. Knowing another language or in more qualified jobs the salaries are already higher.
Work as an English teacher
The majority of foreigners in Taiwan work as English teachers, in schools with children between 5 and 15 years old. Although you do not speak English natively, just because you are white, your possibilities increase considerably. The salary as an English teacher is usually one 600 Taiwanese dollars per hour (around € 17).
Work speaking Spanish
In Taiwan you can also find some work opportunities speaking Spanish in a native way, thanks to which you usually get a work visa, since it is difficult for them to find workers who speak Spanish among the local population. Normally they will also ask you to speak Chinese or at least English.
Other types of work
If you know Chinese, your possibilities to work in Taiwan increase considerably and you can find jobs in other fields, especially those related to foreign trade, where it is always good to know other languages. But even knowing only English, you also have other options, besides those related to teaching
Study in Taiwan
Studying in Taiwan is one of the best things you can do in this country, especially if you want to study Mandarin Chinese or a master's degree, since there are many universities that teach them in English and at very low prices, from € 1,500 for the entire master.
With those prices and living in a city such as Kaohsiung, it can be a great opportunity to enrich your CV and live a great formative experience without having to spend a large amount of money.