Cost of Living in Taitung
Where this figure comes from. No cost survey covers Taitung, so the $950 a month above is our own estimate rather than a measurement. On 330 of our 981 city guides the figure is built from a published Numbeo basket, a one-bedroom rent in the centre plus one person's monthly costs without rent, converted to USD; this city is not one of them. Treat it as a starting point and check current rental listings before you budget against it. How we source everything.
Budget around $950 a month, which makes Taitung one of the cheaper places to live in Taiwan. A one-bedroom runs roughly $250 to $450, well below Taipei and with more space. Market produce is very cheap and the region grows rice, custard apples and tea, with the Chishang rice from the valley north of the city regarded as the best in Taiwan. Eating out costs a few dollars and the night market is where most people do it. Utilities are moderate and air conditioning is the main summer cost. Taiwan's health insurance system is excellent and available to residents at low cost.
Where to Work in Taitung
Connectivity is very good. Taiwan has near-universal fibre at high speeds and low prices, comprehensive mobile coverage and reliable power, and Taitung is no exception despite being on the quiet side of the island. There is a small but real coworking presence, and the county has actively promoted itself to remote workers and to people leaving Taipei. The time zone is eight hours ahead of GMT, which works for Asia and Australia and is difficult for Europe and the Americas. Typhoons are the one thing that interrupts everything, and the east coast takes them first.
Getting Around Taitung
A scooter is the normal way to move, as everywhere in Taiwan, and Taitung is flat and easy for it. Bicycles work well and the coastal and valley cycle routes are among the best in the country. The city itself is small and walkable. Taitung station is on the east coast railway line, with the fastest trains reaching Taipei in about three and a half hours and Kaohsiung in two. Taitung Airport has flights to Taipei and to Green Island and Orchid Island, both of which are also reachable by ferry and are the region's main draw.
Sorting transport? Book an airport transfer, or compare car rental on Auto Europe and QEEQ.
Visas for Taitung
Taiwan grants ninety days visa-free entry to citizens of most European countries, the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Japan and Australia, which is generous and straightforward. Extensions are possible in some circumstances. Taiwan also operates the Employment Gold Card, a combined work permit, residence visa and open work right valid for one to three years for qualifying professionals, which is one of the best schemes of its kind anywhere and is the route most long-stay remote workers use. There is no separate digital nomad visa. Anyone considering the Gold Card should note that it is assessed on qualifications and income across several professional categories, and that approval takes weeks rather than days.
Best Time to Visit Taitung
October to April is the best window, warm at around twenty five degrees with lower humidity and clear air, and the winter here is far milder than the north of the island. May to September is hot and humid and is the typhoon season, and the east coast is the first landfall for storms crossing the Pacific, which means genuine disruption several times a year. The rift valley north of the city is at its best in spring when the rice is green and in autumn when the daylilies flower orange across the hillsides at Liushidan.
Pros and Cons of Taitung
The case for Taitung is the landscape and the pace: the Pacific on one side, the Central Mountain Range on the other, a rift valley of rice paddies between them, and a county that has deliberately stayed undeveloped. Green Island and Orchid Island offer some of the best diving in Taiwan. Indigenous Amis and Puyuma culture is stronger here than anywhere else on the island. The case against is the isolation from the west coast cities, limited English, few international services, and a typhoon season that genuinely disrupts. Green Island also holds a former political prison where dissidents were held during the White Terror, now a memorial park, which is a serious and well-presented piece of Taiwan's recent history.
Who Taitung Is For
Taitung suits surfers, cyclists, divers and anyone who wants Taiwan's infrastructure with none of its density, which is a combination that is genuinely hard to find. It suits remote workers on Asian hours, particularly those on the Employment Gold Card. It suits anyone interested in Taiwan's indigenous peoples, whose presence here is substantial rather than symbolic. It does not suit anyone who needs a city, anyone working European or American hours, or anyone who would find a small east coast town isolating after a few months. It also suits hot air balloon enthusiasts, oddly specifically, since the Taiwan International Balloon Festival runs above the Luye highland here every summer and is the county's biggest event.
Photo: Liaon98 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0 tw)
