If you are one of the many people every year that consider moving to Taiwan, you may not realize what an amazing country Taiwan is (yes, it is an independent country no matter what the Chinese government would like you to believe!).
In fact, Taiwan is such an amazing place to move to, tens of thousands of people move there every year and, once they do, they never want to leave.
Before you make your final decision about moving to Taiwan, however, here are 7 reasons why Taiwan is an amazing country to move to.
Things that will, hopefully, help you make up your mind. And probably have you booking your flight as soon as you are able once you realize what an incredible country Taiwan can be.
The Taiwanese people are some of the friendliest in the world
If you come from a country like Austria or Slovakia, where people are just not known to be particularly friendly, you may be put off by the incredible friendliness of the Taiwanese.
If you are looking for a country to move to where the people will be welcoming, helpful, friendly, kind and go out of their way to make sure you feel comfortable and safe, however, then you cannot go wrong with Taiwan.
Anywhere in the country, your neighbors, your co-workers, even random people you meet on the street will help you to the best of their ability. That means giving you advice about where to shop, how to deal with government requirements for a new arrival, how to find your way to places, helping you find your lost wallet and on and on.
Even when you walk into a store, the employees will be smiling and friendly and do everything they can to brighten up your day.
In fact, in Taiwan, it seems like there is nothing too difficult for most of the people you will meet there when it comes to feeling welcome.
And, if you still don’t believe that’s true, watch the video from YouTuber Cyrion Willems who put the legendary Taiwanese friendliness to the test by hitchhiking halfway across the country.
Taiwan’s healthcare system is the best in the world
And no, that is not an exaggeration, which is why I am putting it close to the top of the list of why Taiwan is an amazing country to move to. After all, health care is often at the forefront of people’s minds when they decide to move to another country.
Taiwan’s health care system was named the #1 system in the world in 2019 by CEOWorld Magazine. The magazine placed it at the top of 89 countries it rated on their Health Care Index last year due to the country’s superb health care professionals, affordable cost, easy availability of medication, and excellent infrastructure.
In fact, Taiwan’s health care system not only covers 99.8% of the population, it is so good, many expats (especially Americans!) who move there cannot believe how cheap it is for the extremely high quality of care they get.
The food in Taiwan is delicious and it is everywhere
Whenever you talk to anyone who has visited or who lives in Taiwan, one of the first things they will mention about why the country is so wonderful is the food.
In fact, some people think Taiwan is an amazing country to move to just for the food alone.
Taiwanese food is diverse, cheap, tastes amazing and is available just about anywhere you travel on the island. It is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as well.
Taiwanese food is influenced by its past — from its Dutch and Japanese rulers, to its rich Chinese history. That means the food in Taiwan tastes like no food anywhere else in the world.
With so many different Taiwanese dishes to choose from, and many of them being available from the country’s superb food stalls, you can eat handsomely here without ever needing to break the bank.
If you are vegetarian or vegan, you will also find many different Taiwanese dishes that will suit your food needs.
If you want to learn just a little bit about Taiwan’s amazing food culture, this 30-minute video from Trending Taiwan will give you some excellent insights.
Taiwan is cheap
Believe it or not, depending on where you choose to live in Taiwan (not Taipei where apartment rent can be expensive), it can be incredibly cheap to live there.
This is especially true for many westerns who move to Taiwan to teach, open businesses or work in international companies as the salary they receive is often quite high compared to the Taiwanese cost of living.
In some cases, rent can be as low as 15% of your salary (compared to 30-50% in much of the rest of the world), meals can be bought at a food stall for as low as $1, public transportation goes everywhere and is very affordable (taxis start at just over $2 a ride) and even grabbing a beer or a glass of wine is something you will be afford to do several times a week if you want to.
Of course, once you get outside Taipei, the country is even more affordable with an unfurnished 3-bedroom apartment in Kaohsiung, for instance, renting for as low as $450 U.S. as oppose to Taipei’s $2,000 U.S. or more, and grocery shopping, eating out and spending an evening with friends much cheaper than in Taipei.
The weather in Taiwan
While it may be steamy hot during the summer months in Taiwan (June-September), the other eight months of the year definitely make up for it with mainly warm, pleasant weather that is perfect for walking, bicycling, spending time outdoors with friends or traveling around the island to see just how much Taiwan has to offer.
With so much beauty in Taiwan when it comes to the nature, having those many months of gorgeous weather so you can enjoy it is wonderful.
In fact, if you want to live in a country where you can spend time on the beach at Christmas instead of dealing with the snow from back home, then Taiwan is sure to please.
Temperatures in the summer will usually be between 28-35 degrees Celsius, with winter temperatures rarely getting colder than 15 degrees Celsius and usually hovering around 20 degrees Celsius at least.
It is also rare you will ever need very cold weather clothing, and are never likely to need a thick winter coat and boots like you would if you moved to Switzerland or Germany.
This is Taiwan‘s video on how to survive the summers in Taiwan will help you deal with the humidity of Taiwanese summers. You can check out average weather conditions in Taiwan year-round at Seasons of the Year.
Taiwan is incredibly safe
When you think about the world’s safest countries to move to, Japan is probably at the top of your list.
If so, put Taiwan right alongside it.
In fact, Taiwan regularly ends up on lists of top 10 safest countries in the world (this year, it’s #2 on this one).
Taiwan is a country where you are not likely to be mugged on the street, not likely to have to worry about being pick-pocketed and, if you leave your wallet or phone somewhere, you are extremely likely to get it back.
Women too tend to feel safe in Taiwan. So much so, even taking a taxi home at night after an evening with friends is not something a woman would generally worry about in Taiwan. Particularly as violent crime is lower than in most other countries.
Unlike in many other countries in the world too, there really are not bad neighborhoods in Taipei. That means even the cheaper places to live are just as safe as the more expensive ones.
Life in Taiwan has an excellent story to prove just how safe Taiwan can be in his video below.
Night markets in Taiwan (shopping!)
Finally, most of Asia has excellent night markets, but Taiwan seems to excel at them even more.
Taiwan’s night markets sell just about any kind of product you could ever possibly want as well as some of the country’s best food on their many food stalls.
The Taiwanese love their night markets too, so they are always lively, exciting, crowded and fun, and a wonderful place to meet friends for a drink or a meal as well as the perfect place to do some cheap shopping.
Watch the video from Discovery Walking Tours TV of his 30-minute walk through the Taipei Shilin Night Market. Do as he recommends, and wear your headphones, and you will get a great feel of what it would actually be like being there yourself.
These are just 7 of reasons why Taiwan is an amazing country to move to. Of course, there are many, many more.