When trying to find an accommodation or apartment in Taipei, a common question is “what area should I live in Taipei”? The answer to this varies with each individual, as most of Taipei is safe for foreigners. It depends on factors such as your budget, lifestyle and purpose in Taipei. Thankfully, Taipei has a diverse selection of areas, which can cater to wide variety of individuals. Hence, here is a guide which can help international students decide what will be the best area or district to live in Taipei.
Which Districts to Live in Taipei?
For foreigners looking for an apartment or accommodation in Taipei, the areas that will be recommended the most to you, are likely to be either Zhongzheng District or Da’an District. This is especially true for international students attending NTNU, NTU, NTUST or NCCU. In all honesty this makes perfect sense. Both these areas are extremely popular with other foreigners, as they are the most accommodating for them. There are plenty of short-term rooms in shared apartments in these two districts that cater to international students.
Zhongzheng District
The Zhongzheng District mainly lies on the Green MRT Line and is popular with students, due to the high concentration of Universities nearby. Hence, if you are a student coming for exchange, this area should be your first preference. Even if you are not a student, this area will be great for you. As it is a great place to meet new friends or young professionals to grow your network. This can be attributed to the large number of bars in the surrounding area.
Conveniently, this area also has two night markets within its vicinity. However, the most attractive quality about this area is the relatively low cost for accommodation. Being a student area, rooms for rent in a shared apartment are readily available. All things considered, Zhongzheng District is a dynamic area which always provides you with a variety of activities to get up to every night.
Best Areas to Live in Zhongzheng for NTNU Students
For NTNU students, the best areas to live in Zhongzheng District are anywhere near Guting MRT Station and Taipower Building MRT Station. These two stations put you within a 5-10 minute walk to NTNU and NTNU MTC (and a 15-20 minute walk to Daan Park). Right next to Guting MRT Station is a Starbucks, McDonald’s, Subway, TGIF, Jason’s Marketplace, Sushi Express, Yoshinoya, Poya and many small local restaurants. Right next to Taipower MRT Station is the Shida Night Market, which includes many Taiwanese and western restaurants. There is also a Starbucks, Burger King and Pizza Hut nearby the Taipower Building MRT Station.
Best Areas to Live in Zhongzheng for NTU and NTUST Students
For NTU and NTUST students, the best areas to live in Zhongzheng District is near Gongguan MRT Station. In addition to a vibrant night market, there is also a movie theater nearby and lots of shops and restaurants. It is very lively area around Gongguan. For NTU students who want a quieter area to live, then areas around the Guting and Taipower MRT Stations are still good options since they are very close to Gongguan.
Best Areas to Live in Zhongzheng for NCCU Students
For NCCU students, Gongguan is a convenient location because you can take a direct bus to NCCU from Gongguan. Take the 236, 530 or BR11 bus from Gongguan Station and get off at National Chengchi University Station. The bus will take about 35 minutes. NCCU students can also choose to live in the areas around the Guting and Taipower Building MRT stations since they are very close to Gongguan.
Da’an District
Comparatively, Da’an District is a slightly more expensive area than Zhongzheng District. However, as its neighbors with Zhongzheng, it also enjoys similar benefits as them. In fact, in some aspects it can considered to be better than Zhongzheng. Da’an enjoys the luxury of having a greater number of bars and restaurants, while also having a more reputable range of global brands. While being another great option for student, it is the most popular district amongst expats. This can be attributed which provide them with activities to get up to through the week.
Being in between the Zhongzheng (the student area) and Xinyi (the trendy nightlife area), its an area that compromises everything between these two districts. Hence, while the nightlife is better, the cost of accommodation is also high. Regardless, Da’an is a really nice neighborhood to live in as an exchange student or a young international worker.
Best Areas to Live in Daan for NTNU Students
For NTNU students, the best area to live in Daan is around the Dongmen MRT Station. This area is highly sought after by other foreigners in Taipei because they are close to Daan Park, Xinyi Anhe and the Xinyi area (Taipei 101 and ATT4Fun). It takes about 15 minutes to walk from Dongmen MRT Station to NTNU and you will be next to Yongkang Street with all its cozy shops and restaurants.
You are only one MRT stop away from Guting (take the orange line) and you can walk to Daan Park in less than 10 minutes. You can also take the metro to Xinyi area in about 15 minutes from the Dongmen MRT Station. If you check the MRT map, you will see how convenient it is live near the Dongmen MRT Station.
Best Areas to Live in Daan for NTU and NTUST Students
For NTU and NTUST students, the most convenient area to live in Daan is next to the Technology Building or Liuzhangli MRT Stations on the Brown line. The Brown MRT line is convenient because it is easy to make connections to the Red, Blue and Green MRT lines. The areas around these two stations also puts you in close proximity to Xinyi Anhe and Xinyi. From the Technology Building or the Liuzhangli MRT Stations, it is a short walk to NTU (in particular the NTU language school. It is a little bit further to walk to NTUST but it is still convenient.
Best Areas to Live in Daan for NCCU Students
For NCCU students, anywhere along the Brown line should be convenient for you to get to NCCU. You just need to take the Brown line to the Taipei Zoo Station and then take any of the following buses to NCCU: 236, 237, 611, 282, BR6 or BR11. Living near Daan MRT Station would probably be the most convenient since it puts you on both the Red and Brown MRT lines. You can get to anywhere around Taipei very easily.
To summarize, the best district to stay in Taipei varies with each individual’s needs and preference. However Da’an and Zhongzheng District are well suited for most foreigner coming to live in Taipei.
While there being plenty of other districts which are fine to live in, these two areas tend to be the best if you are a foreigner to Taiwan. Given the efficient MRT system within the city, it also makes getting around quite easy. So regardless of where you might need to travel in Taipei it shouldn’t be much trouble.
However, this doesn’t mean that it will always be time efficient. So, when it comes to your daily commute being extensively long. It is probably best to search for a location which will make this more manageable. It is important to keep in mind that they best place to stay in Taipei varies with each individual. To can find a interactive housing map detailing the benefits of each area, look here.
How to Find Accommodation in Taipei?
Even after deciding on the best place to stay in Taipei for you, it still can be troublesome to find and book an apartment there. Though, by using My Room Abroad, you can make the process much more convenient for yourself. This is a platform which can help you find and book rental accommodation. It can communicate with the landlord on your behalf and suggest verified accommodation which eliminates the chances of a scams. They also have a function which allows you to search accommodation according to the district or type of apartment. Through My Room Abroad you can also make online payments, allowing you to book before you even arrive in Taiwan.
Hopefully by now you have a better how to find accommodation in Taipei and if you require anymore information, you can find some more articles under Housing Tips or just contact My Room Abroad.