Taiwan
Taipei, Asia
Living in Taiwan: the short version
Taiwan is one of Asia’s safest, friendliest and most convenient places to live, with excellent healthcare, efficient transport and a world-leading tech industry. The Employment Gold Card combines a work permit and residence permit for skilled professionals, with a tax break for high earners.
Best for: Tech, finance and creative professionals, English teachers and anyone wanting a safe, convenient Asian base.
Why people move here
- Very safe with excellent, affordable healthcare
- Gold Card gives an open work permit
- Great food and efficient public transport
What to watch out for
- Mandarin needed outside work and central Taipei
- Hot, humid summers and typhoons
- Local salaries are modest for non-tech roles
How to move to Taiwan: main visa and residency routes
Summaries only — requirements and income thresholds change. Always check the official sources below.
- Employment Gold Card
- Combined open work permit, resident visa and residence permit for professionals in designated fields, including those who earned at least NT$160,000 a month.
- Employer-sponsored work permit
- For foreign professionals hired by a Taiwanese company, including English teachers.
- Entrepreneur visa
- For founders investing in or running an innovative start-up in Taiwan.
Healthcare for newcomers
Residents join the National Health Insurance (NHI) system after six months (immediately with a job). It is one of the world’s best-rated systems, with low premiums and small co-payments.
Cost of Living
Cost of living index: 50 (NYC = 100)
Rent (1BR)
$600
Rent (3BR)
$1300
Groceries
$250
Transport
$35
Utilities
$70
Internet
$20
Dining Out
$120
Tax System
Corporate Tax
20%
VAT / Sales Tax
5%
Social Security
4%
Capital Gains
0%
Income Tax Brackets
| Income Range (USD) | Tax Rate |
|---|---|
| $0 - $19,000 | 5% |
| $19,001 - $43,100 | 12% |
| $43,101 - $86,600 | 20% |
| $86,601 - $162,200 | 30% |
| $162,201 - Above | 40% |
Culture
Taiwan is a safe, democratic and technologically advanced island known for friendly people, night markets and mountains. Its culture blends Chinese, Indigenous, Japanese and Western influences.
Traditions
- Lunar New Year
- Lantern Festival and sky lanterns in Pingxi
- Dragon Boat Festival
- Ghost Month
Cultural Values
- Respect and politeness
- Family
- Education
- Harmony
Common Greeting: Nǐ hǎo!
Cultural Tips
- • Hand over and receive items, especially business cards, with both hands
- • Avoid writing names in red ink
- • Separate your rubbish carefully: collection trucks play music
- • Never stick chopsticks upright in rice
🍽 Food & Cuisine
Taiwanese food is famous for night markets and comfort food, combining Fujianese, Hakka, Japanese and Indigenous influences.
Beef noodle soup
Braised beef and chewy noodles in a rich, spiced broth
Xiaolongbao
Soup dumplings popularised worldwide by Taipei’s Din Tai Fung
Lu rou fan
Braised minced pork belly over rice
Bubble tea
Milk tea with chewy tapioca pearls, invented in Taiwan in the 1980s
Sources and methodology
Figures on this page are estimates in US dollars, compiled from the international datasets below and converted at recent exchange rates. The cost of living index uses New York City as 100. Guidance was last reviewed on . Found something out of date? Tell us.
Official Taiwan sources
Data sources
- PwC Worldwide Tax Summaries — individual income tax
- Numbeo — cost of living (crowdsourced prices)
- World Bank Open Data — economic and population indicators
- OECD Tax Database — tax rates and social contributions
- ILOSTAT — employment and unemployment
- UNDP Human Development Reports — health and education
- UN World Population Prospects — population
Quality of Life
Job Market
Average Annual Salary
$22,000
Job Difficulty
Moderate
Unemployment Rate
3.4%
Work Permit Required
Yes
Top Industries
Languages
Official Languages
Other Languages Spoken