Six Months in Taipei: An Honest Review
I'm a Malaysian student doing my Master's in Global MBA at NTU. Here's my most honest take after 6 months.
What's Actually Great
The food is incredible — and cheap. A full meal at a local restaurant or night market stall costs 60–100 TWD ($2–3 USD). I spend about 6,000–8,000 TWD/month on food without even trying to save.
Public transport is world-class. The MRT is clean, punctual, and extensive. A monthly student pass is only 1,280 TWD. YouBike costs 5 TWD for the first 30 minutes.
Safety. Taipei is one of the safest cities in Asia. I walk home at 2 AM and never feel unsafe.
Budget Breakdown (Monthly)
• Room rent (near NTU): 8,000–12,000 TWD
• Food: 6,000–8,000 TWD
• Transport: 1,500 TWD
• Phone plan: 499 TWD
• Entertainment: 2,000–3,000 TWD
• Total: ~18,000–24,500 TWD
The Challenges
The language barrier is real. Even with English signs on campus, daily life requires basic Mandarin. Download Google Translate's offline Chinese pack.
Finding housing is stressful. Join the NTU International Students Facebook group — people post housing leads there frequently.