Moving to Taiwan || A Guide By Those Who Made The Move

Moving to Taiwan (in 2024) || The Ultimate Expat’s Guide
From the LTL Expats

Moving anywhere in the world can be both an exciting, and daunting task.

Depending on where you’re coming from, moving to Taiwan may create a big distance between you and your hometown.

So, we’ve put a guide together including key information and facts on what to expect regarding the most important things that may be on your mind when preparing for a move abroad!

Let’s get stuck in…

Moving to Taiwan || Map of Taiwan

Moving to Taiwan || Currency in Taiwan

Moving to Taiwan || Time in Taiwan

Moving to Taiwan || Weather in Taiwan

Moving to Taiwan || Language in Taiwan

Moving to Taiwan || Things to do

Moving to Taiwan || FAQs

Moving to Taiwan: Taiwan Map

Taiwan is a relatively small island located in East Asia and has a population of 23.3 million.

Due to its small, compact size, the Taiwan map is fairly easy to navigate.

Most people head to its capital, Taipei, which is home to the Taipei 101 tower.

Let’s also not forget, the world’s tallest Starbucks at the top, boasting a great view of Taipei city.

The northern part of Taiwan, where Taipei the capital is located, is part of the sub-tropical climate zone, whilst the southern part is part of the tropical climate zone.

The island of Taiwan lies on the earthquake fault line, meaning that earthquakes are possible and not uncommon during modern times.

NOTE – LTL’s school is based in Taipei, the heart of Taiwan.

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Find out first how to make your expat life in China easier from the start, and how to deal with your friends moving home with LTL Language School.

Moving to Taiwan: Taiwan Currency

Currency: New Taiwan Dollar (NTD).

1 USD = approx 30 NTD (correct at time of publication)

The name of the Taiwan currency name is the “New Taiwan Dollar“, NTD or NT$ in its shortened form. 

The ISO code of the Taiwan currency is TWD, which you will need for the currency rate online.

To refer to Taiwanese money in every day Taiwanese, Taiwan currency is often referred to as ‘kuai’, literally meaning ‘piece’.

This is the same as how it’s referred to in Mainland China (either that or Renminbi, more formally)

You will hear this form of language in all aspects of life in Taiwan, from on the streets, to chatting with friends or in the office.

The highest denomination in cash is 2000$ and the lowest is 100$ although coins go as low as just 1$.

Useful Conversions (true as of October 2022)

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Moving to Taiwan: Taiwan Time

Taiwan, like Mainland China, has the same timezone throughout the entire country.

The Taiwan time zone is CST (China Standard Time), GMT + 8.

Moving to Taiwan: Taiwan Weather

Travel to this island in the tropical zone and you can forget about bringing your winter coats.

It has a beautiful warm climate throughout the whole year although experiencing Taiwan weather in summer can be a tad too much, as humidity levels, as well as heat rise above comfortable for most.

Because of the tropical climate, leaving your winter coats behind is a good idea, but don’t forget your umbrellas!

Taiwan’s weather can be very unpredictable, especially during typhoon season between July and September.

One minute a downpour, the next beautiful blue skies. Don’t forget to bring your umbrella with you in your bag!

The average amount of rainfall per year is 2,500mm and there are about 3-4 typhoons that hit the island per year.

Such typhoons have been known to have devastating impact, such as flooding, landslides, and causing damage to infrastructure.

Because Taiwan is an island, although the Taiwan weather may sound unbearable to some who don’t like warm summers, don’t fear!

There is a constant sea breeze passing through meaning to doesn’t get too stuffy.

Taiwan Weather Temperature:

• Annual average – 22 °C
• Annual average lowest – 12 to 17 °C
• Spring average – 25 °C
• Summer average – 30 °C
• Autumn average – 20 °C
• Winter average – 16 °C

Moving to Taiwan: Taiwan Language

Apart from the fact that people in Taiwan use Traditional Chinese instead of Simplified Chinese as their writing system, there are still several differences between Taiwanese Mandarin and Chinese Mandarin.

You can check out our blog all about Taiwanese Mandarin and get yourself fully clued up!

At LTL – our classes in Taiwan are either taught using Traditional Chinese or Simplified Chinese.

Sign up and YOU have the power to choose what YOU want to learn.

Things You Have To Know About Taiwanese Mandarin

What is the difference between Taiwanese Mandarin and Standard Mandarin? What language do they speak in Taiwan? Your questions are all answered here.

A note on VPNs

An important note distinguishing Taiwan and Mainland China is the use of VPN. Traveling to China for any period of time you’ll want to get yourself a VPN, whether free or paid.

Taiwan’s internet, however, does not require the use of a VPN to access some of your favourite sites such as Facebook and Netflix.

So, surf away!

Things to do in Taiwan

Luckily for you Taiwan is packed with things to do!

Even better still… we have dedicated not one, but two posts towards things to do in Taiwan!

Our first post is about the top things to do in Taipei – the things on the bucket list you have to do. These include:

• Visit the Taipei 101
• Head to the Addiction Aquatic Development
• Visit the incredible night Markets

Check out our post to see the rest.

Things to Do in Taipei (2024 Update) | The Complete Guide

This is a must-visit city. Taipei is incredibly relaxed, very friendly, and boasts some rather incredible food across the city.

Our next post is about the quirkier, fun things to do in Taipei that usually slip under the radar. These include:

• Going for a knife massage
• Have your fortune told by a bird
• Sitting on a giant waterlily

See how those lists differ. We didn’t even mention the poo-themed restaurant either!

Something for everyone in Taipei!

Moving to Taiwan || FAQs

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BONUS | Want to study the local Taiwanese dialect known as Hokkien? We provide Hokkien classes in person and online.