Overview of life in Taiwan

Hi Gulfport
What's your purpose to come to Taiwan?
Study or work?
Here is a link you for your consideration
http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/co … try=Taiwan

Regard
Bidara

Check out http://tealit.com

Lol thanks Bidara
i do use numbeo when planning trips etc.

I spoke with the Taiwan TECO ( consulate ) and they say i can get a 3 or 6 month visa ( possibly even 1 year ). 

My friend came back from a month visit to Taiwan and he was super happy - i saw the pics and it looks really nice -

Anyway, the purpose of my visit is to spend 6 months there and perhaps start an electronics export business.

Most welcome Gulfport
Indeed Taiwan is wonderful country,
There are some places you could consider
1 Taipei, as it was the capital of taiwan, the cost of living would be much higher then the rest
2 Kaohsiung is second busiest city in Taiwan but it was much cheaper than Taipei
There are also Taichung,Hsinzu and taoyuan as Taiwan's industrial city
If you are opt for lavish and metropolis style environment I suggest you choose Taipei because most of international based company was located it can give you more advantage for your business
So. Good luck

Regard
Bidara

As I read your profile, you were from UAE so I assume you are a Muslim(perhaps)
Don't get shocked with the food ,you can't easily find halal food here
Taiwanese population were dominated by Chinese with Buddhist as their religions,,
Taiwanese culture are influenced by American, Japan and China
With a dash of the aboriginal culture, you won't find it difficult to adjust I dare say 
Hope this helpful

Regard
Bidara

Oh, salam 3aleikom Bidara ur a muslim sister !! what a surprise lol. 

Could you share some other advice in regards to living in Taiwan ? For example; would u suggest using a bicycle to move around Taipei ? Is public transport efficient ?

Which area(s) of town would u recommend living in and why  ?  i hear there's uni campus; would it be more fun and convenient to rent in that area ?

Sorry if im asking too many questions but i wish to prepare myself as much as possible from first hand experience etc.

All contributions are welcome

Waalaikum Salam
In Taipei the transportation are well managed, taxi, buses,MRT,bicycle train,HSR (high speed rail ) you could move easily and efficiently
To rent a room or a house I suggest you to ask your local friends ( if you have any) to do you favor to deal with the landlord for if you do yourself they could charge you more,and note please learn little Chinese language before you come( just in case you got lost and no other person to ask except local people  )
Is true that you can't find halal food that easy but not too worry there are some halal restaurant in Taipei, and coz you are a Muslim you would want to find mosque.there is one in the heart of Taipei just across one of the biggest park in Taipei called the Taipei grand mosque

Ah yes one important thing Taiwan's currency called NTD, 1$ usa equivalent to 30NTD

Regard
Bidara

For living area of course I would suggest you find one which is near to where you'll spend most of your time( working ,study etc) to cut down your transportation budget,but if it's ok for you to travel long distances then I would suggest you to find one in country side it's cheaper and greener.


Sorry I didn't post everything in one post instead of posting so many

Ah yes when will you be coming anyway, I should make a welcome bash for you with the royal carriage ha ha ha no no just kidding brother


Regard
Bidara

lol thanks Bidara that's great info..i was just gonna ask you about friday prayer etc. but you you nailed it right on the head.

i lived for several years in Buddhist countries and i must say they're among the kindest and most open minded people on earth; and i respect them a lot and try to learn from them whenever possible - Buddhism is a philosophy of life that can improve ones outlook on life.

in regards to learning the language..its always good to be able to communicate with the locals and to be polite; since in most cases they do appreciate the effort.  sometimes i just use Google translate on my phone and press the speaker button when i get lost lol