These costs are for two people teaching full time, living a very comfortable life. The costs listed below could be reduced by a third easily if one wanted to be frugal.

Rent: three bedroom apartment, brand new apartment building in a new modern part of Taipei, in an area of high tech headquarters. $US 950 (a not-so-nice, but decent 2 bedroom apartment can be found in many parts of the city for around $US750).

Electric, water, gas: $US 135 a month.

Home phone, two cell phones, internet(100mbs over phone line), and TV (including 5 English speaking movie channels, CNN, BBC, Bloomburg News, and Australia News):
$U.S. 95 a month.

Food: Taipei (and Taiwan in general) is a food paradise. It is possible to eat out every night of the month for $US300 a month. If you ate breakfast and lunch out at any of the myriads of local store front eateries, you could spend another $US 180 a month.
If you cook at home you could reduce this budget by 50%... though many people claim it is almost less expensive to eat out than to cook at home, which is why people in Taipei have tiny kitchens.

Transport: Taipei has the best metro system in the world, and very cheap buses. It is not necessary to have a car. Transportation twice a day, 30days a month, would cost about $US 45.

So: Total basic costs (living very comfortably): Rent $US 750; utilities: $US 135; phone etc: $US 95; food: $US 480 (for two people); Transport: $US 90(for two people). Medical insurance (for working aliens) US$ 64 for two people (national health insurance means most visits to the Dr. are less than $US 10): Total: $US 1,614 a month.

But, of course, life is not just basic living. It includes filling the house with lillies and flowers every week. Celebration dinners occasionally. Buying stuff. A bit of travel.
We find that on the average we spend about $2,800 a month for the two of us. This is at a life style level that is higher and more comfortable than we had on Long Island, New York.

Taipei is a very safe place to live, and the Taiwanese are exceptionally friendly and kind to foreigners. The only drawback is that you cannot live in Taiwan unless you are working. The longest visitor visa is for 60 days. Most Westerners who live here either work for international businesses, the diplomatic community, or are here teaching English. By the way, it is possible to live in Taipei comfortably without speaking a word of Chinese. Almost everywhere you go you will find people with enough English for your wants to be met... with kindness and a smile.

I live in Daan Park, Xinyi District. my 2 bdrm/2 bath apt with large roof garden is 35,000NT, food is cheap when bought at open air market (10 NT head of lettuce, 5 NT tomato), milk .5 liters is about 70 NT. I don't drive, I haven't had the need to go to a doctor or dentist. public transportation is 25 NT (metro as well). the high speed train to the other end of the island fee is different at different times, best to buy ahead. pack of cigaretts 60 NT.

- Rent: NT$12500 for a 355 sq. ft. , partially furnished ensuite in a ten-story lift level. NT$4000 for an underground car park. Plus NT$540 for management fee.

-Essentials (electricity, water, phone, ADSL and etc.): NT$3000
-Grocery Shopping (food, sanitary): NT$5000~NT6000 for two people a month
-Eating out: NT$5000 ~NT7000 for two people, two meals every week in a month

Rent: 2 bedroom apartment in Neihu with 1 car garage (high price area), NT28,000/month.

Apartment building management fee: NT3,000/month.

Utilities: NT1,500-2,000/month for gas, electricity and water.

Food and Recreation: NT25,000-30,000/month. We eat out for about half our meals. Recreation is for short trips around North Taiwan, and does not include the annual trip abroad we do every year. The trip abroad would add NT60,000-100,000/year.