Apartment Rents Steep in Six Major Municipalities: Survey|房貸.租金負擔高 小資族喊苦居六都

The Taiwan Labor Front conducted a survey on the finances of apartment rental across Taiwan. The results show that those in Taipei carries the heaviest financial burden, with average rents accounting for 58 percent of their total income, Tainan occupies the other end of the scale at 15 percent. The rental market in northern Taiwan adds to the increasing burden of the working class, and the quality of houses is also inconsistent.


The photo of the apartment for rent shows that the paint on the wall has chipped in several places. The room is about 10 square-meters big, which offers little room to move around the bed. This is a house in Taipei City's Wanhua District for low income residents. The rent is NT$4,000 a month, which is quite a burden considering the renter only relies on low-income subsidies and allowances for the physically disabled, which amounts to NT$15,000.

The rent is NT$4,000 per month. It's fine for living on my own. The most important thing is to live happily.

It is not easy for most working class residents to live in the six special municipalities in Taiwan. According to the latest survey by the Taiwan Labor Front, in terms of the average proportion of rent in a person's income, the highest number is in Taipei City, standing at 58 percent, New Taipei comes in next at 30 percent, the figure for Taoyuan stands at 25 percent, it's 21 percent in Taichung, and slightly above 15 percent in Kaohsiung and Tainan city. The average rent is the highest in Taipei, standing at above NT$35,000, or NT$1,500 per ping (3.3 square meters). The average rent for New Taipei stands at NT$15,000, or NT$1,000 per ping. The average rent for those who earn minimum salary is NT$5,596 in Taipei, the highest among the major cities. However, the survey also reveals that less than 5 percent of renters in Taipei could actually rent affordable houses, whereas most of them have a hard time keeping up with rent.

(Those with minimum income) only hope to be able to rent affordable houses, and I'm afraid many of them must rely on government subsidies.

On the other hand, the survey has calculated the work hours needed to make rent. If both partners earn the minimum NT$140 per hour, they will have to work a total of 321.4 hours a month to afford the median rent, which is NT$45,000. That means each of them will have to work NT$160.7 hours a month without spending anything to afford rent. Experts believe that high apartment rents, lack of public housing and many other limitations are making lives difficult for people living in the six special municipalities.