Taipei
Taiwan · East Asia · Asia
Taipei pairs world-class public transport, gigabit internet, and some of the lowest crime rates on Earth with a food-obsessed culture built around its legendary night markets. Mid-range living costs land well below Tokyo or Seoul, and a 2025 digital nomad visa (plus the long-running Gold Card) finally gives remote workers a clear path to stay. Expect humid subtropical summers, lush mountain hikes a metro ride away, and a friendly, easy-going expat scene.
Wealth migration
Outflowing−400Taipei's tech-driven wealth keeps growing, but China-tension jitters are pushing millionaires out faster than they arrive.
Tax regime
40% top rate; foreign income largely untaxed (no general worldwide tax, only a 20% IBT minimum tax)
Residents pay 5-40% on Taiwan-source income; foreign income hit only by the 20% AMT/IBT above ~NT$7.5m thresholds, so offshore wealth is lightly taxed
Golden / investor visa
Investment APRC (Plum Blossom Card) / Employment Gold Card
from $480,000
NT$15m investment + 5 jobs over 3 yrs for permanent residency; alt. NT$30m gov bonds. Employment Gold Card / new Global Elite Card (NT$6m+ income) offer fast talent-based routes, not pure CBI
Official source →Why the wealthy are leaving, 2025-26
- Cross-strait tensions with China are the dominant push factor: Taiwan first cracked Henley's Top-10 net-outflow list in 2024 (-400 HNWIs) and remains in net outflow (~-100 projected 2025) as wealthy families hedge geopolitical risk
- Security worries amplified by US policy uncertainty under the Trump administration over Washington's defense commitment to Taipei, prompting some HNWIs to set up offshore footholds in Singapore, the US and Japan
- Lack of high-end residential real estate and a relatively shallow luxury-property and wealth-services market vs Singapore/Hong Kong gives little reason for inbound HNWIs to relocate to Taipei
- Strong underlying wealth creation (semiconductor/TSMC boom drove ~65% millionaire-population growth over the decade and 60,000+ resident HNWIs) keeps the base large even as net migration turns negative
- Competing regional magnets (UAE's 0% income tax + golden visa, Singapore's family-office boom and Hong Kong's rebound) are absorbing the Asian HNWIs Taipei is losing
More of Taipei
Monthly cost breakdown
$1,850solo nomad · mid-rangeClimate
Humid subtropicalPros
- Among the safest cities in the world (Numbeo safety ~84)
- Cheap, excellent food and a 24/7 night-market culture
- Fast, reliable gigabit internet and superb MRT metro
- New 2025 digital nomad visa plus the flexible Gold Card route
Cons
- Hot, very humid summers with frequent typhoons
- English is only moderate outside tourist/tech circles
- Nomad visa excludes you from National Health Insurance
Where nomads stay
Central, leafy, packed with cafes, parks and the MRT hub; top nomad pick
Glossy business district with Taipei 101, malls and WeWork
Stylish, walkable, boutique cafes and good mid-range rents
Buzzy, youthful pedestrian zone, home to The Hive coworking
Coworking
- WeWork Taipei (Xinyi)
- The Hive Taipei (Ximending)
- CLBC
- JustCo
Annual events
- Taipei Lantern FestivalFeb
- Taiwan Pride (Taipei)Oct
- Taipei New Year's Eve / Taipei 101 FireworksDec
