I haven’t had health insurance since 2008, which is a pretty crazy thing to say, given that I live in a country with some of the most affordable and high-quality medical care in the world. National Taiwan Health Insurance, while expensive for the Republic of China (ROC) government of Taiwan, is incredibly cheap for Taiwanese […]
(all dollars are 2014 US dollars) The first Model T cost $21,000 in 1908; by 1957, a Chevy Bel Air cost $17,000; today, a Chevy Malibu costs $22,000. Sold in 1947, the first microwave cost $53,000; by 1983, that cost was reduced to $1,200; today, microwaves can be had for less than $50. In 1961, IBM […]
One of the most important things to understand when living somewhere is the cost of living there: many will need to use a home affordability calculator in these circumstances (like those found on SoFi) to see what expenses are for their home. This is my report on my cost of living in Taichung, Taiwan, as […]
Sometimes you need to send/receive money when you are abroad; using USA to Taiwan Western Union money orders are the best way to go. And not by some negligible amount. Even if your bank charges you very little for the international wire transfer to a Taiwanese bank account, you’re still probably better off going with […]
2013 Taichung Apartment Rent Guide I spend a lot of time thinking about real estate in Taichung, so I’ve made a simple Taichung Apartment Rent Guide. I wanted to share what I’ve found about the cost of living here in Taiwan. Costs range quite a lot here in Taichung, but this should give you some […]
I’m an American who has spent three of the last five years living abroad in Taiwan, a relatively small island off the coast of China. Up until two months ago, I was one who refused to get a smart phone. I’d never had a real reason to have one beyond the novelty of it. But, […]
A lot of people freak out about how much money our elected government spends, often choosing to go the route of, “Let’s stop paying them and see what happens to their policy-making!” First of all, most Representatives/Senators/Vice-Presidents/Presidents made far more money in the private sector than they do in government. Beyond that, when they were in the […]
I’ve written before about how my blog is disgusting, but I’ve pretty much gotten over the fact that the vast majority of people who find my blog through Google are doing so to find some kind of sexual service in Taiwan or the Philippines; so it’s time to talk about Taiwan Strip Clubs and Lady […]
I recently had some issues at ChinaTrust bank, finding information that would be relevant to foreigners in Taiwan. Hopefully, conveying what I learned can save you some time. My situation is a common one: I wanted to know how much money I could withdraw from my Personal Account using one of ChinaTrust’s ATMs. I don’t […]