Taipei is a good place to live, scoring high in a recent survey that shows increased satisfaction with the city among foreigners, the Taipei-based European Chamber of Commerce Taipei (ECCT) said.
“We can say that living in Taipei is a very satisfying and enjoyable experience for the majority of the international community. Certainly, not everything is perfect, but it is a lot better than most places and it is improving all the time,” the ECCT said in the latest edition of its bimonthly magazine Euro View.
In the latest quality of living survey jointly sponsored by the ECCT’s Better Living Committee and leading research agency TNS, Taipei compares very favorably with other Asian cities in terms of the quality of living.
Building on the format of a first survey carried out in 2006, this year’s poll was conducted with a series of focus groups and in-depth interviews with a broad cross-section of foreigners to dig a little deeper than a formal questionnaire and ensure that all relevant aspects of living abroad would be included, the article said, adding that 118 ECCT members participated.
Of the people surveyed, 61 percent described the overall quality of living in Taipei as “very good” or “excellent,” a big jump from 2006, when just 36 percent gave those responses.
While Singapore and Tokyo were seen as offering a slightly higher standard of living, Taipei was ahead of cities in China, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent, as well as Seoul and Manila, the article said, while for all its history as an international gateway, Hong Kong was rated on a par with Taipei.
“It is interesting to note that for many, Taipei exceeds their original expectations,” the article said.
For most people who have just arrived or have yet to arrive, their image of the city is either vague or negative, since it is difficult to find out much about Taipei from overseas and many see Taipei as a very business-oriented city with few opportunities for leisure and relaxation, the article said.
“However, once settled, the reality is quite different and the great majority relish the experience of being here,” it said.
Taipei received high scores for being a safe place to live with high quality medical and emergency services, as well as being a very technologically minded city, with above-average Internet services.
“The one area that causes some concern is banking, which is not felt to be particularly ‘foreigner-friendly,’” the article said.
Opening accounts, managing funds and obtaining services such as credit cards and loans all seem more difficult for foreigners than locals.
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