Hong Kong vs Taipei (best, life, cost, country)

[Trimac20]

Although not on the same level Taipei is catching up to HK in some respects, such as a media/entertainment centre, and as an IT hub. HK has the traditional Cantonese-British fusion, but Taipei is a centre for Mandopop, and has Japanese and American influence.

Compare them by the following criteria:

Location: Both are pretty convenient, but HK a bit moreso.

Scenery: Both have amazing settings. Verdant green hills surrounding the city. HK's scenery, green hills sloping down to indented bays and the backdrop of the skyscrapers is unbeatable though.

Climate: Very similar, but I'd pick HK because it's a bit sunnier and cooler in summer.

Urban layout: HK has more winding roads due to it's hilly terrain, while Taipei has a grid pattern which is more organised. It's easier to navigate Taipei's streets. Hong Kong has a stronger urban core, while Taipei seems more spread out. I'd go Taipei for this one.

Parks: Both are urban jungles but boast parks and nature reserves close to the city. It's a tie.

Public transport/road infrastructure: Both Hong Kong's MTR and Taipei's MRT are very usable, modern and convenient. I was very impressed with both. Both stop at about 12:30am though which isn't good enough. I really can't split the transit systems. I'm not sure about the bus networks in each. Both have pretty good road networks as well.

Architecture: Both are dominated by modern buildings and neither includes much historic architecture. A lot of Taipei's architecture looks similar to the communist architecture of China, actually, the Railway station is an example. Since I like skyscrapers I would say Hong Kong. Taipei lacks skyscrapers, although Taipei 101 is a work of art. Taipei's architecture may not rise high but it's conceived on a grand scale, e.g. Chiang Kai Shek and Sun-Yat Sen Memorial.

Entertainment/Nightlife: Both are lively cities, with modern club scenes...HK probably easily beats Taipei in terms of western-style pubs, but Taipei's Japanese-style places make it quite unique outside of Japan. Not idea about live music. Both have a late night energy to them. I haven't partied much in either so I can't call this one.

Dining/Cuisine: Taipei has recently been put on the map as a culinary scene, for it's cheap food, especially street-food. It's markets teem with all manner of street-snacks, but the variety wasn't as great as I thought. More the same old favourites over and over again. Hong Kong is renowned for it's cuisine, but I felt Taipei actually had better quality regional Chinese cuisines than HK. The Western food in both is both of a surprisingly good quality. I actually prefer Taipei here, but many will cite HK. HK wins when it comes to fine dining and Michellin star restaurants. Taipei probably has the best and cheapest Japanese food outside Japan though. I spent a lot more time in Taipei though so it's not really a fair comparison.

Shopping: HK has been well-known as a shopper's paradise, whether high end fashion, electronic goods or cheap clothing, knick-knacks or antiques. It still lives up to the reputation, but Taipei also has a good variety. Taipei's shopping malls are a bit disappointing though. Overall I'd say HK is still more of a shopper's paradise and a king of commerce than Taipei.

Culture (Museums, Art.etc): Taipei boasts the National Palace Museum, supposedly the largest collection of Chinese art in the world. And it's very impressive. I'm not sure about how much HK show-cases Chinese culture in a formal setting, but I think each place in itself show-cases Chinese culture. HK actually felt a bit more gritty and authentic, and Cantonese culture is quite different to Hokkien/Taiwanese.

People (Friendliness.etc): Definitely Taiwan. Taiwanese are polite, well-mannered (lining up to get on trains, people taking care for the disabled, little pushing.etc) while people in Hong Kong come across as more brusque and inconsiderate. They are also stereotyped as being really materialistic, business-like and fast-paced, whereas i felt the Taiwanese 'live a little more.' Of course this is only what I saw in a 3 week trip so my opinion might differ if I lived there.

Cost of living/Livability: Hong Kong is still one of the priciest cities in the world but Taipei isn't cheap. Overall, I'd say Taiwan is probably more livable and less stressful. Both have plenty of green spaces and opportunities for recreation, but Taiwan is more accessible from Taipei than China is from HK, and I felt that they took better care of the environment in Taipei. Both suffer moderate pollution.

Amenities: Good in both, a tie.

Tourist attractions: HK is hard to beat: the view of the skyline across Victoria harbour is an attraction alone, especially at night when everything is lit up. It has more of a 'wow' factor. Going up the Peak, browsing the markets at Stanley or Kowloon, the various islands...Taipei gets far fewer tourists, but it's quite a nice city, great food, hip culture, but also close to many many attractions, both natural and cultural, from Wulai village, to Pingxi, a few nice beaches, mountains.etc.

Overall it's hard to pick, but I'd probably go with Hong Kong, if we're talking the city alone, but Taipei definitely has a lot to offer.

[GoldenTiger]

I'll choose Hong Kong as the better place to visit, while choosing Taipei as the better place to live. I get along very well with the Taiwanese, while I do find the people in HK pretty rude, inconsiderate and materialistic.

[Tiger Beer]

I voted for Hong Kong. It's just an impressive place, with a strong sense of everything.

Taiwan is a pretty cool place too, but not quite on that level.

Maybe I'm over-valuing HK or under-valuing Taiwan, but to me, it's like the difference between Paris vs. Lisbon, or New York City vs. Nashville. Nothing wrong with Nashville or Lisbon, nothing at all. But Paris and NYC and Hong Kong just seem like way too much on another level altogether.

[GoldenTiger]

Originally Posted by Tiger Beer

I voted for Hong Kong. It's just an impressive place, with a strong sense of everything.

Taiwan is a pretty cool place too, but not quite on that level.

Maybe I'm over-valuing HK or under-valuing Taiwan, but to me, it's like the difference between Paris vs. Lisbon, or New York City vs. Nashville. Nothing wrong with Nashville or Lisbon, nothing at all. But Paris and NYC and Hong Kong just seem like way too much on another level altogether.

I just voted for Taipei, based on where I prefer to live. Hong Kong really is ahead in most measures, but like you said, it's like New York City vs Nashville. I prefer to compare it to New York City vs Boston, as I haven't been to Nashville. Between New York City and Boston, I will vote for Boston as the preferred city to live for me.

[JL]

I enjoyed living in Taipei, but HK was alot of fun....then again, i was much younger too back then. Who knows how i would feel now.

[GodBlesstheUSA]

Taipei - more space, have a whole country/island that is yours. HK is just HK. Tiny city island.

[Ruth4Truth]

Originally Posted by GodBlesstheUSA

Taipei - more space, have a whole country/island that is yours. HK is just HK. Tiny city island.

Exactly. Taiwan's scenery is breathtaking. Plus, it has an aboriginal culture that Hong Kong lacks. I know people who were raised in Hong Kong, and others who regularly take tours groups to Asia, and everyone says Taiwan has the best Chinese food in all of Asia. OP, did you check out the vegetarian restaurants? Very intriguing and tasty stuff served there, that would definitely add to your impression of culinary diversity.

[Trimac20]

Originally Posted by Ruth4Truth

Exactly. Taiwan's scenery is breathtaking. Plus, it has an aboriginal culture that Hong Kong lacks. I know people who were raised in Hong Kong, and others who regularly take tours groups to Asia, and everyone says Taiwan has the best Chinese food in all of Asia. OP, did you check out the vegetarian restaurants? Very intriguing and tasty stuff served there, that would definitely add to your impression of culinary diversity.

Taiwan has a good range of Chinese food because nationalists from all over China came there. The local food is basically heavily influenced by the food of the Minnan or the Hoklo people, of Fujian province. You can find food from Sichuan, Inner Mongolia to Guangxi there.

Unfortunately I don't think so, but I would have liked to. A lot of places don't have English signage so it's difficult to know if a place is vegetarian or not.

[ccm123]

I'd say HK, as it's a very dynamic, cosmopolitan city, that exudes energy and excitement.

Hong Kong and Taipei are both some of the World’s best cities, and on my top 25 list for favorite cities.

They are not on the same level, but are appropriate enough to compare to in a topic.

Hong Kong and Taipei at this time are both politically more free and progressive compared to mainland China, so they actually have that similarity. They are magnificent, impressive cities that have exhilarating energy and visually photogenic.

Hong Kong does not win in every category compared to Taipei. The city of Taipei actually wins in friendliness of people, some features in quality of life such as affordability, being less crowded, more laid back, slower paced, easygoing energy, having the better air and water quality, and close proximity to more nature scenery areas.

There is an equal tie in Culture, Architecture, Food Scene, Entertainment, Festivals, Nightlife, Scenery, and Amenities.

Hong Kong wins in Tourist attractions, Shopping scene, Proximity to other large cities, and Cosmopolitan Diversity, but that is almost a tie, and Taipei does well in those categories too.