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Overall, Bangkok is a very cool city, and tourist numbers alone certainly verify that. I think by all accounts, it's a hard city to beat based on most categories.
But, what aspects would you say Taipei outshines Bangkok for a person living in one of the two cities, or if you feel like Taipei is the all-around better city, why do you think so?
So for me personally, my answer is Taipei because I have personal connections as well as being ethnically Chinese and therefore quite comfortable there.
But trying to disregard my identity bias and solely judge by my city preference, it is really a tough call. I think I would lean slightly toward Bangkok because it is larger and even more international. I prefer bigger and more options as a tiebreaker when quality and cost is relatively similar.
I really feel like I haven't experienced enough to judge, however. I've been to Bangkok twice for about 8 days total, and Taipei 5 times for about a month total. I'd gladly take one year in each and then get back to ya
This is a tough one for me. I love Taipei and have friends and family there, but I do like the idea of trying my hand at living in a completely different city and country that I've never lived in before and Bangkok seems like a great city to try it given how large and dynamic it is.
Taipei is definitely more developed overall. That's the sort of basic underlying stuff like infrastructure of all sorts and pretty. functional administration. Standard of living on average is higher in terms of a lot of metrics. Wages are generally higher, though costs are much higher.
Between the 2 it's easily Taipei. Bangkok is one of those standard capitals in a developing country, the city centre has a **** ton of high rises and malls catering to foreign tourists/expats which >90% of the local population could never afford, but once you venture out of the city it becomes a complete ****hole. Tons of poverty, beggars, horrible infrastructure, taxi scam etc. Sure you can find good housing at a very low price, but you are basically living in a facade built for foreigners, which in itself is pretty disturbing imo. I might be exaggerating as I think Thailand is still much better than the likes of Vietnam or the Philippines, but the idea is the same.
Taipei is ... mostly pretty normal. Materially-speaking there's no difference between locals and your average Westerners, so that sense of unease doesn't exist. In terms of infrastructure and basic amenities I think it's far better than many Western metropolis. I would hate the daily commute in the likes of NYC, Paris or London, for one, but daily commute in Taipei is alright. The air pollution bad rap is also completely blown out of proportions. In 2019 Taipei's average PM 2.5 was the same as the likes of Paris and Vienna, it's just that occasionally China would send their best regard via wind. The low crime rate obviously doesn't hurt either.
Last edited by Greysholic; 09-09-2020 at 10:44 PM..
Both are fine. I have lived in BKK for several years. The sky is the limit on what you could spend, but there are usually good options for lower budgets. I have always been intrigued by Taipei, and would consider it. I would expect there to be more personal safety, better building codes, better zoning, etc..Far fewer budget options in Taipei, but still some low cost housing options. China is a pretty big factor in BKK, not so sure I want to be under Beijing's scrutiny. Family on a big budget..Taipei for sure. Bangkok has been very consistent with many expats.
Victory Monument:. There was no victory over traffic...
Taipei... more developed and I would like the nearby scenery like Taroko gorge.
Taipei 1
Bangkok 0
Quote:
Originally Posted by projectmaximus
So for me personally, my answer is Taipei because I have personal connections as well as being ethnically Chinese and therefore quite comfortable there.
But trying to disregard my identity bias and solely judge by my city preference, it is really a tough call. I think I would lean slightly toward Bangkok because it is larger and even more international. I prefer bigger and more options as a tiebreaker when quality and cost is relatively similar.
I really feel like I haven't experienced enough to judge, however. I've been to Bangkok twice for about 8 days total, and Taipei 5 times for about a month total. I'd gladly take one year in each and then get back to ya
I hear that! There's just so much to each city! I've become quite familiar with Bangkok, but I still want to know it more, and I don't know Taipei at all. Most likely, either city wouldn't be a wrong decision.
Taipei 2 (Although that could go the other way with an extended BB visit by PM.
Bangkok 0
Quote:
Originally Posted by OyCrumbler
This is a tough one for me. I love Taipei and have friends and family there, but I do like the idea of trying my hand at living in a completely different city and country that I've never lived in before and Bangkok seems like a great city to try it given how large and dynamic it is.
Taipei is definitely more developed overall. That's the sort of basic underlying stuff like infrastructure of all sorts and pretty. functional administration. Standard of living on average is higher in terms of a lot of metrics. Wages are generally higher, though costs are much higher.
Another that is a bit split, with a slight Taipei advantage!
Taipei 3 (although 2 of those could go either way).
Bangkok 0
Quote:
Originally Posted by Greysholic
Between the 2 it's easily Taipei. Bangkok is one of those standard capitals in a developing country, the city centre has a **** ton of high rises and malls catering to foreign tourists/expats which >90% of the local population could never afford, but once you venture out of the city it becomes a complete ****hole. Tons of poverty, beggars, horrible infrastructure, taxi scam etc. Sure you can find good housing at a very low price, but you are basically living in a facade built for foreigners, which in itself is pretty disturbing imo. I might be exaggerating as I think Thailand is still much better than the likes of Vietnam or the Philippines, but the idea is the same.
Taipei is ... mostly pretty normal. Materially-speaking there's no difference between locals and your average Westerners, so that sense of unease doesn't exist. In terms of infrastructure and basic amenities I think it's far better than many Western metropolis. I would hate the daily commute in the likes of NYC, Paris or London, for one, but daily commute in Taipei is alright. The air pollution bad rap is also completely blown out of proportions. In 2019 Taipei's average PM 2.5 was the same as the likes of Paris and Vienna, it's just that occasionally China would send their best regard via wind. The low crime rate obviously doesn't hurt either.
Strong Taipei on this one! Bangkok isn't that bad on the periphery, by the way! But, I hear you on all the rest about Taipei!
Taipei 4
Bangkok 0
Quote:
Originally Posted by KamFong
Both are fine. I have lived in BKK for several years. The sky is the limit on what you could spend, but there are usually good options for lower budgets. I have always been intrigued by Taipei, and would consider it. I would expect there to be more personal safety, better building codes, better zoning, etc..Far fewer budget options in Taipei, but still some low cost housing options. China is a pretty big factor in BKK, not so sure I want to be under Beijing's scrutiny. Family on a big budget..Taipei for sure. Bangkok has been very consistent with many expats.
Victory Monument:. There was no victory over traffic...
I hear you about the uncertainty on Taiwan's future!
Taipei 4
Bangkok 1
Although two close decisions with Taipei slight over BKK, so this could easily be Taipei 3, Bangkok 2 as well! Or even Taipei 2, Bangkok 3...!
Last edited by Tiger Beer; 09-10-2020 at 08:53 AM..
Between the 2 it's easily Taipei. Bangkok is one of those standard capitals in a developing country, the city centre has a **** ton of high rises and malls catering to foreign tourists/expats which >90% of the local population could never afford, but once you venture out of the city it becomes a complete ****hole. Tons of poverty, beggars, horrible infrastructure, taxi scam etc. Sure you can find good housing at a very low price, but you are basically living in a facade built for foreigners, which in itself is pretty disturbing imo. I might be exaggerating as I think Thailand is still much better than the likes of Vietnam or the Philippines, but the idea is the same.
Taipei is ... mostly pretty normal. Materially-speaking there's no difference between locals and your average Westerners, so that sense of unease doesn't exist. In terms of infrastructure and basic amenities I think it's far better than many Western metropolis. I would hate the daily commute in the likes of NYC, Paris or London, for one, but daily commute in Taipei is alright. The air pollution bad rap is also completely blown out of proportions. In 2019 Taipei's average PM 2.5 was the same as the likes of Paris and Vienna, it's just that occasionally China would send their best regard via wind. The low crime rate obviously doesn't hurt either.
Bangkok is a massive city, and the poverty for such a massive city in a developing country honestly isn't that widespread as a proportion of its population and seldom very severe.
Bangkok is a massive city, and the poverty for such a massive city in a developing country honestly isn't that widespread as a proportion of its population and seldom very severe.
Yep. Also, the healthiest and strongest cities have the highest rates of poverty and inequality. That's because they consistently attract the rural poor who come for better opportunities. These cities can take effective measures to improve the lives of their poor, but this will never "solve" the issue as the better they do, the more it will continue to attract rural poor. This is most severe in developing countries but it is true even in wealthy, developed countries also. If Taipei doesn't have this problem as much, it probably means the city doesn't offer as much opportunity as it could.
Anyway, I say this simply to say that it's not a sign of a bad city nor does make it bad to live in. It's just a reminder of the challenges we have as a society to lift everyone.
Bangkok is a massive city, and the poverty for such a massive city in a developing country honestly isn't that widespread as a proportion of its population and seldom very severe.
It's not just the visual poverty. My main point is that Bangkok (or Thailand in general) largely markets itself as a paradise for sleazy Westerners. When a country has to resort to that kind of strategy for foreign money, I find it disturbing.
Quote:
Originally Posted by projectmaximus
Yep. Also, the healthiest and strongest cities have the highest rates of poverty and inequality. That's because they consistently attract the rural poor who come for better opportunities. These cities can take effective measures to improve the lives of their poor, but this will never "solve" the issue as the better they do, the more it will continue to attract rural poor. This is most severe in developing countries but it is true even in wealthy, developed countries also. If Taipei doesn't have this problem as much, it probably means the city doesn't offer as much opportunity as it could.
What a laughable take. Homelessness, beggars, crimes and pickpockets are not signs of a healthy and strong city, they are indications of poor administration, non-existence of social safety net, and prone to instability.
Just because large cities in America have a ton of homeless people, drug addicts, bad neighbourhoods and violence doesn't mean cities in other countries have failed as miserably.
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