New Taipei City was the most popular destination for relocation among the six special municipalities in the first half of this year, when 46,000 people moved to the city, Great Home Realty Co (大家房屋) said on Tuesday, citing government data.
A total of 659,000 people changed their address nationwide, and New Taipei City stood out as the top choice, compared with Taipei, Taoyuan, Taichung, Tainan and Kaohsiung, Great Home Realty head researcher Mandy Lang (郎美囡) said.
Lang attributed the trend to relatively affordable housing prices and better job opportunity outlook in New Taipei City.
Living in New Taipei City is cheaper than in Taipei, but it is similarly convenient in terms of public transportation and other infrastructure, Lang said.
Communiting to work in Taipei is feasible for residents of New Taipei City and Taoyuan, thanks to the MRT railway serving metropolitan Taipei, she said.
Lang said Tainan and Kaohsiung are expected to become the next trending destinations for relocation, as the two cities have attracted investment plans from major local tech firms.
Property funds have flowed to Tainan and Kaohsiung in the past few years and housing prices have picked up significantly, Lang said.
However, the majority of relocations took place within the same county or city, as people avoid drastic changes, she said.
H&B Realty Co (住商不動產) said relocation numbers might rise in the run-up to local elections in November, a trend seen ahead of past elections.
People must live in a certain district for at least four months before they can vote there, H&B head researcher Jessica Hsu (徐佳馨) said.
Otherwise, job and education concerns dominate relocation decisions, Hsu said.
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