In Taiwan, especially in cities such as Taipei, soaring housing prices have placed the dream of owning a home out of reach for young people. Once considered a major milestone in adulthood, it has become an unattainable goal for many.
Stagnant wages coupled with soaring property prices are at the heart of the problem. The average monthly salary for people in their 20s and 30s is NT$35,000 to NT$45,000 (US$1,159 to US$1,490), government data showed. Some earn even less. By comparison, the average price of an apartment in Taipei is more than NT$10 million.
To prepare for a 20 percent down payment, a young person would have to save nearly all of their income for more than a decade — and that does not account for rent, daily expenses or inflation. Not surprisingly, many young people still live with their parents — not out of convenience, but out of necessity.
As a college student about to graduate and enter the workforce, I am leaning toward living with my parents — not because I want to, but because I have to. The cost of renting a small apartment is too high with entry-level wages. For many, staying at home has become a financial survival strategy rather than a lifestyle choice.
Homeownership, once seen as a natural step toward independence and family life, is an elusive dream. The traditional life path — graduate, work, get married, buy a home, raise a family — no longer fits today’s economic realities. Many young people delay marriage or choose not to have children, because they fear they cannot afford it. Others are giving up on homeownership altogether.
However, housing issues are more than just financial. They also have emotional and psychological effects. More young people say they feel helpless and disillusioned. Despite working long hours and saving diligently, they still find themselves unable to afford a home. That undermines their sense of fairness and belief in social mobility.
Even people in their 40s and 50s, including married couples with children, are often unable to afford a home. For many people, renting has become the norm rather than a transitionary phase.
To that end, the government has implemented schemes such as youth housing loans and rental subsidies. While such measures have slightly eased the burden of renting, they have largely failed to address the underlying problem: the widening gap between house prices and incomes. Critics say the core problem lies in the insufficient regulation of property speculation and an overreliance on real estate as an investment asset.
The problem is compounded by generational misunderstanding. Older people, who were able to afford homes when prices were much lower, sometimes accuse younger people of being unwilling to “suffer” or make sacrifices. That is not the case. The economic landscape has changed fundamentally. Hard work alone no longer guarantees upward mobility. The ratio of wages to house prices is getting worse every year.
Taiwan’s housing crisis is not only an economic problem, but also a social problem. It raises questions about fairness, opportunity and the long-term sustainability of society. Without bold and systemic reforms, Taiwan risks alienating its young population and deepening the wealth gap. Most of the young people around me who have entered the workforce still live with their parents to save on rent.
Solving the housing crisis requires more than just building more homes. It calls for a reassessment of housing itself — not as a speculative commodity, but as a fundamental human right. If Taiwan truly values its younger generations, then owning a home should not be a luxury for a wealthy few, but a realistic goal for all.
Huang Yu-chien is a student in the Department of International Affairs at Wenzao Ursuline University of Languages.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has long been expansionist and contemptuous of international law. Under Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平), the CCP regime has become more despotic, coercive and punitive. As part of its strategy to annex Taiwan, Beijing has sought to erase the island democracy’s international identity by bribing countries to sever diplomatic ties with Taipei. One by one, China has peeled away Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic partners, leaving just 12 countries (mostly small developing states) and the Vatican recognizing Taiwan as a sovereign nation. Taiwan’s formal international space has shrunk dramatically. Yet even as Beijing has scored diplomatic successes, its overreach
After 37 US lawmakers wrote to express concern over legislators’ stalling of critical budgets, Legislative Speaker Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) pledged to make the Executive Yuan’s proposed NT$1.25 trillion (US$39.7 billion) special defense budget a top priority for legislative review. On Tuesday, it was finally listed on the legislator’s plenary agenda for Friday next week. The special defense budget was proposed by President William Lai’s (賴清德) administration in November last year to enhance the nation’s defense capabilities against external threats from China. However, the legislature, dominated by the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), repeatedly blocked its review. The
In her article in Foreign Affairs, “A Perfect Storm for Taiwan in 2026?,” Yun Sun (孫韻), director of the China program at the Stimson Center in Washington, said that the US has grown indifferent to Taiwan, contending that, since it has long been the fear of US intervention — and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) inability to prevail against US forces — that has deterred China from using force against Taiwan, this perceived indifference from the US could lead China to conclude that a window of opportunity for a Taiwan invasion has opened this year. Most notably, she observes that
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) said on Monday that it would be announcing its mayoral nominees for New Taipei City, Yilan County and Chiayi City on March 11, after which it would begin talks with the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) to field joint opposition candidates. The KMT would likely support Deputy Taipei Mayor Lee Shu-chuan (李四川) as its candidate for New Taipei City. The TPP is fielding its chairman, Huang Kuo-chang (黃國昌), for New Taipei City mayor, after Huang had officially announced his candidacy in December last year. Speaking in a radio program, Huang was asked whether he would join Lee’s
RSS