Plenty of people come to Tainan for a long weekend and start wondering what it would be like to stay. We know the feeling: Vicky grew up here, and Jason came as a foreigner and stayed. This section is for that next step, from renting a place for a few months to buying a home.
We aren't agents and we don't sell property. This is what we found, with the sources, and our honest opinion where we have one.
Renting
Rentals are easy to find. Most listings are on sites like 591, where you can filter by district, size and price. A few basics:
- Deposit: the law caps a residential deposit at two months' rent (Rental Housing Market Development and Regulation Act, article 7).
- Agents: if you rent through an agent, ask up front what fee you will pay.
- See it in person if you can, at different times of day. Street noise, morning markets and temple festivals are part of life in the old town.
Buying
If you're thinking about buying, we've written up what we learned: why the dream of an old Tainan house didn't hold up for us, why new condos made more sense, whether foreigners can buy, and how the process and taxes work.
→ Buying a home in Tainan: what we learned
→ New developments: Star Diamond, Pingshi and other areas to watch
Check for yourself. This is what we learned and what official sources and the press said when we checked (October 2026). It isn't legal, tax or financial advice. Rules, rates and prices change, and some details here may already be out of date. Do your own research and talk to a licensed real estate agent, a land scrivener (地政士) and, if you need one, a lawyer or accountant before you commit.
Sources
Rental deposit cap: Rental Housing Market Development and Regulation Act (租賃住宅市場發展及管理條例), article 7. Checked October 2026.