Banana Coliving: the default coliving brand in Taipei

Banana Coliving is the largest coliving operator in Taiwan, with roughly ten houses across Taipei and one in Tainan. It started life as Banana Hostel, which was ranked highly in Asia before the team moved into long-stay coliving in 2016, and it now holds the biggest share of that market locally.

What Banana Coliving Does

• Around ten Taipei locations. Zhongshan, Ximen, East District and others, so you can choose the neighbourhood rather than the building.
• One month minimum, no long lease. The main thing it solves in a rental market that normally wants a year and a guarantor.
• One all-in fee. Rent, bills, cleaning service and furnishing bundled together, with maintenance handled by the operator.
• Rooms across a wide price range. From around 7,900 Taiwan dollars a month for a bed in a shared Ximen room up through private rooms.
• Resident events. Regular gatherings across the houses, which is how a ten-building operator keeps some sense of community.

Why It Makes Sense for Nomads

Taipei is one of Asia's most underrated bases. The public transport is excellent, the food is extraordinary and cheap, the internet is fast everywhere, healthcare is good, and the city is safe at any hour. What it lacks is short-term housing: the local rental market is built around annual leases, which is exactly the gap this fills.

Being a local brand rather than a nomad brand cuts both ways. Rates are close to Taiwanese market prices instead of expat prices, and the residents are largely young Taiwanese professionals rather than a rotating international crowd. If you want to actually live in Taipei rather than in a nomad bubble, that is the point.

The site is mostly in Chinese, and rates are not published for every property, so expect to enquire.

Pricing

From around 7,900 Taiwan dollars a month for a shared room, rising with room type and location. One month minimum, bills included.

The straightforward way into Taipei without signing a year-long lease.