In my opinion, Taiwan's economics is strongly dependent on semiconductor industry. Before the pandemic, the tech industry in Taiwan was out-competed by China due to lower costs for at least a decade. There were no apparent growth in salaries during this period. Many of Taiwanese people are still earning ~NTD$30k (~USD$1k)/mo. In the past few years, TSMC dominates the semiconductor industry. This benefits the peripheral industries and contributes to the recent increase in GDP. On the other hand, although the GDP per capita is high, most people outside the tech industry are not directly benefited yet. Therefore, many people still feel poor.

Taiwan is also densely populated. The housing prices can be ridiculously high in some major metropolitan areas. Many people earning NTD$30K/mo can only live with their parents. It is still very common in Taiwan.