Austin vs Bangkok vs Berlin vs Bogota vs Bucharest vs Budapest vs Cape Town vs Larnaca

	Austin 🇺🇸 Remove	Bangkok 🇹🇭 Remove	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Bogota 🇨🇴 Remove	Bucharest 🇷🇴 Remove	Budapest 🇭🇺 Remove	Cape Town 🇿🇦 Remove	Larnaca 🇨🇾 Remove
Population	926,426	5,680,000	3,400,000	10,978,360	1,830,000	1,768,073	4,617,560	144,900
Official language(s)	English (de facto)	Thai	German	Spanish	Romanian	Hungarian	Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English	Greek
Level of English	Very high	Low	Very high	Low	High	High	Very high	High
Main airport	Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)	Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	El Dorado International Airport (BOG)	Henri Coanda International Airport (OTP)	Budapest Ferihegy International Airport (BUD)	Cape Town International Airport (CPT)	Larnaca International Airport (LCA)
Most common months to visit	March - May, September - November	January - March, November, December	May - September	January - March, December	April - October	March - June, September - November	March - May, September - November	March - May, October - December
Currency	USD - US Dollar ($)	THB - Thai Baht (฿)	EUR - Euro (€)	COP - Colombian Peso ($)	RON - Romanian Leu (L)	HUF - Hungarian Forint (Ft)	ZAR - South African Rand (R)	EUR - Euro (€)
Credit cards	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere, cash needed for small shops	Accepted almost everywhere, but cash still needed in smaller shops	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	No	Yes	No	No	No	No	No
Average monthly costs	$3484	$1560	$2200	$1097	$1351	$1230	$1549	$1959
Rent	$1650	$616	$939	$480	$615	$499	$618	$678
Groceries	$243	$191	$188	$82	$114	$108	$129	$157
Dining out	$396	$168	$271	$174	$165	$202	$269	$261
Cafe	$66	$45	$57	$22	$38	$29	$32	$56
Coworking space	$331	$127	$174	$77	$133	$120	$151	$209
Mobile internet	$40	$23	$23	$11	$7	$9	$27	$35
Public transportation	$110	$32	$88	$23	$21	$36	$55	$63
Taxis	$73	$19	$58	$28	$9	$27	$21	$42
Shared bicycles and scooters	$96	$17	$17	$17	$25	$13	$49	$45
Sport and cultural events	$54	$46	$64	$22	$29	$24	$19	$28
Museums and sights	$11	$21	$37	$7	$29	$7	$15	$8
Nightlife	$124	$50	$63	$46	$45	$43	$43	$110
Gym	$62	$96	$66	$15	$30	$37	$36	$107
Yoga	$139	$98	$99	$57	$59	$48	$56	$105
Massage	$89	$11	$56	$37	$31	$26	$30	$54
SIM card options	AT&T, T-Mobile.	AIS	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Tigo, Movistar, Claro	Vodafone, Orange	Vodafone, Telenor	MTN, Vodacom	Primetel, Cytamobile-Vodafone and Epic/MTN
Tipping	15-20% at restaurants, 1USD or more per drink at cafes and bars	10% for restaurants, bars and services	Round up for restaurants, not common for bars and services	10% service included in all bills, not required or expected at bars without table service	5% - 10% at restaurants, 5% - 10% tip for services is appreciated but not expected, round up for taxis	10 - 15% at restaurants and bars	10 - 15% at restaurants, round up elsewhere	10% usually added and expected at restaurants, round up at bars
Taxi apps	Uber, Lyft	Grab	Mytaxi, Uber	Uber, Cabify	Star Taxi, Uber	Bolt, Fotaxi	Uber, Bolt	nTaxi
Tap water	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable
Overall cuisine	Emphasis on barbecued meats (beef and pork) as well as corn-based dishes and tex-mex, and rich American-style desserts.	Meat and fish dishes, vegetables, noodles and soup	Heavy and hearty meals with plenty of meat, potatoes and bread	Latin American. Dishes with beef, pork and chicken are often mixed with flour-based foods and fruity desserts. Heavy influence from the Andes and other Colombian regions.	Wide range of meat and fish dishes, soups, salads and cheeses influenced by German, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek and Ukrainian cuisine.	Magyar cuisine makes extensive use of creams, cheeses and sauces primarily in beef, chicken and pork dishes, mixed with seasonal vegetables, fruits and rich desserts.	South African cuisine has been shaped by a long history of Dutch, Malay, British and Indian settlements, making the food diverse and strong in flavor. There is a strong emphasis on game in all of its different forms, as well as spicy sauces and sautéed vegetables and dry-cured meats. Creamy desserts and liqueurs compliment large and flavorful meals.	Mediterranean style with emphasis on seafood, meats, olives, cheesed and traditional sauces. Some food with Middle Eastern influences as well..
Local food specialities	Frito pie, queso, apple pie, kolaches, BBQ ribs, tacos	Pad thai, tom yam, kway teow reua, som tum, sooan	Currywurst, spätzle, königsberger klopse, schnitzel, eisbein, doner kebab, pretzels	Arepas, ajiaco santaferense, buñuelos, patacones, té de coca, changua	Sarmale, mămăligă, mici, ciolan cu fasole, ciorbă de burtă, covrig, papanasi	Goulash, Fisherman's soup, Főzelék, Somloi Galuska, Pörkölt and Paprikás, Kürtös Kalács, Hungarian Lecsó, Lángos	Bitlong and droewors, boerewors, Cape Malay curry, bobotie, melkert, gatsby, bunny chow	Souvlaki, sheftalia, kleftiko, stifado, halloumi, koukepia and moussaka
Eat like a local	Local tex-mex restaurants, lunch BBQ joints, taquerias, food trucks, local breweries	Food stalls, local markets, shophouse restaurants	Brew pubs, cafes, bars, deli shops	Local family restaurants and those from other regions. Menú del día. Community markets and sports bars.	Set lunch menus, cafe terraces, cofeterias	Local markets, cafés, taverns, street food, traditional restaurants	Cape Malay shacks, food trucks, street food joints, local grills, small bakeries and food markets	Opt for smaller, outside eateries and taverns serving traditional foods. Fast food kebab shops and falafel bars offer authentic options, too.
Vegetarian / vegan options	30 options on HappyCow	416 listings on Happy Cow	844 listings on Happy Cow	104 options on Happy Cow	33 listings on Happy Cow	47 options on HappyCow	24 options on HappyCow	14 options on HappyCow, but non-meat Mediterranean/Middle Eastern options are always available