Austin vs Bangkok vs Bogota vs Cape Town vs Hanoi vs Istanbul vs Medellin vs New York City

	Austin 🇺🇸 Remove	Bangkok 🇹🇭 Remove	Bogota 🇨🇴 Remove	Cape Town 🇿🇦 Remove	Hanoi 🇻🇳 Remove	Istanbul 🇹🇷 Remove	Medellin 🇨🇴 Remove	New York City 🇺🇸 Remove
Population	926,426	5,680,000	10,978,360	4,617,560	8,053,663	15,520,000	2,427,000	8,323,340
Official language(s)	English (de facto)	Thai	Spanish	Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English	Vietnamese	Turkish	Spanish	English (de facto)
Level of English	Very high	Low	Low	Very high	Moderate	Low	Low	Very high
Main airport	Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)	Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)	El Dorado International Airport (BOG)	Cape Town International Airport (CPT)	Nội Bài International Airport (HAN)	Istanbul Airport (IST)	José María Córdova International Airport (MDE)	John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
Most common months to visit	March - May, September - November	January - March, November, December	January - March, December	March - May, September - November	January, February, October - December	April - June, September and October	January - April, December	April - June, September - November
Currency	USD - US Dollar ($)	THB - Thai Baht (฿)	COP - Colombian Peso ($)	ZAR - South African Rand (R)	VND - Vietnamese Dong (₫)	TRY - Turkish Lira (₺)	COP - Colombian Peso ($)	USD - US Dollar ($)
Credit cards	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere, but cash still needed in smaller shops	Accepted in some places. Cash often preferred.	Accepted in most places	Accepted in some places	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	No	No	No	No	No	No	No
Average monthly costs	$3484	$1560	$1097	$1549	$1167	$659	$1293	$5431
Rent	$1650	$616	$480	$618	$503	$354	$732	$2891
Groceries	$243	$191	$82	$129	$151	$44	$87	$383
Dining out	$396	$168	$174	$269	$134	$81	$131	$656
Cafe	$66	$45	$22	$32	$39	$18	$18	$72
Coworking space	$331	$127	$77	$151	$72	$49	$96	$326
Mobile internet	$40	$23	$11	$27	$4	$3	$16	$45
Public transportation	$110	$32	$23	$55	$20	$6	$21	$220
Taxis	$73	$19	$28	$21	$13	$6	$14	$78
Shared bicycles and scooters	$96	$17	$17	$49	$0	$2	$0	$30
Sport and cultural events	$54	$46	$22	$19	$3	$11	$8	$100
Museums and sights	$11	$21	$7	$15	$4	$15	$9	$74
Nightlife	$124	$50	$46	$43	$89	$22	$73	$195
Gym	$62	$96	$15	$36	$57	$9	$15	$55
Yoga	$139	$98	$57	$56	$57	$23	$54	$197
Massage	$89	$11	$37	$30	$21	$15	$20	$109
SIM card options	AT&T, T-Mobile.	AIS	Tigo, Movistar, Claro	MTN, Vodacom	Viettel, Mobifone	Turkcell, Turk Telekom	Claro, Tigo	AT&T, Verizon
Tipping	15-20% at restaurants, 1USD or more per drink at cafes and bars	10% for restaurants, bars and services	10% service included in all bills, not required or expected at bars without table service	10 - 15% at restaurants, round up elsewhere	Not required but appreciated, especially in taxis, restaurants and bars. Round up or add 10%.	Tip 5-10% in restaurants, cafés and bars	Tip 10% in restaurants	15-20% at restaurants, 1 USD per drink at bars
Taxi apps	Uber, Lyft	Grab	Uber, Cabify	Uber, Bolt	Grab, GoViet	BiTaksi	EasyTaxi	Uber, Lyft
Tap water	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	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	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.	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.	A mix of French, Southeast Asian and Chinese with lots of fresh herbs and spices. Northern Vietnam cuisine includes a lot of fish and noodles.	A fusion of cultures creates diverse dishes with bulgur, koftes, stews, eggplants and fish	A blend of indigenous and European traditions with rice, maize, cassava, assorted legumes, and meats	American. Emphasis on comfort and fast food, with some good seafood dishes. Influence from other regions of the US, North America and the world make NYC a cosmopolitan and international cuisine hub that is incredibly diverse.
Local food specialities	Frito pie, queso, apple pie, kolaches, BBQ ribs, tacos	Pad thai, tom yam, kway teow reua, som tum, sooan	Arepas, ajiaco santaferense, buñuelos, patacones, té de coca, changua	Bitlong and droewors, boerewors, Cape Malay curry, bobotie, melkert, gatsby, bunny chow	Pho, cha ca, Vietnamese coffee, pastries and breads	Döner, İçli Köfte, Dondurma, Karnıyarık, Turkish delight	Bandeja paisa, ajiaco, mondongo, empanada, and arepa	Pizza, clam chowder, bagels, corned beef, pastrami, cheesecake, hot dogs, and hundred of other international food options.
Eat like a local	Local tex-mex restaurants, lunch BBQ joints, taquerias, food trucks, local breweries	Food stalls, local markets, shophouse restaurants	Local family restaurants and those from other regions. Menú del día. Community markets and sports bars.	Cape Malay shacks, food trucks, street food joints, local grills, small bakeries and food markets	Noodle Houses, Bakeries, Coffee and Tea Houses, street food	Traditional breakfasts, street stalls for simit, lahmacun and kokorec, Turkish coffee	Street stalls for empanada and arepa with cheese, restaurants for traditional Colombian food	Delis, local pizza shops, street food stalls and food trucks, food markets, local bakeries and smaller, authentic international cuisine restaurants
Vegetarian / vegan options	30 options on HappyCow	416 listings on Happy Cow	104 options on Happy Cow	24 options on HappyCow	104 listings on Happy Cow	59 listings on Happy Cow	153 listings on Happy Cow	309 options on HappyCow