Austin vs Bangkok vs Berlin vs Bogota vs Cape Town vs Madrid vs Medellin vs New York City

	Austin 🇺🇸 Remove	Bangkok 🇹🇭 Remove	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Bogota 🇨🇴 Remove	Cape Town 🇿🇦 Remove	Madrid 🇪🇸 Remove	Medellin 🇨🇴 Remove	New York City 🇺🇸 Remove
Population	926,426	5,680,000	3,400,000	10,978,360	4,617,560	6,578,0179	2,427,000	8,323,340
Official language(s)	English (de facto)	Thai	German	Spanish	Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English	Spanish	Spanish	English (de facto)
Level of English	Very high	Low	Very high	Low	Very high	Moderate	Low	Very high
Main airport	Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)	Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	El Dorado International Airport (BOG)	Cape Town International Airport (CPT)	Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD)	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	May - September	January - March, December	March - May, September - November	March - May, September - November	January - April, December	April - June, September - November
Currency	USD - US Dollar ($)	THB - Thai Baht (฿)	EUR - Euro (€)	COP - Colombian Peso ($)	ZAR - South African Rand (R)	EUR - Euro (€)	COP - Colombian Peso ($)	USD - US Dollar ($)
Credit cards	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere, but cash still needed in smaller shops	Accepted everywhere	Accepted in some places	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	No	Yes	No	No	Yes	No	No
Average monthly costs	$3484	$1560	$2200	$1097	$1549	$2498	$1293	$5431
Rent	$1650	$616	$939	$480	$618	$1174	$732	$2891
Groceries	$243	$191	$188	$82	$129	$175	$87	$383
Dining out	$396	$168	$271	$174	$269	$313	$131	$656
Cafe	$66	$45	$57	$22	$32	$51	$18	$72
Coworking space	$331	$127	$174	$77	$151	$196	$96	$326
Mobile internet	$40	$23	$23	$11	$27	$10	$16	$45
Public transportation	$110	$32	$88	$23	$55	$78	$21	$220
Taxis	$73	$19	$58	$28	$21	$44	$14	$78
Shared bicycles and scooters	$96	$17	$17	$17	$49	$49	$0	$30
Sport and cultural events	$54	$46	$64	$22	$19	$54	$8	$100
Museums and sights	$11	$21	$37	$7	$15	$20	$9	$74
Nightlife	$124	$50	$63	$46	$43	$82	$73	$195
Gym	$62	$96	$66	$15	$36	$44	$15	$55
Yoga	$139	$98	$99	$57	$56	$142	$54	$197
Massage	$89	$11	$56	$37	$30	$64	$20	$109
SIM card options	AT&T, T-Mobile.	AIS	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Tigo, Movistar, Claro	MTN, Vodacom	Orange, Movistar, Vodafone	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	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	10 - 15% at restaurants, round up elsewhere	Not customary or expected but small tips are appreciated.	Tip 10% in restaurants	15-20% at restaurants, 1 USD per drink at bars
Taxi apps	Uber, Lyft	Grab	Mytaxi, Uber	Uber, Cabify	Uber, Bolt	Uber, Cabify, MyTaxi Free Now	EasyTaxi	Uber, Lyft
Tap water	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	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	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.	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.	Fresh, regional produce accentuated with garlic and olive oil and mixed with various meats and seafoods. Influenced both by Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern flavors.	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	Currywurst, spätzle, königsberger klopse, schnitzel, eisbein, doner kebab, pretzels	Arepas, ajiaco santaferense, buñuelos, patacones, té de coca, changua	Bitlong and droewors, boerewors, Cape Malay curry, bobotie, melkert, gatsby, bunny chow	Paella, tapas, tortilla, gazpacho, pulpo a la gallega, callos a la madrileña, churros	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	Brew pubs, cafes, bars, deli shops	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	Have some tapas and sangria at a tasca and paella at an authentic eatery. Keep an eye on the time and visit a cafeteria for a mid-afternoon merienda and some churros!	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	844 listings on Happy Cow	104 options on Happy Cow	24 options on HappyCow	85 listings on Happy Cow	153 listings on Happy Cow	309 options on HappyCow