Bangkok vs Berlin vs Bucharest vs Cape Town vs Rio de Janeiro

	Bangkok 🇹🇭 Remove	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Bucharest 🇷🇴 Remove	Cape Town 🇿🇦 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove
Population	5,680,000	3,400,000	1,830,000	4,617,560	6,718,903
Official language(s)	Thai	German	Romanian	Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English	Portuguese
Level of English	Low	Very high	High	Very high	Low
Main airport	Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	Henri Coanda International Airport (OTP)	Cape Town International Airport (CPT)	Galeão International Airport
Most common months to visit	January - March, November, December	May - September	April - October	March - May, September - November	January - March, December
Currency	THB - Thai Baht (฿)	EUR - Euro (€)	RON - Romanian Leu (L)	ZAR - South African Rand (R)	BRL - Brazilian Real (R$)
Credit cards	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere, but cash still needed in smaller shops	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	Yes	No	No	No
Average monthly costs	$1560	$2200	$1351	$1549	$1833
Rent	$616	$939	$615	$618	$1066
Groceries	$191	$188	$114	$129	$95
Dining out	$168	$271	$165	$269	$210
Cafe	$45	$57	$38	$32	$25
Coworking space	$127	$174	$133	$151	$130
Mobile internet	$23	$23	$7	$27	$7
Public transportation	$32	$88	$21	$55	$33
Taxis	$19	$58	$9	$21	$14
Shared bicycles and scooters	$17	$17	$25	$49	$16
Sport and cultural events	$46	$64	$29	$19	$55
Museums and sights	$21	$37	$29	$15	$26
Nightlife	$50	$63	$45	$43	$54
Gym	$96	$66	$30	$36	$31
Yoga	$98	$99	$59	$56	$40
Massage	$11	$56	$31	$30	$32
SIM card options	AIS	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Vodafone, Orange	MTN, Vodacom	Tim, Claro, Vivo
Tipping	10% for restaurants, bars and services	Round up for restaurants, not common for bars and services	5% - 10% at restaurants, 5% - 10% tip for services is appreciated but not expected, round up for taxis	10 - 15% at restaurants, round up elsewhere	10% usually included in restaurants, 10% at bars and cafes with table service is common
Taxi apps	Grab	Mytaxi, Uber	Star Taxi, Uber	Uber, Bolt	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber
Tap water	Not drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable
Overall cuisine	Meat and fish dishes, vegetables, noodles and soup	Heavy and hearty meals with plenty of meat, potatoes and bread	Wide range of meat and fish dishes, soups, salads and cheeses influenced by German, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek and Ukrainian cuisine.	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.	Emphasis on rice, beans, pork and beef with a variety of root vegetables and fresh fruits. Fresh seafood is also very common.
Local food specialities	Pad thai, tom yam, kway teow reua, som tum, sooan	Currywurst, spätzle, königsberger klopse, schnitzel, eisbein, doner kebab, pretzels	Sarmale, mămăligă, mici, ciolan cu fasole, ciorbă de burtă, covrig, papanasi	Bitlong and droewors, boerewors, Cape Malay curry, bobotie, melkert, gatsby, bunny chow	Feijoada, bolinho de bacalhau, fried sardines, caldo verde, pao de queijo and brigadeiros.
Eat like a local	Food stalls, local markets, shophouse restaurants	Brew pubs, cafes, bars, deli shops	Set lunch menus, cafe terraces, cofeterias	Cape Malay shacks, food trucks, street food joints, local grills, small bakeries and food markets	The "snack capital" of Brazil, Rio is a perfect place to try street food as well as the wide varieties of small, traditional eateries and churrascarias easily found across the city.
Vegetarian / vegan options	416 listings on Happy Cow	844 listings on Happy Cow	33 listings on Happy Cow	24 options on HappyCow	54 options on Happy Cow