Bangkok vs Bogota vs Hanoi vs Istanbul vs Madrid

	Bangkok 🇹🇭 Remove	Bogota 🇨🇴 Remove	Hanoi 🇻🇳 Remove	Istanbul 🇹🇷 Remove	Madrid 🇪🇸 Remove
Population	5,680,000	10,978,360	8,053,663	15,520,000	6,578,0179
Official language(s)	Thai	Spanish	Vietnamese	Turkish	Spanish
Level of English	Low	Low	Moderate	Low	Moderate
Main airport	Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)	El Dorado International Airport (BOG)	Nội Bài International Airport (HAN)	Istanbul Airport (IST)	Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD)
Most common months to visit	January - March, November, December	January - March, December	January, February, October - December	April - June, September and October	March - May, September - November
Currency	THB - Thai Baht (฿)	COP - Colombian Peso ($)	VND - Vietnamese Dong (₫)	TRY - Turkish Lira (₺)	EUR - Euro (€)
Credit cards	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted everywhere	Accepted in some places. Cash often preferred.	Accepted in most places	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	No	No	No	Yes
Average monthly costs	$1560	$1097	$1167	$659	$2498
Rent	$616	$480	$503	$354	$1174
Groceries	$191	$82	$151	$44	$175
Dining out	$168	$174	$134	$81	$313
Cafe	$45	$22	$39	$18	$51
Coworking space	$127	$77	$72	$49	$196
Mobile internet	$23	$11	$4	$3	$10
Public transportation	$32	$23	$20	$6	$78
Taxis	$19	$28	$13	$6	$44
Shared bicycles and scooters	$17	$17	$0	$2	$49
Sport and cultural events	$46	$22	$3	$11	$54
Museums and sights	$21	$7	$4	$15	$20
Nightlife	$50	$46	$89	$22	$82
Gym	$96	$15	$57	$9	$44
Yoga	$98	$57	$57	$23	$142
Massage	$11	$37	$21	$15	$64
SIM card options	AIS	Tigo, Movistar, Claro	Viettel, Mobifone	Turkcell, Turk Telekom	Orange, Movistar, Vodafone
Tipping	10% for restaurants, bars and services	10% service included in all bills, not required or expected at bars without table service	Not required but appreciated, especially in taxis, restaurants and bars. Round up or add 10%.	Tip 5-10% in restaurants, cafés and bars	Not customary or expected but small tips are appreciated.
Taxi apps	Grab	Uber, Cabify	Grab, GoViet	BiTaksi	Uber, Cabify, MyTaxi Free Now
Tap water	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable
Overall cuisine	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.	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	Fresh, regional produce accentuated with garlic and olive oil and mixed with various meats and seafoods. Influenced both by Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern flavors.
Local food specialities	Pad thai, tom yam, kway teow reua, som tum, sooan	Arepas, ajiaco santaferense, buñuelos, patacones, té de coca, changua	Pho, cha ca, Vietnamese coffee, pastries and breads	Döner, İçli Köfte, Dondurma, Karnıyarık, Turkish delight	Paella, tapas, tortilla, gazpacho, pulpo a la gallega, callos a la madrileña, churros
Eat like a local	Food stalls, local markets, shophouse restaurants	Local family restaurants and those from other regions. Menú del día. Community markets and sports bars.	Noodle Houses, Bakeries, Coffee and Tea Houses, street food	Traditional breakfasts, street stalls for simit, lahmacun and kokorec, Turkish coffee	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!
Vegetarian / vegan options	416 listings on Happy Cow	104 options on Happy Cow	104 listings on Happy Cow	59 listings on Happy Cow	85 listings on Happy Cow