Bangkok vs Barbados vs Hanoi vs Playa del Carmen vs Rio de Janeiro

	Bangkok 🇹🇭 Remove	Barbados 🇧🇧 Remove	Hanoi 🇻🇳 Remove	Playa del Carmen 🇲🇽 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove
Population	5,680,000	110,000	8,053,663	259,453	6,718,903
Official language(s)	Thai	English, Bajan Creole	Vietnamese	Spanish	Portuguese
Level of English	Low	Very high	Moderate	Moderate	Low
Main airport	Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK)	Bridgetown/Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI)	Nội Bài International Airport (HAN)	Cancun International Airport (CUN)	Galeão International Airport
Most common months to visit	January - March, November, December	November - May	January, February, October - December	January - May, October - December	January - March, December
Currency	THB - Thai Baht (฿)	BBD - Barbadian dollar ($)	VND - Vietnamese Dong (₫)	MXN - Mexican Peso ($)	BRL - Brazilian Real (R$)
Credit cards	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted in some places, cash also needed for smaller businesses	Accepted in some places. Cash often preferred.	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	Yes	No	Yes	No
Average monthly costs	$1560	$2702	$1167	$2143	$1833
Rent	$616	$1054	$503	$923	$1066
Groceries	$191	$234	$151	$127	$95
Dining out	$168	$345	$134	$207	$210
Cafe	$45	$75	$39	$42	$25
Coworking space	$127	$321	$72	$160	$130
Mobile internet	$23	$49	$4	$21	$7
Public transportation	$32	$35	$20	$17	$33
Taxis	$19	$106	$13	$9	$14
Shared bicycles and scooters	$17	$0	$0	$49	$16
Sport and cultural events	$46	$37	$3	$97	$55
Museums and sights	$21	$36	$4	$217	$26
Nightlife	$50	$96	$89	$77	$54
Gym	$96	$86	$57	$42	$31
Yoga	$98	$130	$57	$54	$40
Massage	$11	$99	$21	$101	$32
SIM card options	AIS	Digicel	Viettel, Mobifone	Telcel, Movistar	Tim, Claro, Vivo
Tipping	10% for restaurants, bars and services	10 - 15% usually included in restaurants, add 10 - 15% at bars	Not required but appreciated, especially in taxis, restaurants and bars. Round up or add 10%.	10-15% for restaurants	10% usually included in restaurants, 10% at bars and cafes with table service is common
Taxi apps	Grab	None available	Grab, GoViet	N/A	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber
Tap water	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable
Overall cuisine	Meat and fish dishes, vegetables, noodles and soup	Bajan cuisine features an eclectic mix of European, Asian, and Caribbean styles resulting in bold, tasty and crunchy meat or fish dishes with lots of spices, lime juice, thyme and salads laden with local vegetables and hot side dishes.	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.	Staple dishes from maize, beans, sweet potato and avocado along with meat, chili peppers and other spices	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	Cou-cou and flying fish, fish cakes, cutters, pudding and souse, macaroni pie, conkies, Bajan black cake, sea eggs	Pho, cha ca, Vietnamese coffee, pastries and breads	Chilaquiles, tacos al pastor, chile rellenos, cochinita pibil, tostadas, pozole	Feijoada, bolinho de bacalhau, fried sardines, caldo verde, pao de queijo and brigadeiros.
Eat like a local	Food stalls, local markets, shophouse restaurants	Food trucks, pubs, seaside street food, roadside carts, local seafood restaurants, smaller traditional restaurants and rum shops	Noodle Houses, Bakeries, Coffee and Tea Houses, street food	Taco stands, esquite stalls, El Fogon, El Pirata, Dona Mary's	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	14 options on HappyCow	104 listings on Happy Cow	72 listings on Happy Cow	54 options on Happy Cow