Austin vs Barbados vs Berlin vs Mexico City vs Rio de Janeiro

	Austin 🇺🇸 Remove	Barbados 🇧🇧 Remove	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Mexico City 🇲🇽 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove
Population	926,426	110,000	3,400,000	8,850,000	6,718,903
Official language(s)	English (de facto)	English, Bajan Creole	German	Spanish	Portuguese
Level of English	Very high	Very high	Very high	Moderate	Low
Main airport	Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)	Bridgetown/Grantley Adams International Airport (BGI)	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	Mexico City International Airport (MEX)	Galeão International Airport
Most common months to visit	March - May, September - November	November - May	May - September	March - May, October, November	January - March, December
Currency	USD - US Dollar ($)	BBD - Barbadian dollar ($)	EUR - Euro (€)	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 but cash often preferred	Widely accepted (less with AMEX)	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Average monthly costs	$3484	$2702	$2200	$1867	$1833
Rent	$1650	$1054	$939	$778	$1066
Groceries	$243	$234	$188	$281	$95
Dining out	$396	$345	$271	$182	$210
Cafe	$66	$75	$57	$49	$25
Coworking space	$331	$321	$174	$159	$130
Mobile internet	$40	$49	$23	$25	$7
Public transportation	$110	$35	$88	$11	$33
Taxis	$73	$106	$58	$9	$14
Shared bicycles and scooters	$96	$0	$17	$24	$16
Sport and cultural events	$54	$37	$64	$81	$55
Museums and sights	$11	$36	$37	$20	$26
Nightlife	$124	$96	$63	$64	$54
Gym	$62	$86	$66	$69	$31
Yoga	$139	$130	$99	$65	$40
Massage	$89	$99	$56	$51	$32
SIM card options	AT&T, T-Mobile.	Digicel	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Telcel, Movistar	Tim, Claro, Vivo
Tipping	15-20% at restaurants, 1USD or more per drink at cafes and bars	10 - 15% usually included in restaurants, add 10 - 15% at bars	Round up for restaurants, not common for bars and services	10-15% for restaurants, bars and services	10% usually included in restaurants, 10% at bars and cafes with table service is common
Taxi apps	Uber, Lyft	None available	Mytaxi, Uber	Uber	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber
Tap water	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable
Overall cuisine	Emphasis on barbecued meats (beef and pork) as well as corn-based dishes and tex-mex, and rich American-style desserts.	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.	Heavy and hearty meals with plenty of meat, potatoes and bread	Corn, beans, tortillas and chili peppers typically alongside meat and cheese	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	Frito pie, queso, apple pie, kolaches, BBQ ribs, tacos	Cou-cou and flying fish, fish cakes, cutters, pudding and souse, macaroni pie, conkies, Bajan black cake, sea eggs	Currywurst, spätzle, königsberger klopse, schnitzel, eisbein, doner kebab, pretzels	Enchiladas, torta de chilaquiles, esquites, quesadillas, tlacoyos, tacos, tostadas	Feijoada, bolinho de bacalhau, fried sardines, caldo verde, pao de queijo and brigadeiros.
Eat like a local	Local tex-mex restaurants, lunch BBQ joints, taquerias, food trucks, local breweries	Food trucks, pubs, seaside street food, roadside carts, local seafood restaurants, smaller traditional restaurants and rum shops	Brew pubs, cafes, bars, deli shops	Markets, food stalls, menú del día (cheap set lunch menus)	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	30 options on HappyCow	14 options on HappyCow	844 listings on Happy Cow	279 listings on Happy Cow	54 options on Happy Cow