Barcelona vs Cape Town vs Istanbul vs Larnaca vs Panama City vs Rio de Janeiro vs Valencia

	Barcelona 🇪🇸 Remove	Cape Town 🇿🇦 Remove	Istanbul 🇹🇷 Remove	Larnaca 🇨🇾 Remove	Panama City 🇵🇦 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove	Valencia 🇪🇸 Remove
Population	5,585,556	4,617,560	15,520,000	144,900	880,691	6,718,903	834,000
Official language(s)	Catalan, Spanish	Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English	Turkish	Greek	Spanish	Portuguese	Spanish, Valencian
Level of English	High	Very high	Low	High	Low	Low	Moderate
Main airport	Josep Tarradellas Barcelona-El Prat Airport (BCN)	Cape Town International Airport (CPT)	Istanbul Airport (IST)	Larnaca International Airport (LCA)	Tocumen International Airport (PTY)	Galeão International Airport	Valencia Manises Airport (VLC)
Most common months to visit	April - June, September - November	March - May, September - November	April - June, September and October	March - May, October - December	December - April	January - March, December	March - June, September, October
Currency	EUR - Euro (€)	ZAR - South African Rand (R)	TRY - Turkish Lira (₺)	EUR - Euro (€)	PAB - Panamanian Balboa (B/.)	BRL - Brazilian Real (R$)	EUR - Euro (€)
Credit cards	Accepted almost evewhere	Accepted almost everywhere, but cash still needed in smaller shops	Accepted in most places	Accepted everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere but not in smaller shops.	Accepted everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere
Remote worker visa	Yes	No	No	No	Yes	No	Yes
Average monthly costs	$2384	$1549	$659	$1959	$2359	$1833	$1976
Rent	$932	$618	$354	$678	$1036	$1066	$869
Groceries	$121	$129	$44	$157	$236	$95	$146
Dining out	$403	$269	$81	$261	$371	$210	$292
Cafe	$45	$32	$18	$56	$43	$25	$42
Coworking space	$213	$151	$49	$209	$157	$130	$152
Mobile internet	$10	$27	$3	$35	$21	$7	$16
Public transportation	$127	$55	$6	$63	$12	$33	$38
Taxis	$48	$21	$6	$42	$48	$14	$42
Shared bicycles and scooters	$24	$49	$2	$45	$0	$16	$30
Sport and cultural events	$81	$19	$11	$28	$35	$55	$73
Museums and sights	$33	$15	$15	$8	$9	$26	$44
Nightlife	$112	$43	$22	$110	$117	$54	$66
Gym	$81	$36	$9	$107	$37	$31	$34
Yoga	$93	$56	$23	$105	$163	$40	$87
Massage	$59	$30	$15	$54	$75	$32	$45
SIM card options	Vodafone, Movistar	MTN, Vodacom	Turkcell, Turk Telekom	Primetel, Cytamobile-Vodafone and Epic/MTN	Claro, Movistar	Tim, Claro, Vivo	Vodafone, Orange
Tipping	5-10% in restaurants if service is exceptional, not expected elsewhere	10 - 15% at restaurants, round up elsewhere	Tip 5-10% in restaurants, cafés and bars	10% usually added and expected at restaurants, round up at bars	10% in restaurants, round up elsewhere	10% usually included in restaurants, 10% at bars and cafes with table service is common	Round up for good service at restaurants, not common at bars
Taxi apps	Cabify, FreeNow	Uber, Bolt	BiTaksi	nTaxi	Uber, Tu Chofer	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber	Cabify, FreeNow
Tap water	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable
Overall cuisine	Catalan cuisine makes extensive use of Mediterranean vegetables, legumes mixed with pork in its many varieties, chicken and fish. Regularly mixes sweet and savory flavors in specific dishes. This cuisine is known for being bold in flavor and striking in color, with a variety of specific regional dishes found the culinary hub that is Barcelona.	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.	A fusion of cultures creates diverse dishes with bulgur, koftes, stews, eggplants and fish	Mediterranean style with emphasis on seafood, meats, olives, cheesed and traditional sauces. Some food with Middle Eastern influences as well..	Latin American. Emphasis on rice, beans, coconut, and local fruits and vegetables. Pork and beef are regularly used and influence from the islands gives seafood dishes a prominent spot in Panamanian cuisine.	Emphasis on rice, beans, pork and beef with a variety of root vegetables and fresh fruits. Fresh seafood is also very common.	Mediterranean style using vegetables, seafoods and meats
Local food specialities	Paella, bombas, esqueixada, pa amb tomáquet, escalivada, crema Catalana, gazpacho, chorizo	Bitlong and droewors, boerewors, Cape Malay curry, bobotie, melkert, gatsby, bunny chow	Döner, İçli Köfte, Dondurma, Karnıyarık, Turkish delight	Souvlaki, sheftalia, kleftiko, stifado, halloumi, koukepia and moussaka	Sancocho de gallina, carimanola, empanadas, tamales panameños, tostones, ropa vieja	Feijoada, bolinho de bacalhau, fried sardines, caldo verde, pao de queijo and brigadeiros.	Paella, fideuà, esgarrat, orxata, bunyols
Eat like a local	Taverns, tapas bars, local markets, bodegas and street food spots	Cape Malay shacks, food trucks, street food joints, local grills, small bakeries and food markets	Traditional breakfasts, street stalls for simit, lahmacun and kokorec, Turkish coffee	Opt for smaller, outside eateries and taverns serving traditional foods. Fast food kebab shops and falafel bars offer authentic options, too.	Fondas (roadside stalls), smaller local restaurants, local markets, food trucks	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.	Tapas bars, markets, menu del dia (cheap set lunches)
Vegetarian / vegan options	98 options on HappyCow	24 options on HappyCow	59 listings on Happy Cow	14 options on HappyCow, but non-meat Mediterranean/Middle Eastern options are always available	7 options on HappyCow	54 options on Happy Cow	98 listings on Happy Cow