Berlin vs Bogota vs Cape Town vs Istanbul vs Playa del Carmen

	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Bogota 🇨🇴 Remove	Cape Town 🇿🇦 Remove	Istanbul 🇹🇷 Remove	Playa del Carmen 🇲🇽 Remove
Population	3,400,000	10,978,360	4,617,560	15,520,000	259,453
Official language(s)	German	Spanish	Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English	Turkish	Spanish
Level of English	Very high	Low	Very high	Low	Moderate
Main airport	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	El Dorado International Airport (BOG)	Cape Town International Airport (CPT)	Istanbul Airport (IST)	Cancun International Airport (CUN)
Most common months to visit	May - September	January - March, December	March - May, September - November	April - June, September and October	January - May, October - December
Currency	EUR - Euro (€)	COP - Colombian Peso ($)	ZAR - South African Rand (R)	TRY - Turkish Lira (₺)	MXN - Mexican Peso ($)
Credit cards	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere, but cash still needed in smaller shops	Accepted in most places	Accepted almost everywhere
Remote worker visa	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Average monthly costs	$2200	$1097	$1549	$659	$2143
Rent	$939	$480	$618	$354	$923
Groceries	$188	$82	$129	$44	$127
Dining out	$271	$174	$269	$81	$207
Cafe	$57	$22	$32	$18	$42
Coworking space	$174	$77	$151	$49	$160
Mobile internet	$23	$11	$27	$3	$21
Public transportation	$88	$23	$55	$6	$17
Taxis	$58	$28	$21	$6	$9
Shared bicycles and scooters	$17	$17	$49	$2	$49
Sport and cultural events	$64	$22	$19	$11	$97
Museums and sights	$37	$7	$15	$15	$217
Nightlife	$63	$46	$43	$22	$77
Gym	$66	$15	$36	$9	$42
Yoga	$99	$57	$56	$23	$54
Massage	$56	$37	$30	$15	$101
SIM card options	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Tigo, Movistar, Claro	MTN, Vodacom	Turkcell, Turk Telekom	Telcel, Movistar
Tipping	Round up for restaurants, not common for bars and services	10% service included in all bills, not required or expected at bars without table service	10 - 15% at restaurants, round up elsewhere	Tip 5-10% in restaurants, cafés and bars	10-15% for restaurants
Taxi apps	Mytaxi, Uber	Uber, Cabify	Uber, Bolt	BiTaksi	N/A
Tap water	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable
Overall cuisine	Heavy and hearty meals with plenty of meat, potatoes and bread	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.	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	Staple dishes from maize, beans, sweet potato and avocado along with meat, chili peppers and other spices
Local food specialities	Currywurst, spätzle, königsberger klopse, schnitzel, eisbein, doner kebab, pretzels	Arepas, ajiaco santaferense, buñuelos, patacones, té de coca, changua	Bitlong and droewors, boerewors, Cape Malay curry, bobotie, melkert, gatsby, bunny chow	Döner, İçli Köfte, Dondurma, Karnıyarık, Turkish delight	Chilaquiles, tacos al pastor, chile rellenos, cochinita pibil, tostadas, pozole
Eat like a local	Brew pubs, cafes, bars, deli shops	Local family restaurants and those from other regions. Menú del día. Community markets and sports bars.	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	Taco stands, esquite stalls, El Fogon, El Pirata, Dona Mary's
Vegetarian / vegan options	844 listings on Happy Cow	104 options on Happy Cow	24 options on HappyCow	59 listings on Happy Cow	72 listings on Happy Cow