Berlin vs Bogota vs Istanbul vs Larnaca vs New York City

	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Bogota 🇨🇴 Remove	Istanbul 🇹🇷 Remove	Larnaca 🇨🇾 Remove	New York City 🇺🇸 Remove
Population	3,400,000	10,978,360	15,520,000	144,900	8,323,340
Official language(s)	German	Spanish	Turkish	Greek	English (de facto)
Level of English	Very high	Low	Low	High	Very high
Main airport	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	El Dorado International Airport (BOG)	Istanbul Airport (IST)	Larnaca International Airport (LCA)	John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)
Most common months to visit	May - September	January - March, December	April - June, September and October	March - May, October - December	April - June, September - November
Currency	EUR - Euro (€)	COP - Colombian Peso ($)	TRY - Turkish Lira (₺)	EUR - Euro (€)	USD - US Dollar ($)
Credit cards	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted everywhere	Accepted in most places	Accepted everywhere	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	Yes	No	No	No	No
Average monthly costs	$2200	$1097	$659	$1959	$5431
Rent	$939	$480	$354	$678	$2891
Groceries	$188	$82	$44	$157	$383
Dining out	$271	$174	$81	$261	$656
Cafe	$57	$22	$18	$56	$72
Coworking space	$174	$77	$49	$209	$326
Mobile internet	$23	$11	$3	$35	$45
Public transportation	$88	$23	$6	$63	$220
Taxis	$58	$28	$6	$42	$78
Shared bicycles and scooters	$17	$17	$2	$45	$30
Sport and cultural events	$64	$22	$11	$28	$100
Museums and sights	$37	$7	$15	$8	$74
Nightlife	$63	$46	$22	$110	$195
Gym	$66	$15	$9	$107	$55
Yoga	$99	$57	$23	$105	$197
Massage	$56	$37	$15	$54	$109
SIM card options	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Tigo, Movistar, Claro	Turkcell, Turk Telekom	Primetel, Cytamobile-Vodafone and Epic/MTN	AT&T, Verizon
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	Tip 5-10% in restaurants, cafés and bars	10% usually added and expected at restaurants, round up at bars	15-20% at restaurants, 1 USD per drink at bars
Taxi apps	Mytaxi, Uber	Uber, Cabify	BiTaksi	nTaxi	Uber, Lyft
Tap water	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	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.	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..	American. Emphasis on comfort and fast food, with some good seafood dishes. Influence from other regions of the US, North America and the world make NYC a cosmopolitan and international cuisine hub that is incredibly diverse.
Local food specialities	Currywurst, spätzle, königsberger klopse, schnitzel, eisbein, doner kebab, pretzels	Arepas, ajiaco santaferense, buñuelos, patacones, té de coca, changua	Döner, İçli Köfte, Dondurma, Karnıyarık, Turkish delight	Souvlaki, sheftalia, kleftiko, stifado, halloumi, koukepia and moussaka	Pizza, clam chowder, bagels, corned beef, pastrami, cheesecake, hot dogs, and hundred of other international food options.
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.	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.	Delis, local pizza shops, street food stalls and food trucks, food markets, local bakeries and smaller, authentic international cuisine restaurants
Vegetarian / vegan options	844 listings on Happy Cow	104 options on Happy Cow	59 listings on Happy Cow	14 options on HappyCow, but non-meat Mediterranean/Middle Eastern options are always available	309 options on HappyCow