Berlin vs Bucharest vs Cape Town vs Istanbul vs Larnaca

	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Bucharest 🇷🇴 Remove	Cape Town 🇿🇦 Remove	Istanbul 🇹🇷 Remove	Larnaca 🇨🇾 Remove
Population	3,400,000	1,830,000	4,617,560	15,520,000	144,900
Official language(s)	German	Romanian	Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English	Turkish	Greek
Level of English	Very high	High	Very high	Low	High
Main airport	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	Henri Coanda International Airport (OTP)	Cape Town International Airport (CPT)	Istanbul Airport (IST)	Larnaca International Airport (LCA)
Most common months to visit	May - September	April - October	March - May, September - November	April - June, September and October	March - May, October - December
Currency	EUR - Euro (€)	RON - Romanian Leu (L)	ZAR - South African Rand (R)	TRY - Turkish Lira (₺)	EUR - Euro (€)
Credit cards	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere, but cash still needed in smaller shops	Accepted in most places	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	Yes	No	No	No	No
Average monthly costs	$2200	$1351	$1549	$659	$1959
Rent	$939	$615	$618	$354	$678
Groceries	$188	$114	$129	$44	$157
Dining out	$271	$165	$269	$81	$261
Cafe	$57	$38	$32	$18	$56
Coworking space	$174	$133	$151	$49	$209
Mobile internet	$23	$7	$27	$3	$35
Public transportation	$88	$21	$55	$6	$63
Taxis	$58	$9	$21	$6	$42
Shared bicycles and scooters	$17	$25	$49	$2	$45
Sport and cultural events	$64	$29	$19	$11	$28
Museums and sights	$37	$29	$15	$15	$8
Nightlife	$63	$45	$43	$22	$110
Gym	$66	$30	$36	$9	$107
Yoga	$99	$59	$56	$23	$105
Massage	$56	$31	$30	$15	$54
SIM card options	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Vodafone, Orange	MTN, Vodacom	Turkcell, Turk Telekom	Primetel, Cytamobile-Vodafone and Epic/MTN
Tipping	Round up for restaurants, not common for bars and services	5% - 10% at restaurants, 5% - 10% tip for services is appreciated but not expected, round up for taxis	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
Taxi apps	Mytaxi, Uber	Star Taxi, Uber	Uber, Bolt	BiTaksi	nTaxi
Tap water	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable
Overall cuisine	Heavy and hearty meals with plenty of meat, potatoes and bread	Wide range of meat and fish dishes, soups, salads and cheeses influenced by German, Hungarian, Turkish, Greek and Ukrainian cuisine.	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..
Local food specialities	Currywurst, spätzle, königsberger klopse, schnitzel, eisbein, doner kebab, pretzels	Sarmale, mămăligă, mici, ciolan cu fasole, ciorbă de burtă, covrig, papanasi	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
Eat like a local	Brew pubs, cafes, bars, deli shops	Set lunch menus, cafe terraces, cofeterias	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.
Vegetarian / vegan options	844 listings on Happy Cow	33 listings on Happy Cow	24 options on HappyCow	59 listings on Happy Cow	14 options on HappyCow, but non-meat Mediterranean/Middle Eastern options are always available