Berlin vs Bucharest vs Budapest vs Lviv vs Madrid

	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Bucharest 🇷🇴 Remove	Budapest 🇭🇺 Remove	Lviv 🇺🇦 Remove	Madrid 🇪🇸 Remove
Population	3,400,000	1,830,000	1,768,073	731,387	6,578,0179
Official language(s)	German	Romanian	Hungarian	Ukrainian	Spanish
Level of English	Very high	High	High	Low	Moderate
Main airport	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	Henri Coanda International Airport (OTP)	Budapest Ferihegy International Airport (BUD)	Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport (LWO)	Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD)
Most common months to visit	May - September	April - October	March - June, September - November	May - September	March - May, September - November
Currency	EUR - Euro (€)	RON - Romanian Leu (L)	HUF - Hungarian Forint (Ft)	UAH - Ukrainian Hryvnia (₴)	EUR - Euro (€)
Credit cards	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere, cash needed for small shops	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Average monthly costs	$2200	$1351	$1230	$922	$2498
Rent	$939	$615	$499	$400	$1174
Groceries	$188	$114	$108	$91	$175
Dining out	$271	$165	$202	$151	$313
Cafe	$57	$38	$29	$21	$51
Coworking space	$174	$133	$120	$79	$196
Mobile internet	$23	$7	$9	$4	$10
Public transportation	$88	$21	$36	$5	$78
Taxis	$58	$9	$27	$12	$44
Shared bicycles and scooters	$17	$25	$13	$16	$49
Sport and cultural events	$64	$29	$24	$13	$54
Museums and sights	$37	$29	$7	$9	$20
Nightlife	$63	$45	$43	$43	$82
Gym	$66	$30	$37	$22	$44
Yoga	$99	$59	$48	$30	$142
Massage	$56	$31	$26	$27	$64
SIM card options	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Vodafone, Orange	Vodafone, Telenor	Vodafone, Kyivstar	Orange, Movistar, Vodafone
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 and bars	10% in restaurants, not expected elsewhere	Not customary or expected but small tips are appreciated.
Taxi apps	Mytaxi, Uber	Star Taxi, Uber	Bolt, Fotaxi	Uber, Uklon	Uber, Cabify, MyTaxi Free Now
Tap water	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable	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.	Magyar cuisine makes extensive use of creams, cheeses and sauces primarily in beef, chicken and pork dishes, mixed with seasonal vegetables, fruits and rich desserts.	Slavic. Emphasis on frilled meats combined with potatoes, carrots, pickles and cabbage. Creamy deserts often elaborated with cottage cheese. Lviv enjoys culinary influences from Kiev (traditional with an emphasis on chicken) and Odessa (various seafood dishes).	Fresh, regional produce accentuated with garlic and olive oil and mixed with various meats and seafoods. Influenced both by Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern flavors.
Local food specialities	Currywurst, spätzle, königsberger klopse, schnitzel, eisbein, doner kebab, pretzels	Sarmale, mămăligă, mici, ciolan cu fasole, ciorbă de burtă, covrig, papanasi	Goulash, Fisherman's soup, Főzelék, Somloi Galuska, Pörkölt and Paprikás, Kürtös Kalács, Hungarian Lecsó, Lángos	Lviv cheesecake, fish Zupa, Tsivikli, Karmanadli, Banosh, Borscht, Salo, Syrnyky	Paella, tapas, tortilla, gazpacho, pulpo a la gallega, callos a la madrileña, churros
Eat like a local	Brew pubs, cafes, bars, deli shops	Set lunch menus, cafe terraces, cofeterias	Local markets, cafés, taverns, street food, traditional restaurants	Local grills, themed taverns, local breweries, small bakeries	Have some tapas and sangria at a tasca and paella at an authentic eatery. Keep an eye on the time and visit a cafeteria for a mid-afternoon merienda and some churros!
Vegetarian / vegan options	844 listings on Happy Cow	33 listings on Happy Cow	47 options on HappyCow	9 options on HappyCow	85 listings on Happy Cow