Berlin vs Budapest vs Cape Town vs Lisbon vs Madrid

	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Budapest 🇭🇺 Remove	Cape Town 🇿🇦 Remove	Lisbon 🇵🇹 Remove	Madrid 🇪🇸 Remove
Population	3,400,000	1,768,073	4,617,560	517,000	6,578,0179
Official language(s)	German	Hungarian	Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English	Portuguese	Spanish
Level of English	Very high	High	Very high	Very high	Moderate
Main airport	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	Budapest Ferihegy International Airport (BUD)	Cape Town International Airport (CPT)	Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS)	Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD)
Most common months to visit	May - September	March - June, September - November	March - May, September - November	March - May, September, October	March - May, September - November
Currency	EUR - Euro (€)	HUF - Hungarian Forint (Ft)	ZAR - South African Rand (R)	EUR - Euro (€)	EUR - Euro (€)
Credit cards	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted almost everywhere, cash needed for small shops	Accepted almost everywhere, but cash still needed in smaller shops	Accepted almost everywhere (less for AMEX)	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Average monthly costs	$2200	$1230	$1549	$1984	$2498
Rent	$939	$499	$618	$965	$1174
Groceries	$188	$108	$129	$136	$175
Dining out	$271	$202	$269	$271	$313
Cafe	$57	$29	$32	$37	$51
Coworking space	$174	$120	$151	$164	$196
Mobile internet	$23	$9	$27	$24	$10
Public transportation	$88	$36	$55	$63	$78
Taxis	$58	$27	$21	$27	$44
Shared bicycles and scooters	$17	$13	$49	$18	$49
Sport and cultural events	$64	$24	$19	$29	$54
Museums and sights	$37	$7	$15	$24	$20
Nightlife	$63	$43	$43	$47	$82
Gym	$66	$37	$36	$65	$44
Yoga	$99	$48	$56	$65	$142
Massage	$56	$26	$30	$50	$64
SIM card options	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Vodafone, Telenor	MTN, Vodacom	Vodafone	Orange, Movistar, Vodafone
Tipping	Round up for restaurants, not common for bars and services	10 - 15% at restaurants and bars	10 - 15% at restaurants, round up elsewhere	5-10% for restaurants, not common at bars	Not customary or expected but small tips are appreciated.
Taxi apps	Mytaxi, Uber	Bolt, Fotaxi	Uber, Bolt	Uber, FreeNow	Uber, Cabify, MyTaxi Free Now
Tap water	Drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable	Drinkable
Overall cuisine	Heavy and hearty meals with plenty of meat, potatoes and bread	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.	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.	Fresh seafood, meats, soup, sausages and famous pastries	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	Goulash, Fisherman's soup, Főzelék, Somloi Galuska, Pörkölt and Paprikás, Kürtös Kalács, Hungarian Lecsó, Lángos	Bitlong and droewors, boerewors, Cape Malay curry, bobotie, melkert, gatsby, bunny chow	Bacalhau à bras, sardinhas, petiscos, leitão, polvo à lagareiro, pasteis de nata, bifana	Paella, tapas, tortilla, gazpacho, pulpo a la gallega, callos a la madrileña, churros
Eat like a local	Brew pubs, cafes, bars, deli shops	Local markets, cafés, taverns, street food, traditional restaurants	Cape Malay shacks, food trucks, street food joints, local grills, small bakeries and food markets	Tascas, snack bars, seafood restaurants	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	47 options on HappyCow	24 options on HappyCow	401 listings on Happy Cow	85 listings on Happy Cow