Berlin vs Budapest vs Chiang Mai vs Mexico City vs Panama City

	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Budapest 🇭🇺 Remove	Chiang Mai 🇹🇭 Remove	Mexico City 🇲🇽 Remove	Panama City 🇵🇦 Remove
Population	3,400,000	1,768,073	1,166,978	8,850,000	880,691
Official language(s)	German	Hungarian	Thai	Spanish	Spanish
Level of English	Very high	High	Low	Moderate	Low
Main airport	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	Budapest Ferihegy International Airport (BUD)	Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX)	Mexico City International Airport (MEX)	Tocumen International Airport (PTY)
Most common months to visit	May - September	March - June, September - November	November - April	March - May, October, November	December - April
Currency	EUR - Euro (€)	HUF - Hungarian Forint (Ft)	THB - Thai Baht (฿)	MXN - Mexican Peso ($)	PAB - Panamanian Balboa (B/.)
Credit cards	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted almost everywhere, cash needed for small shops	Accepted sometimes. Cash preferred in many places.	Widely accepted (less with AMEX)	Accepted almost everywhere but not in smaller shops.
Remote worker visa	Yes	No	No	Yes	Yes
Average monthly costs	$2200	$1230	$974	$1867	$2359
Rent	$939	$499	$274	$778	$1036
Groceries	$188	$108	$169	$281	$236
Dining out	$271	$202	$108	$182	$371
Cafe	$57	$29	$45	$49	$43
Coworking space	$174	$120	$95	$159	$157
Mobile internet	$23	$9	$11	$25	$21
Public transportation	$88	$36	$60	$11	$12
Taxis	$58	$27	$20	$9	$48
Shared bicycles and scooters	$17	$13	$10	$24	$0
Sport and cultural events	$64	$24	$8	$81	$35
Museums and sights	$37	$7	$8	$20	$9
Nightlife	$63	$43	$62	$64	$117
Gym	$66	$37	$41	$69	$37
Yoga	$99	$48	$55	$65	$163
Massage	$56	$26	$10	$51	$75
SIM card options	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Vodafone, Telenor	AIS, DTAC	Telcel, Movistar	Claro, Movistar
Tipping	Round up for restaurants, not common for bars and services	10 - 15% at restaurants and bars	10% at restaurants, not customary or expected elsewhere	10-15% for restaurants, bars and services	10% in restaurants, round up elsewhere
Taxi apps	Mytaxi, Uber	Bolt, Fotaxi	Grab	Uber	Uber, Tu Chofer
Tap water	Drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not 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.	Combines salty, sweet, spicy and sour flavors to create bold and colorful dishes. Meals typically include a mixture of meat and seafood dishes, as well as noodles or soups recipes. Strong emphasis on local spices and vegetables.	Corn, beans, tortillas and chili peppers typically alongside meat and cheese	Latin American. Emphasis on rice, beans, coconut, and local fruits and vegetables. Pork and beef are regularly used and influence from the islands gives seafood dishes a prominent spot in Panamanian cuisine.
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	Khao soi, khan toke, sai oua, miang kham, nam prik, khanom jeen nam ngiaw, larb khua	Enchiladas, torta de chilaquiles, esquites, quesadillas, tlacoyos, tacos, tostadas	Sancocho de gallina, carimanola, empanadas, tamales panameños, tostones, ropa vieja
Eat like a local	Brew pubs, cafes, bars, deli shops	Local markets, cafés, taverns, street food, traditional restaurants	Street food stalls, local markets, bakeries and smaller, traditional restaurants that serve fresh food	Markets, food stalls, menú del día (cheap set lunch menus)	Fondas (roadside stalls), smaller local restaurants, local markets, food trucks
Vegetarian / vegan options	844 listings on Happy Cow	47 options on HappyCow	90 options on HappyCow	279 listings on Happy Cow	7 options on HappyCow