Austin vs Berlin vs Hanoi vs Istanbul vs Rio de Janeiro

	Austin 🇺🇸 Remove	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Hanoi 🇻🇳 Remove	Istanbul 🇹🇷 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove
Population	926,426	3,400,000	8,053,663	15,520,000	6,718,903
Official language(s)	English (de facto)	German	Vietnamese	Turkish	Portuguese
Level of English	Very high	Very high	Moderate	Low	Low
Main airport	Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS)	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	Nội Bài International Airport (HAN)	Istanbul Airport (IST)	Galeão International Airport
Most common months to visit	March - May, September - November	May - September	January, February, October - December	April - June, September and October	January - March, December
Currency	USD - US Dollar ($)	EUR - Euro (€)	VND - Vietnamese Dong (₫)	TRY - Turkish Lira (₺)	BRL - Brazilian Real (R$)
Credit cards	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted in some places. Cash often preferred.	Accepted in most places	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	Yes	No	No	No
Average monthly costs	$3484	$2200	$1167	$659	$1833
Rent	$1650	$939	$503	$354	$1066
Groceries	$243	$188	$151	$44	$95
Dining out	$396	$271	$134	$81	$210
Cafe	$66	$57	$39	$18	$25
Coworking space	$331	$174	$72	$49	$130
Mobile internet	$40	$23	$4	$3	$7
Public transportation	$110	$88	$20	$6	$33
Taxis	$73	$58	$13	$6	$14
Shared bicycles and scooters	$96	$17	$0	$2	$16
Sport and cultural events	$54	$64	$3	$11	$55
Museums and sights	$11	$37	$4	$15	$26
Nightlife	$124	$63	$89	$22	$54
Gym	$62	$66	$57	$9	$31
Yoga	$139	$99	$57	$23	$40
Massage	$89	$56	$21	$15	$32
SIM card options	AT&T, T-Mobile.	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Viettel, Mobifone	Turkcell, Turk Telekom	Tim, Claro, Vivo
Tipping	15-20% at restaurants, 1USD or more per drink at cafes and bars	Round up for restaurants, not common for bars and services	Not required but appreciated, especially in taxis, restaurants and bars. Round up or add 10%.	Tip 5-10% in restaurants, cafés and bars	10% usually included in restaurants, 10% at bars and cafes with table service is common
Taxi apps	Uber, Lyft	Mytaxi, Uber	Grab, GoViet	BiTaksi	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber
Tap water	Drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable
Overall cuisine	Emphasis on barbecued meats (beef and pork) as well as corn-based dishes and tex-mex, and rich American-style desserts.	Heavy and hearty meals with plenty of meat, potatoes and bread	A mix of French, Southeast Asian and Chinese with lots of fresh herbs and spices. Northern Vietnam cuisine includes a lot of fish and noodles.	A fusion of cultures creates diverse dishes with bulgur, koftes, stews, eggplants and fish	Emphasis on rice, beans, pork and beef with a variety of root vegetables and fresh fruits. Fresh seafood is also very common.
Local food specialities	Frito pie, queso, apple pie, kolaches, BBQ ribs, tacos	Currywurst, spätzle, königsberger klopse, schnitzel, eisbein, doner kebab, pretzels	Pho, cha ca, Vietnamese coffee, pastries and breads	Döner, İçli Köfte, Dondurma, Karnıyarık, Turkish delight	Feijoada, bolinho de bacalhau, fried sardines, caldo verde, pao de queijo and brigadeiros.
Eat like a local	Local tex-mex restaurants, lunch BBQ joints, taquerias, food trucks, local breweries	Brew pubs, cafes, bars, deli shops	Noodle Houses, Bakeries, Coffee and Tea Houses, street food	Traditional breakfasts, street stalls for simit, lahmacun and kokorec, Turkish coffee	The "snack capital" of Brazil, Rio is a perfect place to try street food as well as the wide varieties of small, traditional eateries and churrascarias easily found across the city.
Vegetarian / vegan options	30 options on HappyCow	844 listings on Happy Cow	104 listings on Happy Cow	59 listings on Happy Cow	54 options on Happy Cow