Berlin vs Hanoi vs Istanbul vs Rio de Janeiro vs Sofia

	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Hanoi 🇻🇳 Remove	Istanbul 🇹🇷 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove	Sofia 🇧🇬 Remove
Population	3,400,000	8,053,663	15,520,000	6,718,903	1,270,169
Official language(s)	German	Vietnamese	Turkish	Portuguese	Bulgarian
Level of English	Very high	Moderate	Low	Low	High
Main airport	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	Nội Bài International Airport (HAN)	Istanbul Airport (IST)	Galeão International Airport	Sofia International Airport (SOF)
Most common months to visit	May - September	January, February, October - December	April - June, September and October	January - March, December	April-June, September-October
Currency	EUR - Euro (€)	VND - Vietnamese Dong (₫)	TRY - Turkish Lira (₺)	BRL - Brazilian Real (R$)	BGN - Bulgarian Lev (лв)
Credit cards	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted in some places. Cash often preferred.	Accepted in most places	Accepted everywhere	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	Yes	No	No	No	No
Average monthly costs	$2200	$1167	$659	$1833	$1289
Rent	$939	$503	$354	$1066	$567
Groceries	$188	$151	$44	$95	$10
Dining out	$271	$134	$81	$210	$227
Cafe	$57	$39	$18	$25	$27
Coworking space	$174	$72	$49	$130	$140
Mobile internet	$23	$4	$3	$7	$10
Public transportation	$88	$20	$6	$33	$30
Taxis	$58	$13	$6	$14	$12
Shared bicycles and scooters	$17	$0	$2	$16	$40
Sport and cultural events	$64	$3	$11	$55	$18
Museums and sights	$37	$4	$15	$26	$12
Nightlife	$63	$89	$22	$54	$82
Gym	$66	$57	$9	$31	$23
Yoga	$99	$57	$23	$40	$62
Massage	$56	$21	$15	$32	$29
SIM card options	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Viettel, Mobifone	Turkcell, Turk Telekom	Tim, Claro, Vivo	A1, Telenor, Vivacom
Tipping	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	10% in restaurants, 1-2 BGN at bars and cafés
Taxi apps	Mytaxi, Uber	Grab, GoViet	BiTaksi	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber	TaxiMe, TaxiStars
Tap water	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable
Overall cuisine	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.	Vegetables and mild spices are often mixed with dairy products to create rich chicken and pork products. Seafood dishes also popular in some regions of the country, making them popular in the capital.
Local food specialities	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.	Kebapche, Bulgarian musaka, lyutenitsa, shkember chorba, kyufte, kavarma, banitsa and tarator
Eat like a local	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.	Taverns, local BBQ restaurants, local markets and smaller eateries in residential and university areas.
Vegetarian / vegan options	844 listings on Happy Cow	104 listings on Happy Cow	59 listings on Happy Cow	54 options on Happy Cow	20 options on HappyCow