Budapest vs Buenos Aires vs Cape Town vs Hanoi vs Lviv vs New York City vs Panama City

	Budapest 🇭🇺 Remove	Buenos Aires 🇦🇷 Remove	Cape Town 🇿🇦 Remove	Hanoi 🇻🇳 Remove	Lviv 🇺🇦 Remove	New York City 🇺🇸 Remove	Panama City 🇵🇦 Remove
Population	1,768,073	2,900,000	4,617,560	8,053,663	731,387	8,323,340	880,691
Official language(s)	Hungarian	Spanish	Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English	Vietnamese	Ukrainian	English (de facto)	Spanish
Level of English	High	High	Very high	Moderate	Low	Very high	Low
Main airport	Budapest Ferihegy International Airport (BUD)	Ministro Pistarini International Airport (EZE)	Cape Town International Airport (CPT)	Nội Bài International Airport (HAN)	Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport (LWO)	John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)	Tocumen International Airport (PTY)
Most common months to visit	March - June, September - November	September - December	March - May, September - November	January, February, October - December	May - September	April - June, September - November	December - April
Currency	HUF - Hungarian Forint (Ft)	ARS - Argentine Peso ($)	ZAR - South African Rand (R)	VND - Vietnamese Dong (₫)	UAH - Ukrainian Hryvnia (₴)	USD - US Dollar ($)	PAB - Panamanian Balboa (B/.)
Credit cards	Accepted almost everywhere, cash needed for small shops	Accepted everywhere. (ID required!)	Accepted almost everywhere, but cash still needed in smaller shops	Accepted in some places. Cash often preferred.	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere but not in smaller shops.
Remote worker visa	No	No	No	No	No	No	Yes
Average monthly costs	$1230	$1321	$1549	$1167	$922	$5431	$2359
Rent	$499	$844	$618	$503	$400	$2891	$1036
Groceries	$108	$98	$129	$151	$91	$383	$236
Dining out	$202	$121	$269	$134	$151	$656	$371
Cafe	$29	$25	$32	$39	$21	$72	$43
Coworking space	$120	$95	$151	$72	$79	$326	$157
Mobile internet	$9	$11	$27	$4	$4	$45	$21
Public transportation	$36	$9	$55	$20	$5	$220	$12
Taxis	$27	$9	$21	$13	$12	$78	$48
Shared bicycles and scooters	$13	$14	$49	$0	$16	$30	$0
Sport and cultural events	$24	$24	$19	$3	$13	$100	$35
Museums and sights	$7	$4	$15	$4	$9	$74	$9
Nightlife	$43	$23	$43	$89	$43	$195	$117
Gym	$37	$14	$36	$57	$22	$55	$37
Yoga	$48	$19	$56	$57	$30	$197	$163
Massage	$26	$10	$30	$21	$27	$109	$75
SIM card options	Vodafone, Telenor	Movistar, Claro, Personal	MTN, Vodacom	Viettel, Mobifone	Vodafone, Kyivstar	AT&T, Verizon	Claro, Movistar
Tipping	10 - 15% at restaurants and bars	10% at restaurants and cafés is common, not common at bars	10 - 15% at restaurants, round up elsewhere	Not required but appreciated, especially in taxis, restaurants and bars. Round up or add 10%.	10% in restaurants, not expected elsewhere	15-20% at restaurants, 1 USD per drink at bars	10% in restaurants, round up elsewhere
Taxi apps	Bolt, Fotaxi	Uber (not official), Cabify, BA Taxi (Spanish only)	Uber, Bolt	Grab, GoViet	Uber, Uklon	Uber, Lyft	Uber, Tu Chofer
Tap water	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable
Overall 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.	Argentinian style with an emphasis on red meats, pastries, and Italian-inspired options	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.	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.	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).	American. Emphasis on comfort and fast food, with some good seafood dishes. Influence from other regions of the US, North America and the world make NYC a cosmopolitan and international cuisine hub that is incredibly diverse.	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	Goulash, Fisherman's soup, Főzelék, Somloi Galuska, Pörkölt and Paprikás, Kürtös Kalács, Hungarian Lecsó, Lángos	Asado, empanadas (Argentinian style), locro, milanesa napolitana, facturas and alfajores	Bitlong and droewors, boerewors, Cape Malay curry, bobotie, melkert, gatsby, bunny chow	Pho, cha ca, Vietnamese coffee, pastries and breads	Lviv cheesecake, fish Zupa, Tsivikli, Karmanadli, Banosh, Borscht, Salo, Syrnyky	Pizza, clam chowder, bagels, corned beef, pastrami, cheesecake, hot dogs, and hundred of other international food options.	Sancocho de gallina, carimanola, empanadas, tamales panameños, tostones, ropa vieja
Eat like a local	Local markets, cafés, taverns, street food, traditional restaurants	Local restaurants serving asados grill-to-dish (Parrillas), markets (San Telmo, Recoleta) and local cafés for maté and facturas	Cape Malay shacks, food trucks, street food joints, local grills, small bakeries and food markets	Noodle Houses, Bakeries, Coffee and Tea Houses, street food	Local grills, themed taverns, local breweries, small bakeries	Delis, local pizza shops, street food stalls and food trucks, food markets, local bakeries and smaller, authentic international cuisine restaurants	Fondas (roadside stalls), smaller local restaurants, local markets, food trucks
Vegetarian / vegan options	47 options on HappyCow	79 options on Happy Cow	24 options on HappyCow	104 listings on Happy Cow	9 options on HappyCow	309 options on HappyCow	7 options on HappyCow