Berlin vs Budapest vs Hanoi vs Istanbul vs Larnaca

	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Budapest 🇭🇺 Remove	Hanoi 🇻🇳 Remove	Istanbul 🇹🇷 Remove	Larnaca 🇨🇾 Remove
Population	3,400,000	1,768,073	8,053,663	15,520,000	144,900
Official language(s)	German	Hungarian	Vietnamese	Turkish	Greek
Level of English	Very high	High	Moderate	Low	High
Main airport	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	Budapest Ferihegy International Airport (BUD)	Nội Bài International Airport (HAN)	Istanbul Airport (IST)	Larnaca International Airport (LCA)
Most common months to visit	May - September	March - June, September - November	January, February, October - December	April - June, September and October	March - May, October - December
Currency	EUR - Euro (€)	HUF - Hungarian Forint (Ft)	VND - Vietnamese Dong (₫)	TRY - Turkish Lira (₺)	EUR - Euro (€)
Credit cards	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted almost everywhere, cash needed for small shops	Accepted in some places. Cash often preferred.	Accepted in most places	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	Yes	No	No	No	No
Average monthly costs	$2200	$1230	$1167	$659	$1959
Rent	$939	$499	$503	$354	$678
Groceries	$188	$108	$151	$44	$157
Dining out	$271	$202	$134	$81	$261
Cafe	$57	$29	$39	$18	$56
Coworking space	$174	$120	$72	$49	$209
Mobile internet	$23	$9	$4	$3	$35
Public transportation	$88	$36	$20	$6	$63
Taxis	$58	$27	$13	$6	$42
Shared bicycles and scooters	$17	$13	$0	$2	$45
Sport and cultural events	$64	$24	$3	$11	$28
Museums and sights	$37	$7	$4	$15	$8
Nightlife	$63	$43	$89	$22	$110
Gym	$66	$37	$57	$9	$107
Yoga	$99	$48	$57	$23	$105
Massage	$56	$26	$21	$15	$54
SIM card options	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Vodafone, Telenor	Viettel, Mobifone	Turkcell, Turk Telekom	Primetel, Cytamobile-Vodafone and Epic/MTN
Tipping	Round up for restaurants, not common for bars and services	10 - 15% at restaurants and bars	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 added and expected at restaurants, round up at bars
Taxi apps	Mytaxi, Uber	Bolt, Fotaxi	Grab, GoViet	BiTaksi	nTaxi
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.	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	Mediterranean style with emphasis on seafood, meats, olives, cheesed and traditional sauces. Some food with Middle Eastern influences as well..
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	Pho, cha ca, Vietnamese coffee, pastries and breads	Döner, İçli Köfte, Dondurma, Karnıyarık, Turkish delight	Souvlaki, sheftalia, kleftiko, stifado, halloumi, koukepia and moussaka
Eat like a local	Brew pubs, cafes, bars, deli shops	Local markets, cafés, taverns, street food, traditional restaurants	Noodle Houses, Bakeries, Coffee and Tea Houses, street food	Traditional breakfasts, street stalls for simit, lahmacun and kokorec, Turkish coffee	Opt for smaller, outside eateries and taverns serving traditional foods. Fast food kebab shops and falafel bars offer authentic options, too.
Vegetarian / vegan options	844 listings on Happy Cow	47 options on HappyCow	104 listings on Happy Cow	59 listings on Happy Cow	14 options on HappyCow, but non-meat Mediterranean/Middle Eastern options are always available