Berlin vs Budapest vs Lisbon vs Madrid vs Rio de Janeiro

	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Budapest 🇭🇺 Remove	Lisbon 🇵🇹 Remove	Madrid 🇪🇸 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove
Population	3,400,000	1,768,073	517,000	6,578,0179	6,718,903
Official language(s)	German	Hungarian	Portuguese	Spanish	Portuguese
Level of English	Very high	High	Very high	Moderate	Low
Main airport	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	Budapest Ferihegy International Airport (BUD)	Humberto Delgado Airport (LIS)	Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD)	Galeão International Airport
Most common months to visit	May - September	March - June, September - November	March - May, September, October	March - May, September - November	January - March, December
Currency	EUR - Euro (€)	HUF - Hungarian Forint (Ft)	EUR - Euro (€)	EUR - Euro (€)	BRL - Brazilian Real (R$)
Credit cards	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted almost everywhere, cash needed for small shops	Accepted almost everywhere (less for AMEX)	Accepted everywhere	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
Average monthly costs	$2200	$1230	$1984	$2498	$1833
Rent	$939	$499	$965	$1174	$1066
Groceries	$188	$108	$136	$175	$95
Dining out	$271	$202	$271	$313	$210
Cafe	$57	$29	$37	$51	$25
Coworking space	$174	$120	$164	$196	$130
Mobile internet	$23	$9	$24	$10	$7
Public transportation	$88	$36	$63	$78	$33
Taxis	$58	$27	$27	$44	$14
Shared bicycles and scooters	$17	$13	$18	$49	$16
Sport and cultural events	$64	$24	$29	$54	$55
Museums and sights	$37	$7	$24	$20	$26
Nightlife	$63	$43	$47	$82	$54
Gym	$66	$37	$65	$44	$31
Yoga	$99	$48	$65	$142	$40
Massage	$56	$26	$50	$64	$32
SIM card options	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Vodafone, Telenor	Vodafone	Orange, Movistar, Vodafone	Tim, Claro, Vivo
Tipping	Round up for restaurants, not common for bars and services	10 - 15% at restaurants and bars	5-10% for restaurants, not common at bars	Not customary or expected but small tips are appreciated.	10% usually included in restaurants, 10% at bars and cafes with table service is common
Taxi apps	Mytaxi, Uber	Bolt, Fotaxi	Uber, FreeNow	Uber, Cabify, MyTaxi Free Now	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber
Tap water	Drinkable	Drinkable	Drinkable	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.	Fresh seafood, meats, soup, sausages and famous pastries	Fresh, regional produce accentuated with garlic and olive oil and mixed with various meats and seafoods. Influenced both by Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern flavors.	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	Currywurst, spätzle, königsberger klopse, schnitzel, eisbein, doner kebab, pretzels	Goulash, Fisherman's soup, Főzelék, Somloi Galuska, Pörkölt and Paprikás, Kürtös Kalács, Hungarian Lecsó, Lángos	Bacalhau à bras, sardinhas, petiscos, leitão, polvo à lagareiro, pasteis de nata, bifana	Paella, tapas, tortilla, gazpacho, pulpo a la gallega, callos a la madrileña, churros	Feijoada, bolinho de bacalhau, fried sardines, caldo verde, pao de queijo and brigadeiros.
Eat like a local	Brew pubs, cafes, bars, deli shops	Local markets, cafés, taverns, street food, traditional restaurants	Tascas, snack bars, seafood restaurants	Have some tapas and sangria at a tasca and paella at an authentic eatery. Keep an eye on the time and visit a cafeteria for a mid-afternoon merienda and some churros!	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	844 listings on Happy Cow	47 options on HappyCow	401 listings on Happy Cow	85 listings on Happy Cow	54 options on Happy Cow