Cape Town vs Playa del Carmen vs Rio de Janeiro vs Seoul vs Tbilisi

	Cape Town 🇿🇦 Remove	Playa del Carmen 🇲🇽 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove	Seoul 🇰🇷 Remove	Tbilisi 🇬🇪 Remove
Population	4,617,560	259,453	6,718,903	9,963,452	1,108,700
Official language(s)	Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English	Spanish	Portuguese	Korean	Georgian
Level of English	Very high	Moderate	Low	Moderate	Low
Main airport	Cape Town International Airport (CPT)	Cancun International Airport (CUN)	Galeão International Airport	Incheon International Airport (ICN)	Tbilisi International Airport (TBS)
Most common months to visit	March - May, September - November	January - May, October - December	January - March, December	March - May, September - November	March - June
Currency	ZAR - South African Rand (R)	MXN - Mexican Peso ($)	BRL - Brazilian Real (R$)	KRW - South Korean won (₩)	GEL - Georgian Lari (₾)
Credit cards	Accepted almost everywhere, but cash still needed in smaller shops	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted everywhere	Accepted everywhere	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	Yes	No	No	Yes
Average monthly costs	$1549	$2143	$1833	$2184	$1462
Rent	$618	$923	$1066	$797	$752
Groceries	$129	$127	$95	$356	$112
Dining out	$269	$207	$210	$211	$169
Cafe	$32	$42	$25	$69	$45
Coworking space	$151	$160	$130	$222	$125
Mobile internet	$27	$21	$7	$40	$4
Public transportation	$55	$17	$33	$40	$8
Taxis	$21	$9	$14	$41	$14
Shared bicycles and scooters	$49	$49	$16	$13	$27
Sport and cultural events	$19	$97	$55	$39	$21
Museums and sights	$15	$217	$26	$6	$9
Nightlife	$43	$77	$54	$93	$53
Gym	$36	$42	$31	$69	$33
Yoga	$56	$54	$40	$112	$37
Massage	$30	$101	$32	$75	$53
SIM card options	MTN, Vodacom	Telcel, Movistar	Tim, Claro, Vivo	KT, SK Telecom, LG Uplus	Magti GSM, Geocell, Beeline
Tipping	10 - 15% at restaurants, round up elsewhere	10-15% for restaurants	10% usually included in restaurants, 10% at bars and cafes with table service is common	Not customary or expected	10% usually included in bill, not expected at bars or cafés.
Taxi apps	Uber, Bolt	N/A	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber	Uber, Kakao	Yandex, Bolt
Tap water	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable
Overall cuisine	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.	Staple dishes from maize, beans, sweet potato and avocado along with meat, chili peppers and other spices	Emphasis on rice, beans, pork and beef with a variety of root vegetables and fresh fruits. Fresh seafood is also very common.	Emphasis on rice, vegetables, spices and meats. Main dishes are coupled with diverse side dishes and desserts. Strong driking culture.	Cuisine of the Caucasus meets regional diversity in Georgia. Emphasis on spices and meats (poultry, beef, pork and mutton) as well as soups and creams.
Local food specialities	Bitlong and droewors, boerewors, Cape Malay curry, bobotie, melkert, gatsby, bunny chow	Chilaquiles, tacos al pastor, chile rellenos, cochinita pibil, tostadas, pozole	Feijoada, bolinho de bacalhau, fried sardines, caldo verde, pao de queijo and brigadeiros.	Kimchi, bulgogi, chap chae, mandu, sam gae tang, bossam	Kachapuri, kuchmachi, khinkali, chikhirtma, kharcho with gomi, jonjoli
Eat like a local	Cape Malay shacks, food trucks, street food joints, local grills, small bakeries and food markets	Taco stands, esquite stalls, El Fogon, El Pirata, Dona Mary's	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.	Smaller, local eateries (sikdang), street stalls and local markets	Small local restaurants, open bars, terraces and wine bars
Vegetarian / vegan options	24 options on HappyCow	72 listings on Happy Cow	54 options on Happy Cow	57 options on Happy Cow	10 options on Happy Cow