Berlin vs Chiang Mai vs Hanoi vs Istanbul vs Panama City

	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Chiang Mai 🇹🇭 Remove	Hanoi 🇻🇳 Remove	Istanbul 🇹🇷 Remove	Panama City 🇵🇦 Remove
Population	3,400,000	1,166,978	8,053,663	15,520,000	880,691
Official language(s)	German	Thai	Vietnamese	Turkish	Spanish
Level of English	Very high	Low	Moderate	Low	Low
Main airport	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX)	Nội Bài International Airport (HAN)	Istanbul Airport (IST)	Tocumen International Airport (PTY)
Most common months to visit	May - September	November - April	January, February, October - December	April - June, September and October	December - April
Currency	EUR - Euro (€)	THB - Thai Baht (฿)	VND - Vietnamese Dong (₫)	TRY - Turkish Lira (₺)	PAB - Panamanian Balboa (B/.)
Credit cards	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted sometimes. Cash preferred in many places.	Accepted in some places. Cash often preferred.	Accepted in most places	Accepted almost everywhere but not in smaller shops.
Remote worker visa	Yes	No	No	No	Yes
Average monthly costs	$2200	$974	$1167	$659	$2359
Rent	$939	$274	$503	$354	$1036
Groceries	$188	$169	$151	$44	$236
Dining out	$271	$108	$134	$81	$371
Cafe	$57	$45	$39	$18	$43
Coworking space	$174	$95	$72	$49	$157
Mobile internet	$23	$11	$4	$3	$21
Public transportation	$88	$60	$20	$6	$12
Taxis	$58	$20	$13	$6	$48
Shared bicycles and scooters	$17	$10	$0	$2	$0
Sport and cultural events	$64	$8	$3	$11	$35
Museums and sights	$37	$8	$4	$15	$9
Nightlife	$63	$62	$89	$22	$117
Gym	$66	$41	$57	$9	$37
Yoga	$99	$55	$57	$23	$163
Massage	$56	$10	$21	$15	$75
SIM card options	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	AIS, DTAC	Viettel, Mobifone	Turkcell, Turk Telekom	Claro, Movistar
Tipping	Round up for restaurants, not common for bars and services	10% at restaurants, not customary or expected elsewhere	Not required but appreciated, especially in taxis, restaurants and bars. Round up or add 10%.	Tip 5-10% in restaurants, cafés and bars	10% in restaurants, round up elsewhere
Taxi apps	Mytaxi, Uber	Grab	Grab, GoViet	BiTaksi	Uber, Tu Chofer
Tap water	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable
Overall cuisine	Heavy and hearty meals with plenty of meat, potatoes and bread	Combines salty, sweet, spicy and sour flavors to create bold and colorful dishes. Meals typically include a mixture of meat and seafood dishes, as well as noodles or soups recipes. Strong emphasis on local spices and vegetables.	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	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	Currywurst, spätzle, königsberger klopse, schnitzel, eisbein, doner kebab, pretzels	Khao soi, khan toke, sai oua, miang kham, nam prik, khanom jeen nam ngiaw, larb khua	Pho, cha ca, Vietnamese coffee, pastries and breads	Döner, İçli Köfte, Dondurma, Karnıyarık, Turkish delight	Sancocho de gallina, carimanola, empanadas, tamales panameños, tostones, ropa vieja
Eat like a local	Brew pubs, cafes, bars, deli shops	Street food stalls, local markets, bakeries and smaller, traditional restaurants that serve fresh food	Noodle Houses, Bakeries, Coffee and Tea Houses, street food	Traditional breakfasts, street stalls for simit, lahmacun and kokorec, Turkish coffee	Fondas (roadside stalls), smaller local restaurants, local markets, food trucks
Vegetarian / vegan options	844 listings on Happy Cow	90 options on HappyCow	104 listings on Happy Cow	59 listings on Happy Cow	7 options on HappyCow