Chiang Mai vs Panama City vs Playa del Carmen vs Prague vs Rio de Janeiro

	Chiang Mai 🇹🇭 Remove	Panama City 🇵🇦 Remove	Playa del Carmen 🇲🇽 Remove	Prague 🇨🇿 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove
Population	1,166,978	880,691	259,453	1,305,737	6,718,903
Official language(s)	Thai	Spanish	Spanish	Czech	Portuguese
Level of English	Low	Low	Moderate	High	Low
Main airport	Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX)	Tocumen International Airport (PTY)	Cancun International Airport (CUN)	Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG)	Galeão International Airport
Most common months to visit	November - April	December - April	January - May, October - December	June - October	January - March, December
Currency	THB - Thai Baht (฿)	PAB - Panamanian Balboa (B/.)	MXN - Mexican Peso ($)	CZK - Czech Koruna (Kč)	BRL - Brazilian Real (R$)
Credit cards	Accepted sometimes. Cash preferred in many places.	Accepted almost everywhere but not in smaller shops.	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted most places (some places are cash only)	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Average monthly costs	$974	$2359	$2143	$1806	$1833
Rent	$274	$1036	$923	$780	$1066
Groceries	$169	$236	$127	$158	$95
Dining out	$108	$371	$207	$240	$210
Cafe	$45	$43	$42	$53	$25
Coworking space	$95	$157	$160	$175	$130
Mobile internet	$11	$21	$21	$24	$7
Public transportation	$60	$12	$17	$61	$33
Taxis	$20	$48	$9	$33	$14
Shared bicycles and scooters	$10	$0	$49	$19	$16
Sport and cultural events	$8	$35	$97	$19	$55
Museums and sights	$8	$9	$217	$35	$26
Nightlife	$62	$117	$77	$50	$54
Gym	$41	$37	$42	$56	$31
Yoga	$55	$163	$54	$66	$40
Massage	$10	$75	$101	$37	$32
SIM card options	AIS, DTAC	Claro, Movistar	Telcel, Movistar	Vodafone, T-Mobile	Tim, Claro, Vivo
Tipping	10% at restaurants, not customary or expected elsewhere	10% in restaurants, round up elsewhere	10-15% for restaurants	10% at restaurants and bars, round up elsewhere	10% usually included in restaurants, 10% at bars and cafes with table service is common
Taxi apps	Grab	Uber, Tu Chofer	N/A	Uber, Liftago	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber
Tap water	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable
Overall cuisine	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.	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.	Staple dishes from maize, beans, sweet potato and avocado along with meat, chili peppers and other spices	Thick soups are often combined with stewed vegetables and baked meats to produce rich dishes. Gravies and creams are popular in Czech cuisine, as is beer!	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	Khao soi, khan toke, sai oua, miang kham, nam prik, khanom jeen nam ngiaw, larb khua	Sancocho de gallina, carimanola, empanadas, tamales panameños, tostones, ropa vieja	Chilaquiles, tacos al pastor, chile rellenos, cochinita pibil, tostadas, pozole	Vepřo knedlo zelo, Česnečka, Guláš, Svíčková na smetaně, Ovocné Knedlíky.	Feijoada, bolinho de bacalhau, fried sardines, caldo verde, pao de queijo and brigadeiros.
Eat like a local	Street food stalls, local markets, bakeries and smaller, traditional restaurants that serve fresh food	Fondas (roadside stalls), smaller local restaurants, local markets, food trucks	Taco stands, esquite stalls, El Fogon, El Pirata, Dona Mary's	Pubs and taverns, street food stalls, local cafés	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	90 options on HappyCow	7 options on HappyCow	72 listings on Happy Cow	112 options on HappyCow	54 options on Happy Cow