Chiang Mai vs Playa del Carmen vs Prague vs Rio de Janeiro vs Seoul

	Chiang Mai 🇹🇭 Remove	Playa del Carmen 🇲🇽 Remove	Prague 🇨🇿 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove	Seoul 🇰🇷 Remove
Population	1,166,978	259,453	1,305,737	6,718,903	9,963,452
Official language(s)	Thai	Spanish	Czech	Portuguese	Korean
Level of English	Low	Moderate	High	Low	Moderate
Main airport	Chiang Mai International Airport (CNX)	Cancun International Airport (CUN)	Václav Havel Airport Prague (PRG)	Galeão International Airport	Incheon International Airport (ICN)
Most common months to visit	November - April	January - May, October - December	June - October	January - March, December	March - May, September - November
Currency	THB - Thai Baht (฿)	MXN - Mexican Peso ($)	CZK - Czech Koruna (Kč)	BRL - Brazilian Real (R$)	KRW - South Korean won (₩)
Credit cards	Accepted sometimes. Cash preferred in many places.	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted most places (some places are cash only)	Accepted everywhere	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	Yes	Yes	No	No
Average monthly costs	$974	$2143	$1806	$1833	$2184
Rent	$274	$923	$780	$1066	$797
Groceries	$169	$127	$158	$95	$356
Dining out	$108	$207	$240	$210	$211
Cafe	$45	$42	$53	$25	$69
Coworking space	$95	$160	$175	$130	$222
Mobile internet	$11	$21	$24	$7	$40
Public transportation	$60	$17	$61	$33	$40
Taxis	$20	$9	$33	$14	$41
Shared bicycles and scooters	$10	$49	$19	$16	$13
Sport and cultural events	$8	$97	$19	$55	$39
Museums and sights	$8	$217	$35	$26	$6
Nightlife	$62	$77	$50	$54	$93
Gym	$41	$42	$56	$31	$69
Yoga	$55	$54	$66	$40	$112
Massage	$10	$101	$37	$32	$75
SIM card options	AIS, DTAC	Telcel, Movistar	Vodafone, T-Mobile	Tim, Claro, Vivo	KT, SK Telecom, LG Uplus
Tipping	10% at restaurants, not customary or expected 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	Not customary or expected
Taxi apps	Grab	N/A	Uber, Liftago	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber	Uber, Kakao
Tap water	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable	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.	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.	Emphasis on rice, vegetables, spices and meats. Main dishes are coupled with diverse side dishes and desserts. Strong driking culture.
Local food specialities	Khao soi, khan toke, sai oua, miang kham, nam prik, khanom jeen nam ngiaw, larb khua	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.	Kimchi, bulgogi, chap chae, mandu, sam gae tang, bossam
Eat like a local	Street food stalls, local markets, bakeries and smaller, traditional restaurants that serve fresh food	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.	Smaller, local eateries (sikdang), street stalls and local markets
Vegetarian / vegan options	90 options on HappyCow	72 listings on Happy Cow	112 options on HappyCow	54 options on Happy Cow	57 options on Happy Cow