Berlin vs Istanbul vs Madrid vs Porto vs Rio de Janeiro

	Berlin 🇩🇪 Remove	Istanbul 🇹🇷 Remove	Madrid 🇪🇸 Remove	Porto 🇵🇹 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove
Population	3,400,000	15,520,000	6,578,0179	237,559	6,718,903
Official language(s)	German	Turkish	Spanish	Portuguese	Portuguese
Level of English	Very high	Low	Moderate	Very High	Low
Main airport	Berlin Tegel (TXL)	Istanbul Airport (IST)	Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD)	Francisco Sá Carneiro International Airport (OPO)	Galeão International Airport
Most common months to visit	May - September	April - June, September and October	March - May, September - November	May - September	January - March, December
Currency	EUR - Euro (€)	TRY - Turkish Lira (₺)	EUR - Euro (€)	EUR - Euro (€)	BRL - Brazilian Real (R$)
Credit cards	Accepted in some places but cash often preferred	Accepted in most places	Accepted everywhere	Accepted everywhere	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	Yes	No	Yes	Yes	No
Average monthly costs	$2200	$659	$2498	$1759	$1833
Rent	$939	$354	$1174	$717	$1066
Groceries	$188	$44	$175	$148	$95
Dining out	$271	$81	$313	$280	$210
Cafe	$57	$18	$51	$45	$25
Coworking space	$174	$49	$196	$96	$130
Mobile internet	$23	$3	$10	$21	$7
Public transportation	$88	$6	$78	$95	$33
Taxis	$58	$6	$44	$25	$14
Shared bicycles and scooters	$17	$2	$49	$10	$16
Sport and cultural events	$64	$11	$54	$45	$55
Museums and sights	$37	$15	$20	$24	$26
Nightlife	$63	$22	$82	$66	$54
Gym	$66	$9	$44	$56	$31
Yoga	$99	$23	$142	$82	$40
Massage	$56	$15	$64	$48	$32
SIM card options	Deutsche Telekom, Vodafone	Turkcell, Turk Telekom	Orange, Movistar, Vodafone	Vodafone, MEO, NOS	Tim, Claro, Vivo
Tipping	Round up for restaurants, not common for bars and services	Tip 5-10% in restaurants, cafés and bars	Not customary or expected but small tips are appreciated.	5-10% at restaurants if happy with service, not expected at cafes or bars	10% usually included in restaurants, 10% at bars and cafes with table service is common
Taxi apps	Mytaxi, Uber	BiTaksi	Uber, Cabify, MyTaxi Free Now	Uber, MyTaxi, Cabify	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber
Tap water	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable
Overall cuisine	Heavy and hearty meals with plenty of meat, potatoes and bread	A fusion of cultures creates diverse dishes with bulgur, koftes, stews, eggplants and fish	Fresh, regional produce accentuated with garlic and olive oil and mixed with various meats and seafoods. Influenced both by Mediterranean and Middle-Eastern flavors.	A variety of meats often mixed with fresh legumes and vegetables. Emphasis on rich seafood dishes and creamy desserts.	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	Döner, İçli Köfte, Dondurma, Karnıyarık, Turkish delight	Paella, tapas, tortilla, gazpacho, pulpo a la gallega, callos a la madrileña, churros	Bacalhau, Alheira de Mirandela, Francesinha, queido da serra da estrela, tripas a moda do Oporto, pasteis de chaves, tarte de amendoa	Feijoada, bolinho de bacalhau, fried sardines, caldo verde, pao de queijo and brigadeiros.
Eat like a local	Brew pubs, cafes, bars, deli shops	Traditional breakfasts, street stalls for simit, lahmacun and kokorec, Turkish coffee	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!	Local taverns, terraces, markets, tascas, churrascarias and local sports bars	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	59 listings on Happy Cow	85 listings on Happy Cow	46 options on Happy Cow	54 options on Happy Cow