Istanbul vs Lviv vs Medellin vs Panama City vs Rio de Janeiro

	Istanbul 🇹🇷 Remove	Lviv 🇺🇦 Remove	Medellin 🇨🇴 Remove	Panama City 🇵🇦 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove
Population	15,520,000	731,387	2,427,000	880,691	6,718,903
Official language(s)	Turkish	Ukrainian	Spanish	Spanish	Portuguese
Level of English	Low	Low	Low	Low	Low
Main airport	Istanbul Airport (IST)	Lviv Danylo Halytskyi International Airport (LWO)	José María Córdova International Airport (MDE)	Tocumen International Airport (PTY)	Galeão International Airport
Most common months to visit	April - June, September and October	May - September	January - April, December	December - April	January - March, December
Currency	TRY - Turkish Lira (₺)	UAH - Ukrainian Hryvnia (₴)	COP - Colombian Peso ($)	PAB - Panamanian Balboa (B/.)	BRL - Brazilian Real (R$)
Credit cards	Accepted in most places	Accepted almost everywhere	Accepted in some places	Accepted almost everywhere but not in smaller shops.	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	No	No	Yes	No
Average monthly costs	$659	$922	$1293	$2359	$1833
Rent	$354	$400	$732	$1036	$1066
Groceries	$44	$91	$87	$236	$95
Dining out	$81	$151	$131	$371	$210
Cafe	$18	$21	$18	$43	$25
Coworking space	$49	$79	$96	$157	$130
Mobile internet	$3	$4	$16	$21	$7
Public transportation	$6	$5	$21	$12	$33
Taxis	$6	$12	$14	$48	$14
Shared bicycles and scooters	$2	$16	$0	$0	$16
Sport and cultural events	$11	$13	$8	$35	$55
Museums and sights	$15	$9	$9	$9	$26
Nightlife	$22	$43	$73	$117	$54
Gym	$9	$22	$15	$37	$31
Yoga	$23	$30	$54	$163	$40
Massage	$15	$27	$20	$75	$32
SIM card options	Turkcell, Turk Telekom	Vodafone, Kyivstar	Claro, Tigo	Claro, Movistar	Tim, Claro, Vivo
Tipping	Tip 5-10% in restaurants, cafés and bars	10% in restaurants, not expected elsewhere	Tip 10% in restaurants	10% in restaurants, round up elsewhere	10% usually included in restaurants, 10% at bars and cafes with table service is common
Taxi apps	BiTaksi	Uber, Uklon	EasyTaxi	Uber, Tu Chofer	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber
Tap water	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable
Overall cuisine	A fusion of cultures creates diverse dishes with bulgur, koftes, stews, eggplants and fish	Slavic. Emphasis on frilled meats combined with potatoes, carrots, pickles and cabbage. Creamy deserts often elaborated with cottage cheese. Lviv enjoys culinary influences from Kiev (traditional with an emphasis on chicken) and Odessa (various seafood dishes).	A blend of indigenous and European traditions with rice, maize, cassava, assorted legumes, and meats	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.	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	Döner, İçli Köfte, Dondurma, Karnıyarık, Turkish delight	Lviv cheesecake, fish Zupa, Tsivikli, Karmanadli, Banosh, Borscht, Salo, Syrnyky	Bandeja paisa, ajiaco, mondongo, empanada, and arepa	Sancocho de gallina, carimanola, empanadas, tamales panameños, tostones, ropa vieja	Feijoada, bolinho de bacalhau, fried sardines, caldo verde, pao de queijo and brigadeiros.
Eat like a local	Traditional breakfasts, street stalls for simit, lahmacun and kokorec, Turkish coffee	Local grills, themed taverns, local breweries, small bakeries	Street stalls for empanada and arepa with cheese, restaurants for traditional Colombian food	Fondas (roadside stalls), smaller local restaurants, local markets, food trucks	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	59 listings on Happy Cow	9 options on HappyCow	153 listings on Happy Cow	7 options on HappyCow	54 options on Happy Cow