Cape Town vs Medellin vs Rio de Janeiro vs Seoul vs Valencia

	Cape Town 🇿🇦 Remove	Medellin 🇨🇴 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove	Seoul 🇰🇷 Remove	Valencia 🇪🇸 Remove
Population	4,617,560	2,427,000	6,718,903	9,963,452	834,000
Official language(s)	Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English	Spanish	Portuguese	Korean	Spanish, Valencian
Level of English	Very high	Low	Low	Moderate	Moderate
Main airport	Cape Town International Airport (CPT)	José María Córdova International Airport (MDE)	Galeão International Airport	Incheon International Airport (ICN)	Valencia Manises Airport (VLC)
Most common months to visit	March - May, September - November	January - April, December	January - March, December	March - May, September - November	March - June, September, October
Currency	ZAR - South African Rand (R)	COP - Colombian Peso ($)	BRL - Brazilian Real (R$)	KRW - South Korean won (₩)	EUR - Euro (€)
Credit cards	Accepted almost everywhere, but cash still needed in smaller shops	Accepted in some places	Accepted everywhere	Accepted everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	No	No	No	Yes
Average monthly costs	$1549	$1293	$1833	$2184	$1976
Rent	$618	$732	$1066	$797	$869
Groceries	$129	$87	$95	$356	$146
Dining out	$269	$131	$210	$211	$292
Cafe	$32	$18	$25	$69	$42
Coworking space	$151	$96	$130	$222	$152
Mobile internet	$27	$16	$7	$40	$16
Public transportation	$55	$21	$33	$40	$38
Taxis	$21	$14	$14	$41	$42
Shared bicycles and scooters	$49	$0	$16	$13	$30
Sport and cultural events	$19	$8	$55	$39	$73
Museums and sights	$15	$9	$26	$6	$44
Nightlife	$43	$73	$54	$93	$66
Gym	$36	$15	$31	$69	$34
Yoga	$56	$54	$40	$112	$87
Massage	$30	$20	$32	$75	$45
SIM card options	MTN, Vodacom	Claro, Tigo	Tim, Claro, Vivo	KT, SK Telecom, LG Uplus	Vodafone, Orange
Tipping	10 - 15% at restaurants, round up elsewhere	Tip 10% in restaurants	10% usually included in restaurants, 10% at bars and cafes with table service is common	Not customary or expected	Round up for good service at restaurants, not common at bars
Taxi apps	Uber, Bolt	EasyTaxi	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber	Uber, Kakao	Cabify, FreeNow
Tap water	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Not drinkable	Drinkable	Drinkable
Overall cuisine	South African cuisine has been shaped by a long history of Dutch, Malay, British and Indian settlements, making the food diverse and strong in flavor. There is a strong emphasis on game in all of its different forms, as well as spicy sauces and sautéed vegetables and dry-cured meats. Creamy desserts and liqueurs compliment large and flavorful meals.	A blend of indigenous and European traditions with rice, maize, cassava, assorted legumes, and meats	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.	Mediterranean style using vegetables, seafoods and meats
Local food specialities	Bitlong and droewors, boerewors, Cape Malay curry, bobotie, melkert, gatsby, bunny chow	Bandeja paisa, ajiaco, mondongo, empanada, and arepa	Feijoada, bolinho de bacalhau, fried sardines, caldo verde, pao de queijo and brigadeiros.	Kimchi, bulgogi, chap chae, mandu, sam gae tang, bossam	Paella, fideuà, esgarrat, orxata, bunyols
Eat like a local	Cape Malay shacks, food trucks, street food joints, local grills, small bakeries and food markets	Street stalls for empanada and arepa with cheese, restaurants for traditional Colombian food	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	Tapas bars, markets, menu del dia (cheap set lunches)
Vegetarian / vegan options	24 options on HappyCow	153 listings on Happy Cow	54 options on Happy Cow	57 options on Happy Cow	98 listings on Happy Cow