Cape Town vs New York City vs Panama City vs Rio de Janeiro

	Cape Town 🇿🇦 Remove	New York City 🇺🇸 Remove	Panama City 🇵🇦 Remove	Rio de Janeiro 🇧🇷 Remove
Population	4,617,560	8,323,340	880,691	6,718,903
Official language(s)	Zulu, Xhosa, Afrikaans and English	English (de facto)	Spanish	Portuguese
Level of English	Very high	Very high	Low	Low
Main airport	Cape Town International Airport (CPT)	John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK)	Tocumen International Airport (PTY)	Galeão International Airport
Most common months to visit	March - May, September - November	April - June, September - November	December - April	January - March, December
Currency	ZAR - South African Rand (R)	USD - US Dollar ($)	PAB - Panamanian Balboa (B/.)	BRL - Brazilian Real (R$)
Credit cards	Accepted almost everywhere, but cash still needed in smaller shops	Accepted everywhere	Accepted almost everywhere but not in smaller shops.	Accepted everywhere
Remote worker visa	No	No	Yes	No
Average monthly costs	$1549	$5431	$2359	$1833
Rent	$618	$2891	$1036	$1066
Groceries	$129	$383	$236	$95
Dining out	$269	$656	$371	$210
Cafe	$32	$72	$43	$25
Coworking space	$151	$326	$157	$130
Mobile internet	$27	$45	$21	$7
Public transportation	$55	$220	$12	$33
Taxis	$21	$78	$48	$14
Shared bicycles and scooters	$49	$30	$0	$16
Sport and cultural events	$19	$100	$35	$55
Museums and sights	$15	$74	$9	$26
Nightlife	$43	$195	$117	$54
Gym	$36	$55	$37	$31
Yoga	$56	$197	$163	$40
Massage	$30	$109	$75	$32
SIM card options	MTN, Vodacom	AT&T, Verizon	Claro, Movistar	Tim, Claro, Vivo
Tipping	10 - 15% at restaurants, round up elsewhere	15-20% at restaurants, 1 USD per drink at bars	10% in restaurants, round up elsewhere	10% usually included in restaurants, 10% at bars and cafes with table service is common
Taxi apps	Uber, Bolt	Uber, Lyft	Uber, Tu Chofer	Easy Taxi, 99 Taxi, Uber
Tap water	Not drinkable	Drinkable	Not drinkable	Not 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.	American. Emphasis on comfort and fast food, with some good seafood dishes. Influence from other regions of the US, North America and the world make NYC a cosmopolitan and international cuisine hub that is incredibly diverse.	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	Bitlong and droewors, boerewors, Cape Malay curry, bobotie, melkert, gatsby, bunny chow	Pizza, clam chowder, bagels, corned beef, pastrami, cheesecake, hot dogs, and hundred of other international food options.	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	Cape Malay shacks, food trucks, street food joints, local grills, small bakeries and food markets	Delis, local pizza shops, street food stalls and food trucks, food markets, local bakeries and smaller, authentic international cuisine restaurants	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	24 options on HappyCow	309 options on HappyCow	7 options on HappyCow	54 options on Happy Cow