World taxi prices: What a 3-kilometer ride costs in 72 big cities
- 03 Nov, 2010
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Here at Price of Travel we are now tracking travel prices in over 100 different cities around the world, hoping to help travelers make an accurate budget as well as pick places where their money goes furthest. Not surprisingly, transportation prices can vary dramatically, so we are tracking the cost of getting to and from the airport and getting around town, using taxis as well as public transportation.
In general, taxi prices can be very confusing in any given city, so trying to compare all the cities together was complicated. To do this we decided to track a typical price range of a 3-kilometer (about 2 mile) trip in each destination. We use price ranges instead of “average” prices because many cities have different prices with each company, or different price structures at night or on weekends.
So the prices below run from cheapest to most expensive, and some of the results are surprising. With the exception of the junker taxis used in India and the Mercedes taxis used in parts of Europe, the cars themselves tend to be very similar. For example, taxis in Bangkok are almost all late-model Toyota Camrys with air-conditioning, and yet the ride costs almost nothing compared to the most expensive cities.
Also, check out our public transportation prices in 80 worldwide cities comparison as well.
NOTE: All exchange rates were updated as of April, 2011, shifting things around a bit.
Cost of a 3-kilometer ride in April, 2011
*All prices converted into US dollars on April 16, 2011
The left price reflects little to no waiting in traffic, the right price reflects high-traffic situations plus night or weekend surcharges.
$0.90 – $1.58 Delhi, India
$0.97 – $1.29 Mumbai, India
$1.01 – $1.68 Cairo, Egypt
$1.15 – $1.73 La Paz, Bolivia
$1.16 – $1.85 Manila, Philippines
$1.25 – $3.00 Panama City, Panama
$1.27 – $1.73 Kuta, Bali, Indonesia
$1.28 – $1.91 Fez, Morocco
$1.29 – $2.14 Mexico City, Mexico
$1.32 – $1.98 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
$1.43 – $1.91 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
$1.53 – $3.06 Beijing, China
$1.53 – $1.91 Hanoi, Vietnam
$1.66 – $2.32 Bangkok, Thailand
$1.69 – $3.38 Kathmandu, Nepal
$1.84 – $2.76 Shanghai, China
$1.91 – $3.19 Marrakech, Morocco
$2.00 – $4.00 Quito, Ecuador
$2.06 – $2.94 Sofia, Bulgaria
$2.11 – $3.69 Montevideo, Uruguay
$2.13 – $3.19 Lima, Peru
$2.46 – $2.95 Buenos Aires, Argentina
$2.72 – $3.27 Dubai, UAE
$2.82 – $4.23 Amman, Jordan
$2.84 – $4.27 St. Petersburg, Russia
$2.94 – $5.51 Seoul, South Korea
$3.23 – $6.45 Singapore, Singapore
$3.35 – $5.16 Hong Kong, China
$3.80 – $6.33 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
$3.84 – $6.52 Athens, Greece
$4.09 – $6.04 Moscow, Russia
$4.24 – $5.93 Santiago, Chile
$4.39 – $8.77 Tel Aviv, Israel
$4.64 – $6.22 Istanbul, Turkey
$5.47 – $9.12 Krakow, Poland
$5.33 – $7.99 Beirut, Lebanon
$5.73 – $8.33 Vancouver, Canada
$5.80 – $8.70 Lisbon, Portugal
$5.80 – $9.42 Tallinn, Estonia
$5.70 – $8.29 Budapest, Hungary
$5.75 – $7.90 Cape Town, South Africa
$5.95 – $8.33 Prague, Czech Republic
$6.20 – $8.26 Taipei, Taiwan
$6.52 – $10.14 Barcelona, Spain
$6.56 – $9.84 Edinburgh, Scotland
$7.00 – $12.00 New York City, USA
$7.25 – $10.14 Madrid, Spain
$7.50 – $10.00 Los Angeles, USA
$7.95 – $13.26 Reykjavik, Iceland
$8.41 – $14.49 Rome, Italy
$8.70 – $14.49 Brussels, Belgium
$8.70 – $14.49 Paris, France
$9.38 – $12.50 Toronto, Canada
$9.38 – $12.50 Montreal, Canada
$9.47 – $12.63 Melbourne, Australia
$9.60 – $12.00 Auckland, New Zealand
$9.80 – $15.69 Zagreb, Croatia
$10.14 – $14.49 Vienna, Austria
$10.53 – $13.68 Sydney, Australia
$11.22 – $14.12 Copenhagen, Denmark
$11.48 – $14.75 London, England
$11.59 – $15.94 Berlin, Germany
$11.59 – $17.39 Munich, Germany
$11.59 – $17.39 Dublin, Ireland
$12.64 – $15.66 Tokyo, Japan
$12.92 – $16.16 Stockholm, Sweden
$13.04 – $17.39 Nice, France
$14.06 – $20.29 Helsinki, Finland
$14.49 – $14.49 Amsterdam, Netherlands
$15.94 – $20.29 Monaco, Monaco
$18.62 – $24.21 Oslo, Norway
$20.22 – $26.97 Zurich, Switzerland
Notes about world taxi prices
- The prices above reflect metered prices, although in some cities each company charges its own rates.
- Generally, if you are obviously a tourist, the cheaper the normal price the greater chance that the meter will be “broken” or unavailable.
- These figures are for in-the-city rides, many airports add an additional surcharge in one or both directions.
- Typical airport-to-city price ranges can be found on each of the main city pages, along with public transportation prices.
- Some cities charge more at night or on weekends, so the overall range tends to be greater in those cases.
- Prices for waiting/standing still and typical traffic conditions vary from city to city, and this also increases the price range.
Being honest, even when all companies in a city use a fixed price scheme it can still be difficult to research them because many taxi drivers make a better living by the public not knowing what they should really expect to pay. On the other hand, we are confident that all of these are at least very close, although if you have new information we’d love to hear from you so we can update our records.
The worst confusion almost always involves airport taxi scams, so it’s worth being aware of those before you arrive anywhere.
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