Catching a cab in a big, busy city can feel like a competitive sport: one eye on the traffic, one hand waving frantically, silently hoping the driver doesn’t refuse the ride. And when you do finally manage to slide into the backseat, the relief is short-lived as the metre starts its steady climb. By the time you reach your destination, there’s that familiar sting of parting with big bucks for a trip that took all of 10 minutes. Sure, public transport can save you some cash, and if you can walk, more power to you. But if you’re in a brand-new pair of shoes, dressed to the nines, and running fashionably late, a taxi is really the only way to go.
Still, not every city in the world will burn the same hole in your pocket for the same ride. Some are far more expensive while others remain surprisingly affordable. Deutsche Bank’s ‘Mapping the World’s Prices 2025’ report takes a close look at what a standard 5km ride costs across the globe, factoring in the normal tariff for local cabs in each city. The findings bear in mind the prices of traditional taxis as well as app-based rides, and how pricing varies across continents as a result.
At the very top of the list is Zurich, Switzerland, where a short 5km trip will set you back a whopping $27.30 (£20.40), making it the most expensive city in the world for a taxi ride. At the other extreme, Cairo, Egypt, comes out as the cheapest, with the same distance costing just $1.90 (£1.42).
Indian cities are wallet-friendly, with Delhi ($2, £1.49), Mumbai ($2.10, £1.57), and Bengaluru ($2.90, £2.17) ranking as the second, third, and sixth cheapest cities in the world to hail a cab. Across Southeast Asia, Manila in the Philippines ($2.3, £1.72) and Jakarta in Indonesia ($2.40, £1.79) also offer some of the world’s most affordable fares.
On the other end of the scale, European cities dominate the expensive bracket, with Zurich, Paris, and Luxembourg leading the charge. But there are outliers too. Prague is the cheapest European city to call a taxi, at $10.50 (£7.85) for a 5km ride, a relative steal compared to its neighbours.
In North America, Canadian cities like Toronto ($11, £8.22) and Vancouver ($11.10, £8.29) sit somewhere in the middle, while, surprisingly, New York ranks 20th on the expensive side, charging $15.80 (£11.81) for a one-way 5km taxi ride.
Whether you’re budgeting for your next trip or simply curious to know if you’re overpaying for that late-night ride home, these rankings shed light on how much it really costs to get from point A to point B around the world.
The most expensive cities in the world to catch a taxi
#1 Zurich, Switzerland: $27.30 (£20.40) for a 5km ride
#2 Paris, France: $26.50 (£19.80) for a 5km ride
#3 Luxembourg, Luxembourg: $26 (£19.43) for a 5km ride
#4 Geneva, Switzerland: $25.10 (£18.76) for a 5km ride
#5 London, United Kingdom: $23.10 (£17.26) for a 5km ride
#6 Milan, Italy: $22.40 (£16.74) for a 5km ride
#7 Brussels, Belgium: $22.10 (£16.51) for a 5km ride
#8 Amsterdam, Netherlands: $21.70 (£16.22) for a 5km ride
#9 Munich, Germany: $20.90 (£15.62) for a 5km ride
#10 Copenhagen, Denmark: $20.90 (£15.62) for a 5km ride
#11 Japan, Tokyo: $19.80 (£14.80) for a 5km ride
#12 Stockholm, Sweden: $19.20 (£14.35) for a 5km ride
#13 Berlin, Germany: $19.10 (£14.27) for a 5km ride
#14 Sydney, Australia: $18.60 (£13.90) for a 5km ride
#15 Edinburgh, United Kingdom: $18.40 (£13.75) for a 5km ride
#16 Barcelona, Spain: $17.90 (£13.38) for a 5km ride
#17 Oslo, Norway: $17 (£12.70) for a 5km ride
#18 Dublin, Ireland: $16.90 (£12.63) for a 5km ride
#19 Frankfurt, Germany: $16.50 (£12.33) for a 5km ride
#20 New York, United States: $15.80 (£11.81) for a 5km ride
This article was originally published on Condé Nast Traveller India. Prices are shown in the original report’s US Dollars and converted to GBP with exchange rates as of Tuesday 21 October 2025.
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