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 meter 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 five-kilometer ride (just over three miles) 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 trip will set you back a whopping $27.30, making it the most expensive city in the world for a taxi ride. At the other extreme, Cairo comes out as the cheapest, with the same distance costing just $1.90. Indian cities are wallet-friendly, with Delhi ($2), Mumbai ($2.10), and Bengaluru ($2.90) ranking as the second, third, and sixth cheapest cities in the world to hail a cab. Across Southeast Asia, Manila in the Philippines ($2.30) and Jakarta in Indonesia ($2.40) 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 $10.5 for a ride, a relative steal compared to its neighbors.
In North America, Canadian cities like Toronto ($11) and Vancouver ($11.10) sit somewhere in the middle, while New York ranks 20th on the expensive side, charging $15.80 for a one-way taxi ride.
