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Uber vs taxi

A comparison of the price of Uber and taxis around the world.

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By

Liz Edwards

Updated

Fact checked
Sometimes it’s more convenient to hop in a taxi than negotiating your way around public transport, but do you opt for an Uber or taxi? We’ve done some research to find out which is cheaper to help you make the decision. We’ve compared Uber and taxi rates around the world, to help you not overspend on airport transfers and transport while you’re away.

How much does Uber cost around the world (per km)?

Uber says it’s currently operating in 70 countries around the world, and the continents it is most active in are Europe, North America and South America. However, it hasn’t managed to truly crack China, Russia or Southeast Asia, with strategic exits occurring in all these territories.

We’ve analysed the cost of Uber around the world to see how the cost per km differs. The place where you can expect the highest fee is Japan, where an Uber costs an average of £2.30 per km. This is followed by Norway (£1.93), United States (£1.45), Switzerland (£1.36) and Australia (£1.18). You can find the cheapest Ubers in Pakistan (£0.04), Egypt (£0.11) and Uganda (£0.12). Find out how much Uber costs in its operating countries below:

Where does Uber operate? Uber cost per km (UberX)
Japan £2.30
Norway £1.93
United States £1.45
Switzerland £1.36
Australia £1.18
Germany £1.12
Belgium £1.08
Ireland £1.08
Spain £1.05
Italy £1.03
Netherlands £1.03
Finland £0.95
France £0.90
Honduras £0.84
Scotland £0.78
United Kingdom £0.78
Wales £0.75
New Zealand £0.74
Greece £0.64
Sweden £0.60
Austria £0.56
Portugal £0.56
Hong Kong £0.49
Canada £0.43
South Africa £0.43
Croatia £0.42
UAE £0.40
Slovakia £0.36
Taiwan £0.36
Czech Republic £0.34
Estonia £0.34
Bahrai £0.33
Turkey £0.32
Costa Rica £0.31
Lebanon £0.29
Lithuania £0.28
Romania £0.28
Brazil £0.27
Paraguay £0.27
Poland £0.26
Uruguay £0.26
Chile £0.25
Saudi Arabia £0.24
Guatemala £0.23
Bolivia £0.22
El Salvador £0.22
Kenya £0.21
Sri Lanka £0.21
India £0.20
Ecuador £0.19
Peru £0.17
Qatar £0.17
Bangladesh £0.16
Dominican Republic £0.15
Jordan £0.15
Panama £0.15
Argentina £0.14
Colombia £0.14
Mexico £0.14
Nigeria £0.13
Tanzania £0.13
Ukraine £0.13
Ghana £0.12
Uganda £0.12
Egypt £0.11
Pakistan £0.04
Denmark N/A
Hungary N/A
Israel N/A
Macao N/A
Morocco N/A

Cost of a taxi around the world (per km)

Despite Uber’s growing popularity, its services are still not available in many parts of the world, especially when you compare this to taxis. Out of the 112 countries analysed for the cost of taxis, the United Kingdom is the most expensive country to get a taxi, costing £3.73 per km. In comparison, the country where taxis are the cheapest is Egypt, where it would cost you around £0.13 per km. This makes a taxi in the UK 2,769% more expensive than Egypt per km. Use the map below to find out how much a taxi costs in other countries.

Country City Average price of a Taxi per km
United Kingdom London £3.73
El Salvador San Salvador £3.06
Switzerland Zurich £3.01
Japan Tokyo £2.83
Luxembourg Luxembourg £2.70
Malta Sliema £2.57
Kuwait Kuwiat City £2.52
Honduras Tegucigalpa £2.32
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo £2.27
Netherlands Amsterdam £2.04
Iraq Baghdad £1.93
Paraguay Asuncion £1.82
Denmark Copenhagen £1.79
Iceland Reykjavik £1.74
Germany Berlin £1.72
Belgium Brussels £1.63
Lebanon Beirut £1.53
Panama Panama City £1.53
Kenya Nairobi £1.52
New Zealand Wellington £1.49
United states New York £1.30
Finland Helsinki £1.28
Scotland Edinburgh £1.28
Peru Lima £1.27
Italy Rome £1.26
Norway Oslo £1.23
Ireland Dublin £1.21
Austria Vienna £1.20
Sweden Stockholm £1.20
Australia Sydney £1.18
Wales Cardiff £1.18
Ecuador Quito £1.15
Columbia Bogota £1.14
France Paris £1.12
Bolivia La Paz £1.11
Suriname Paramaribo £1.03
Bahrain Manama £1.01
Canada Ottowa £1.01
Tanzania Dar Es Salaam £1.01
Czech Republic Prague £0.93
Ghana Accra £0.90
Spain Madrid £0.90
Costa Rica San Jose £0.85
Hong Kong Hong Kong £0.83
Hungary Budapest £0.79
Albania Tirana £0.76
Slovenia Ljunlijana £0.76
Venezuela Caracas £0.76
Chile Santiago £0.75
Israel Jerusalem £0.75
Croatia Zagreb £0.69
Trinidad and Tobago Port of Spain £0.68
South Africa Johannesburg £0.64
Cyprus Niscosia £0.63
Greece Athens £0.63
Taiwan Taipei £0.62
Morocco Casablanca £0.59
Cambodia Phnom Penh £0.57
Lithuania Vilnius £0.54
Boznia and Herzegovina Sarajevo £0.53
Brazil Sao Paulo £0.53
Nepal Katmandu £0.52
Uruguay Montevideo £0.52
Uruguay Montevideo £0.52
Lativia Riga £0.51
Slovakia Bratislava £0.51
South Korea Seoul £0.50
Jordan Amman £0.49
Portugal Lisbon £0.49
Poland Warsaw £0.48
Serbia Belgrade £0.47
Vietnam Ho Chi Minh City £0.46
Estonia Tallin £0.43
Kosovo Pristina £0.43
Montenegro Podgorica £0.43
Macedonia Skopje £0.42
UAE Dubai £0.42
Saudi Arabia Riyadh £0.41
Uganda Kampala £0.41
Oman Muscat £0.40
Qatar Doha £0.39
Guatemala Guatemala City £0.38
Fiji Suva £0.37
Malaysia Kuala Lumpur £0.36
Argentina Buenos Aires £0.35
Bulgaria Sofia £0.35
Bangladesh Dhaka £0.32
Romania Bucharest £0.32
Mongolia Ulaanbatar £0.31
Singapore Singapore £0.31
Turkey Istanbul £0.31
China Shanghai £0.29
Azerbaijan Baku £0.27
Indonesia Jakarta £0.27
Pakistan Islamabad £0.27
Tunisia Tunis £0.25
Algeria Algiers £0.23
India Mumbai £0.23
Sri Lanka Colombo £0.22
Belarus Minsk £0.21
Nigeria Lagos £0.21
Kazakhstan Almaty £0.20
Mexico Mexico City £0.20
Philippines Manila £0.20
Ukraine Kiev £0.20
Iran Tehran £0.18
Gerogia Tibilsi £0.17
Armenia Yerevan £0.16
Uzbekistan Tashkent £0.15
Russia Moscow £0.14
Thailand Bangkok £0.14
Egypt Cairo £0.13

The 5 most expensive countries to get a taxi

1. United Kingdom
2. El Salvador
3. Switzerland
4. Japan
5. Luxembourg

The 5 cheapest countries to get a taxi

1. Egypt
=2. Thailand
=2. Russia
4. Uzbekistan
5. Armenia

World Uber vs taxi comparison

Finder has compared the cost of an Uber to the cost of a regular taxi per km. Our research found that out of the 66 countries analysed, Uber was cheaper than a taxi in 91% of them. The United Kingdom saw the biggest differences in cost (£2.95 per km), followed by El Salvador (£2.84 per km), Dominican Republic (£2.12 per km), Switzerland (£1.65 per km) and Paraguay (£1.55 per km).

Top 5 countries where Uber is cheaper than a taxi

1. United Kingdom: £2.95 cheaper per km
2. El Salvador: £2.84 cheaper per km
3. Dominican Republic: £2.12 cheaper per km
4. Switzerland: £1.65 cheaper per km
5. Paraguay: £1.55 cheaper per km

From the 66 countries investigated, there are only 6 countries where Uber doesn’t offer a better deal than local taxi firms. The country where Uber fares are the worst in comparison to a taxi is Norway (£0.70 per km), which is followed by the United States and Spain where an Uber costs an extra £0.15 per km.

Find our full analysis between Uber and taxis below:

Country City Average price of a Taxi per km Uber cost per km (UberX) Difference % difference
United Kingdom London £3.73 £0.78 £2.95 -79.09%
El Salvador San Salvador £3.06 £0.22 £2.84 -92.81%
Dominican Republic Santo Domingo £2.27 £0.15 £2.12 -93.39%
Switzerland Zurich £3.01 £1.36 £1.65 -54.82%
Paraguay Asuncion £1.82 £0.27 £1.55 -85.16%
Honduras Tegucigalpa £2.32 £0.84 £1.48 -63.84%
Panama Panama City £1.53 £0.15 £1.38 -90.20%
Kenya Nairobi £1.52 £0.21 £1.31 -86.18%
Lebanon Beirut £1.53 £0.29 £1.24 -81.05%
Peru Lima £1.27 £0.17 £1.10 -86.61%
Netherlands Amsterdam £2.04 £1.03 £1.01 -49.51%
Columbia Bogota £1.14 £0.14 £1.00 -87.72%
Ecuador Quito £1.15 £0.19 £0.96 -83.48%
Bolivia La Paz £1.11 £0.22 £0.89 -80.18%
Tanzania Dar Es Salaam £1.01 £0.13 £0.88 -87.13%
Ghana Accra £0.90 £0.12 £0.78 -86.67%
New Zealand Wellington £1.49 £0.74 £0.75 -50.34%
Bahrain Manama £1.01 £0.33 £0.68 -67.33%
Austria Vienna £1.20 £0.56 £0.64 -53.33%
Sweden Stockholm £1.20 £0.60 £0.60 -50.00%
Germany Berlin £1.72 £1.12 £0.60 -34.88%
Czech Republic Prague £0.93 £0.34 £0.59 -63.44%
Canada Ottowa £1.01 £0.43 £0.58 -57.43%
Belgium Brussels £1.63 £1.08 £0.55 -33.74%
Costa Rica San Jose £0.85 £0.31 £0.54 -63.53%
Japan Tokyo £2.83 £2.30 £0.53 -18.73%
Scotland Edinburgh £1.28 £0.78 £0.50 -39.06%
Chile Santiago £0.75 £0.25 £0.50 -66.67%
Wales Cardiff £1.18 £0.75 £0.43 -36.44%
Hong Kong Hong Kong £0.83 £0.49 £0.34 -40.96%
Jordan Amman £0.49 £0.15 £0.34 -69.39%
Finland Helsinki £1.28 £0.95 £0.33 -25.78%
Uganda Kampala £0.41 £0.12 £0.29 -70.73%
Croatia Zagreb £0.69 £0.42 £0.27 -39.13%
Taiwan Taipei £0.62 £0.36 £0.26 -41.94%
Lithuania Vilnius £0.54 £0.28 £0.26 -48.15%
Brazil Sao Paulo £0.53 £0.27 £0.26 -49.06%
Uruguay Montevideo £0.52 £0.26 £0.26 -50.00%
Pakistan Islamabad £0.27 £0.04 £0.23 -85.19%
Italy Rome £1.26 £1.03 £0.23 -18.25%
France Paris £1.12 £0.90 £0.22 -19.64%
Qatar Doha £0.39 £0.17 £0.22 -56.41%
Poland Warsaw £0.48 £0.26 £0.22 -45.83%
South Africa Johannesburg £0.64 £0.43 £0.21 -32.81%
Argentina Buenos Aires £0.35 £0.14 £0.21 -60.00%
Saudi Arabia Riyadh £0.41 £0.24 £0.17 -41.46%
Bangladesh Dhaka £0.32 £0.16 £0.16 -50.00%
Slovakia Bratislava £0.51 £0.36 £0.15 -29.41%
Guatemala Guatemala City £0.38 £0.23 £0.15 -39.47%
Ireland Dublin £1.21 £1.08 £0.13 -10.74%
Estonia Tallin £0.43 £0.34 £0.09 -20.93%
Nigeria Lagos £0.21 £0.13 £0.08 -38.10%
Ukraine Kiev £0.20 £0.13 £0.07 -35.00%
Mexico Mexico City £0.20 £0.14 £0.06 -30.00%
Romania Bucharest £0.32 £0.28 £0.04 -12.50%
India Mumbai £0.23 £0.20 £0.03 -13.04%
Egypt Cairo £0.13 £0.11 £0.02 -15.38%
UAE Dubai £0.42 £0.40 £0.02 -4.76%
Sri Lanka Colombo £0.22 £0.21 £0.01 -4.55%
Australia Sydney £1.18 £1.18 £0.00 0.00%
Turkey Istanbul £0.31 £0.32 -£0.01 3.23%
Greece Athens £0.63 £0.64 -£0.01 1.59%
Portugal Lisbon £0.49 £0.56 -£0.07 14.29%
United states New York £1.30 £1.45 -£0.15 11.54%
Spain Madrid £0.90 £1.05 -£0.15 16.67%
Norway Oslo £1.23 £1.93 -£0.70 56.91%

Uber vs taxi in the UK

In the UK there’s an ongoing battle between Uber, taxi firms and Uber alternatives. We’ve investigated how they compare when it comes to cost in 16 cities across the UK.

The most expensive city to get a taxi in the UK is London, costing £3.73 per km. In contrast, the cheapest city to get a taxi is Belfast, where it costs £0.87 per km.

When it comes to getting an Uber in the UK, Brighton will hit your wallet the most, costing £1.12 per km. The cheapest place to get an Uber is level between six cities: Belfast, Birmingham, Bristol, Glasgow, Hull and Newcastle.

City Average price of a Taxi per km Uber cost per km (UberX) Difference % difference
London £3.73 £0.78 £2.95 -79.17%
Nottingham £2.25 £0.84 £1.41 -62.71%
Glasgow £2.00 £0.68 £1.32 -65.82%
Newcastle £2.00 £0.68 £1.32 -65.82%
Reading £2.09 £0.78 £1.31 -62.83%
Bristol £1.94 £0.68 £1.26 -64.76%
Brighton £2.37 £1.12 £1.25 -52.80%
Leicester £2.02 £0.84 £1.18 -58.46%
Liverpool £1.75 £0.71 £1.04 -59.16%
Birmingham £1.60 £0.68 £0.92 -57.27%
Hull £1.50 £0.68 £0.82 -54.42%
Leeds £1.43 £0.75 £0.68 -47.85%
Manchester £1.50 £0.87 £0.63 -41.99%
Edinburgh £1.28 £0.78 £0.50 -39.31%
Cardiff £1.18 £0.75 £0.43 -36.80%
Sheffield £1.14 £0.81 £0.33 -29.13%
Belfast £0.87 £0.68 £0.19 -21.42%

When comparing the prices, Uber is cheaper than taxis in all 16 UK cities. Find the cities with the most and least savings using Uber below:

Top 5 cities in the UK where Uber is cheaper

1. London: save £2.95 per km
2. Nottingham: save £1.41 per km
3. Glasgow: save £1.32 per km
4. Newcastle: save £1.32 per km
5. Reading: save £1.31 per km

The 5 cities in the UK with the smallest difference between Uber and a taxi

1. Belfast: save £0.19 per km
2. Sheffield: save £0.33 per km
3. Cardiff: save £0.43 per km
4. Edinburgh: save £0.50 per km
5. Manchester: save £0.63 per km

Notes

  • The price per km is just one aspect of the cost of Ubers and taxis. Both Ubers and taxi may also include other fees such as base fares and a time-based cost.
  • Data was collected in May 2019. Prices for Ubers and taxis can fluctuate and our data only provides a snapshot of this.

Sources

Numbeo
Uber Estimater
Uber Estimate
Uber

Click here for more research. For all media enquiries, please contact:

Matt Mckenna
UK communications manager
T: +44 20 8191 8806
matt.mckenna@finder.com@MichHutchison/in/matthewmckenna2

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