London is officially one of the most expensive cities in the world for taxis

If you’ve ever winced while watching the meter rise in the back of a black cab, here’s some validation: London now ranks as the fifth most expensive city in the world for taxi fares. 

Analysis by Deutsche Bank investigated how much a 5km journey cost in a cab in cities across the world, as part of its Mapping the World’s Prices 2025 report. The data included both traditional taxis and cabs ordered through an app like Uber or Bolt.

London came in fifth place, with around £17.26 per 5km ride, ahead of other expensive cities including Amsterdam, Milan and Tokyo. At the top of the list was Zurich in Switzerland, where a short trip will set you back a whopping £20.40. Paris came in at second (£26.50), followed by Luxembourg (£19.43) and Geneva (£18.76). 

European cities dominated the list, way ahead of most US metropolises. New York was the 20th most expensive city for a ride (around £11.69) and San Francisco was 24th (£10.58) in the list.

At the other end of the scale, Cairo in Egypt came out as the cheapest city in the world for a one-way ride. A taxi in the country’s capital costs about £1.42 per 5km. 

The bank cautioned that it found taxi data ‘some of the most volatile’ in the study, possibly because of the introduction of app-based ride hailing in the last decade. Plus, the capital’s taxi industry could see huge changes in the next year, as several driverless cars – or robotaxis – will launch in London in 2025.

ICYMI: Here all the tube and train closures in London over Christmas 2025.

Plus: This map shows the London neighbourhoods with the best public transport. 

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