The chart below compares taxicab fares in the central city of 23 major U.S. metro areas, selected based on metro area size and number of licensed taxicabs. The list includes:
* Central cities in metro areas with 2.5 million or more population
* Las Vegas, New Orleans and Orlando, which are in smaller metro areas but have 1,000 or more cabs
* Counties in suburban Washington DC. Washington DC uses zones to calculate fares and cannot be compared directly with metered fares.
The chart shows that:
* The fare for an average trip ranges from under $11 in Cleveland to over $18 in Honolulu.
* Cities with relatively high rates of fare tend to be in metro areas with high living costs (highlighted in blue and green).
* Cab fares in New York and Chicago are about average, however, despite these being high-cost locales. The high demand for cab service in Manhattan and in Chicago's Loop and Near North Side generates relatively high fare revenues for drivers in these cities.
* Twelve of the 23 cities increased fares in 2005, partly in response to rising gasoline prices, and also as a result of many cities holding off on fare increases during the recession earlier in this decade.
Fares for typical trips Components of the fare
Area costs City Avg. U.S. trip Short trip Long trip Initial charge Initial distance Mileage charge Mileage distance Wait time per hour Last change
** Honolulu $ 19.75 $ 13.04 $ 40.75 3.00 1/4 0.75 1/4 30.00 Nov-05
** San Diego 16.17 10.59 33.67 2.25 1/10 0.25 1/10 20.00
* Miami 16.10 10.73 32.90 2.50 1/6 0.40 1/6 24.00 Oct-05
** San Francisco 15.90 10.85 31.65 2.85 1/5 0.45 1/5 27.00 Sep-03
** Boston 15.45 10.08 32.25 1.75 1/8 0.30 1/8 24.00 Sep-02
** Los Angeles 15.00 10.07 30.40 2.20 1/11 0.20 1/11 24.00 Nov-05
* Seattle 14.80 10.29 28.80 2.50 1/10 0.20 1/10 30.00 Apr-05
Las Vegas 14.75 10.27 28.75 3.20 1/8 0.25 1/8 22.00 Apr-05
St. Louis 14.30 9.81 28.30 2.50 1/10 0.20 1/10 24.00 Jul-03
* Philadelphia 14.17 9.47 28.87 2.30 1/7 0.30 1/7 20.00 Jul-05
Atlanta 14.00 9.52 28.00 2.50 1/8 0.25 1/8 21.00 Oct-05
Orlando 13.38 8.89 27.38 2.00 1/4 0.25 1/8 22.50
Minneapolis 13.37 9.11 26.67 2.50 1/5 0.38 1/5 21.00 Sep-05
Denver 13.23 8.74 27.23 1.60 1/8 0.25 1/8 22.50
** New York 13.10 8.65 27.10 2.50 1/5 0.40 1/5 12.00 May-04
Phoenix 12.87 8.83 27.10 2.50 1/6 0.30 1/6 20.00
Houston 12.85 8.81 25.45 2.50 1/6 0.30 1/6 20.00 Aug-05
** Chicago 12.70 8.66 25.30 2.25 1/9 0.20 1/9 20.00 May-05
** DC suburbs 12.08 8.35 23.70
Dallas 12.55 8.52 25.15 2.25 1/9 0.20 1/9 18.00 Nov-05
New Orleans 11.80 8.21 23.00 2.50 1/8 0.20 1/8 18.00
Detroit 11.65 8.07 22.85 2.50 1/8 0.20 1/8 16.00 Aug-01
Baltimore 11.60 7.99 22.80 1.80 1/8 0.20 1/8 24.00 Jul-05
Cleveland 10.78 7.21 21.98 1.80 1/6 0.40 1/4 15.00
Notes:
"Area costs" reflect cost of living in the metro area. Two stars indicates costs at least 25% above U.S. average; one star indicates living costs are 15-24% above U.S. average. Source: ACCRA produces the Cost of Living Index (www.coli.org).
Fares shown exclude additional charges for extra passengers, luggage, time of day surcharges, airport fees, temporary gasoline surcharges, etc.
Trip lengths:
* Average U.S. trip = 5 miles and 5 minutes of wait time.
* Short trip = 2.8 miles and 4.77 minutes of wait time (New York City average trip)
* Long trip = 12 miles and 5 minutes of wait time
Fares for DC suburbs is the average rate for surrounding counties in Maryland and Virginia.
Rate shown for Denver is for Yellow Cab; rates vary by company.
Rate shown for Phoenix is for AAA Cab (city rate); rates vary by company.
Rates shown for Honolulu, San Diego and St. Louis are maximum rates.
Updated January 2006
