Taxi Fare

Taxi & Cab Fare Calculator Australia

Work out how much a taxi or cab will cost anywhere in Australia — the most accurate, source-cited estimate on the official 2026 regulated rates for NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia, the ACT, the Northern Territory and Tasmania. Cab and taxiare the same regulated vehicle here — the calculator returns the legal maximum for sedan, maxi (5+ passengers) and wheelchair-accessible trips, with tolls, peak loading and Sydney Airport's A$60 fixed fare applied automatically. Full breakdown, route map and source regulator on every result.

Prefer to just ask? The built-in assistant answers any taxi-fare question in plain English — and quotes a specific trip using the exact same regulated rates.

How much does a taxi or cab cost in Australia?

Across Australia, a regulated rank-or-hail taxi (or cab) starts with a flagfall of about A$2.90 to A$6.15 on the standard day rate, then bills roughly A$1.90 to A$2.69 per kilometre — the exact figure depends on the state, the time of day and the day of week. Night, weekend and public-holiday tariffs add more on top, and tolls plus airport fees are passed through separately. Every figure here is the legal maximum a metered taxi can charge, pinned to the current 2026 regulator schedule. Enter your pickup and destination in the calculator below for the exact price on your route, line by line.

How it works

Type in a pickup and destination, choose a departure time, and read the full breakdown — flagfall, distance bands, waiting time, tolls, levies and card surcharge — with a link to the source regulator on every result. No booking, no sign-up, no data collected.

Rates by state & territory

Compare all state taxi rates

Australian taxi fares at a glance · 2026

In Australia, regulated rank and hail taxi fares are set by each state or territory transport regulator. As of 26 May 2026, the NSW urban day rate is $5.00 flagfall plus $2.52/km for the first 12 km, with a $1.32 Passenger Service Levy added per trip. All other states publish similar regulated maxima; this calculator applies the right one based on your pickup state, time of day, and day of week.

States covered
8/ 8
Sample flagfall
A$5.00
Per km · band 1
A$2.52
Last verified

Figures shown are NSW urban day rates as an indicative sample. The calculator above applies the correct tariff (NSW, VIC, QLD, WA, ACT, NT or TAS) for your specific route, departure time and vehicle type.

How much is a taxi in Australia?

A regulated rank-or-hail taxi in Australia starts with a flagfall of roughly A$4.20 – A$5.00 on the day rate, then bills A$2.16 – A$2.52 per kilometre depending on the state. Night, Friday/Saturday late-night and public-holiday tariffs add 10 – 25% on top. State-by-state day-rate breakdown:

Day-rate flagfall and per-kilometre rates for the regulated rank-and-hail taxi in each Australian state and territory, sourced from the responsible transport regulator.
StateFlagfallPer kmLink
New South Wales NSWA$5.00A$2.520
Victoria VICA$5.25A$2.037
Queensland QLDA$2.90A$2.690
Western Australia WAA$5.40A$2.130
South Australia SAA$4.00A$2.300
Australian Capital Territory ACTA$6.15A$2.650
Northern Territory NTA$5.70A$1.900
Tasmania TASA$5.40A$2.470

Figures are the regulated maximum on the day rate. Bookings made through some app or phone services may negotiate a fixed quote that sits outside these meters. Card payments are capped at a 5% surcharge nationally.

Ask in plain English

Not sure what to enter? Ask the assistant a question the way you'd ask a local. It answers from the same sourced 2026 rates and can quote a specific trip — no app, no sign-up.

Popular Australian taxi routes

Six routes · pre-filled

The most-searched taxi routes in Australia in 2026 — from airport-to-CBD transfers (including Sydney's regulated $60 fixed fare) to beach and bay-side trips. Tap any route to pre-fill the calculator.

How the calculator works

Calculating a taxi fare in Australia takes three steps: resolve both addresses, pick the regulated tariff that applies to your time and zone, then itemise the result. No booking, no signup, no data sold.

  1. 01

    Enter pickup and destination

    We use Google Places to resolve both addresses to coordinates — no booking, no signup.

  2. 02

    We apply your state’s regulated tariff

    The right time-of-day, day-of-week, and zone rates are picked from official 2026 schedules.

  3. 03

    See the full breakdown

    Every charge is shown line-by-line with a link to the source regulator.

Taxi fares by state and territory

Australia has eight separate taxi-fare jurisdictions — each with its own regulated meter rate, peak hours, surcharges and zones. Pick a state or territory to see the full tariff table and the regulator that sets it.

Top cities

Australian taxi vs Uber, DiDi & Ola

Rank-and-hail taxis and rideshare (Uber, DiDi, Ola, Shebah, GoCatch) both fall under the same Australian point-to-point transport regulation, but they price trips very differently. Taxis charge a regulated meter maximum — the calculator on this page returns that exact figure. Rideshare apps charge an operator-set quoted price that can spike under surge. The table below compares the two models.

Facet
Taxi (regulated)
Rideshare (operator-set)
Price source
Regulated meter set by the state transport regulator (maximum).
Operator-set, dynamic — varies with demand, surge multipliers possible.
Price certainty
Meter ticks against published per-km + per-min rates. Total only known on arrival.
Quoted price displayed at booking, usually honoured if route does not change.
Late-night / peak
Regulated night and Friday/Saturday late-night tariffs add a fixed loading.
Surge multipliers — can spike 1.5×–3× during peak periods or events.
Hail / rank availability
Can be hailed on the street or boarded from any rank — no app required.
App-only — booking requires a phone, account and payment method on file.
Industry levy
Passenger Service Levy (NSW $1.32, similar in other states) included on the meter.
Same point-to-point levy applies in most states, included in the quoted fare.
Card surcharge
Capped at 5% in every state.
No card surcharge; included in the quoted fare.
Airport pickups
Sydney is A$60 fixed → CBD. Other airports add a forecourt access fee on top.
Designated pickup zones at most major airports, separate access fee per trip.

Australian rideshare operators are regulated alongside taxis by the same state bodies — Transport for NSW (Point to Point Transport Commission), Commercial Passenger Vehicles Victoria, TMR Queensland and equivalents — but rideshare pricing is not capped at a regulated maximum.

Frequently asked about Australian taxi fares

Short, sourced answers to the most common questions about how taxi fares work in Australia — meter vs booked, peak rates, card surcharges, Sydney's fixed-fare zone and more. Updated for the 2026 regulated tariffs.

How much is a taxi in Australia?

On the regulated day rate, an Australian taxi (or cab) starts with a flagfall of roughly A$3 to A$6 and then charges about A$1.90 to A$2.70 per kilometre, depending on the state. Night, weekend and public-holiday tariffs add more on top, and tolls plus airport fees are passed through separately. The figure is the legal maximum a rank or hailed taxi can charge — enter a pickup and destination in the calculator above for the exact 2026 price, line by line.

How is a taxi fare calculated in Australia?

Every state regulator publishes a maximum schedule: a flagfall (what the meter starts at), a per-kilometre rate, a per-minute waiting rate that applies below a slow-speed threshold (around 21–26 km/h), plus levies and surcharges. This tool works as a taxi meter, mileage and trip-cost calculator in one — enter a pickup and destination and it applies the correct flagfall, per-km rate and time-of-day tariff to show how much the trip will cost. It doubles as a cab fare calculator: "cab" and "taxi" are the same regulated vehicle in Australia.

Is a cab the same as a taxi in Australia?

Yes. "Cab" and "taxi" are used interchangeably in Australia for the same regulated rank-and-hail vehicle, so a cab fare calculator and a taxi fare calculator return the identical number. Both are bound by the same state meter rates — there is no separate "cab" pricing.

How accurate are these fare estimates?

We apply the regulated maximum tariff for the state and time of day, plus tolls from Google's Routes API. The number is the legal maximum a rank or hailed taxi can charge. Drivers can charge less; booked taxis through some apps may set their own quoted price. Every figure is pinned to the published regulator schedule and shows a source and last-verified date.

Is the calculator free, and do I need to book?

The calculator is completely free and ad-supported. There is no booking flow, no sign-up and no personal data collected — we never take payments or hail a car for you. It is a pricing tool only: use the number to budget, then book however you like — rank, street hail, phone or app.

What's the difference between a rank/hail and a booked taxi?

Rank/hail taxis (flagged on the street or taken from a taxi rank) must charge the state-regulated meter rate. Booked taxis, taken through an app or phone booking, may in some states set a fixed quoted price that differs from the meter rate — usually within a few dollars.

Is the Sydney Airport to CBD fare really fixed at A$60?

Yes — Transport for NSW runs a fixed-fare trial for rank/hail taxis from Sydney Airport to the Sydney CBD: A$60 for a sedan, higher for a 5+-passenger maxi. We detect this route and apply the fixed fare automatically. The reverse direction (CBD to airport) still runs on the regulated meter.

Why are night and weekend fares higher?

Most states set a designated peak tariff for late nights (typically 10pm–6am) and weekends, with a higher flagfall and per-kilometre rate. Some add an extra peak hire charge on Friday and Saturday nights on top. The calculator picks the right tariff for your departure time.

Is there a card payment surcharge?

Yes. Most states cap the card surcharge at 5% of the metered fare (Victoria caps it lower). We apply this when you select "Card" in the advanced options so the estimate matches what you will actually be charged.

Are tolls included in the fare?

Yes — tolls are added as a pass-through at cost, sourced from Google's Routes API based on the actual route. Toggle "Avoid tolls" in the advanced options for a non-toll route.

What about waiting time and traffic?

When traffic is heavy enough that the taxi drops below the slow-speed threshold (around 21–26 km/h depending on the state), the meter switches to a per-minute waiting rate. We estimate this from the route's expected duration so the total reflects real conditions.

Should I tip an Australian taxi driver?

Tipping is not customary or expected in Australia, and drivers are not paid below-meter wages. Rounding up to the nearest dollar is appreciated but entirely optional.

Can I just ask a question instead of using the calculator?

Yes — the assistant at the bottom of the page answers any taxi-fare question in plain English and can quote a specific trip. It uses the same sourced 2026 rates and the same fare engine as the calculator, so the numbers always agree. No booking, no sign-up.

Official sources

Every rate is sourced directly from the state or territory transport regulator. We re-verify each source quarterly and on every regulator publication.

  1. 01Australian Capital Territory(ACT)
    www.actcabs.com.au
  2. 02New South Wales(NSW)
    www.transport.nsw.gov.au
  3. 03Northern Territory(NT)
    www.darwinradiotaxi.com.au
  4. 04Queensland(QLD)
    www.tmr.qld.gov.au
  5. 05South Australia(SA)
    www.sa.gov.au
  6. 06Tasmania(TAS)
    www.transport.tas.gov.au
  7. 07Victoria(VIC)
    www.esc.vic.gov.au
  8. 08Western Australia(WA)
    www.transport.wa.gov.au