Indicators

Taxi Affordability Index

As services become a larger part of the economy, the pilot uses taxi starting fares to compare a visible, locally delivered service and asks whether local people can afford it.

Why services matter

Zerion expects services to account for a larger share of economic activity. A recurring, locally delivered service offers a practical way to observe that shift across cities.

Price signal

A taxi fare reflects local labor, regulation, energy, and operating costs. Its starting price makes those city-level structures easier to compare.

Affordability signal

Work-Time Affordability asks how long a local worker may need to work to afford the same starting ride.

Coverage discipline

Partial coverage is labeled directly, so the index can be useful without claiming a complete global ranking.

Lisbon transition

Version 1.2 adds a transition note: Lisbon remains EUR 3.25 in the 1 September snapshot, while the newer EUR 2.00 flagfall needs a post-transition comparability test.

Current release

Publication Release v1.2

Research universe

34 cities

Core cities

22 Class-A markets

Core median start

US$2.69

Highest core city

Berlin - US$4.98

Lowest core city

Mumbai - US$0.35

Audited affordability

7 cities

Publication date

8 September 2026

Interactive explorer

Compare the city universe without hiding exclusions.

Filter the 34-city publication universe by classification, region, or city name. Core cities include comparable USD and index values; non-core markets keep their methodological reason visible.

Rank	City	Class	Local fare	USD	Index	Work min	Method note	Source
18	BangkokAsia	Class ACore	THB 35.00	$1.05	39.1	-	W-C	qrverify.dlt.go.th
15	BeijingAsia	Class ACore	CNY 13.00	$1.93	71.8	-	W-C	beijing.gov.cn
1	BerlinEurope	Class ACore	EUR 4.30	$4.98	185.0	11.74	W-B	berlin.de
5	BusanAsia	Class ACore	KRW 4,800.00	$3.49	129.6	-	W-C	busan.go.kr
16	DubaiMiddle East	Class ACore	AED 5.00	$1.36	50.5	-	W-X	rta.ae
-	FukuokaAsia	Class BOfficial exception	JPY 570-600	-	-	-	Official JPY 570-JPY 600 band; no single citywide start.	wwwtb.mlit.go.jp
-	Ho Chi Minh CityAsia	Class COperator benchmark	VND 16,000	-	-	-	Named operator benchmark; no single statutory city fare.	vinasun.vn
4	Hong KongAsia	Class ACore	HKD 29.00	$3.70	137.3	20.30	W-A	td.gov.hk
-	JakartaAsia	Class COperator benchmark	IDR 9,000	-	-	-	Named operator benchmark; no single statutory city fare.	bluebirdgroup.com
12	KaohsiungAsia	Class ACore	TWD 85.00	$2.69	99.8	-	W-C	tbkc.gov.tw
20	Kuala LumpurAsia	Class ACore	MYR 3.00	$0.74	27.6	-	W-C	apad.gov.my
3	LisbonEurope	Class ACore	EUR 3.25	$3.77	139.8	-	W-C	visitportugal.com
-	LondonEurope	Class BOfficial exception	GBP 4.40	-	-	-	GBP 4.40 is a minimum fare, not a technical flagfall.	content.tfl.gov.uk
-	Los AngelesNorth America	Class BOfficial exception	USD 3.65	-	-	-	US$3.65 is a regulated maximum, not one compulsory fare.	ens.lacity.org
14	MacauAsia	Class ACore	MOP 21.00	$2.60	96.5	12.23	W-B	dsat.gov.mo
10	MadridEurope	Class ACore	EUR 2.55	$2.96	109.7	-	W-C	madrid.es
19	ManilaAsia	Class ACore	PHP 50.00	$0.80	29.7	36.65	W-B	ltfrb.gov.ph
-	MelbourneOceania	Class BOfficial exception	AUD 5.25-5.40	-	-	-	Multiple permitted maximum structures.	safetransport.vic.gov.au
21	Mexico CityNorth America	Class ACore	MXN 8.74	$0.51	19.1	-	W-C	semovi.cdmx.gob.mx
22	MumbaiAsia	Class ACore	INR 33.00	$0.35	12.9	-	W-C	transport.maharashtra.gov.in
9	New YorkNorth America	Class ACore	USD 3.00	$3.00	111.4	6.10	W-A	home4.nyc.gov
-	OsakaAsia	Class BOfficial exception	JPY 500-600	-	-	-	Alternative approved initial-fare structures exist.	pref.osaka.lg.jp
7	ParisEurope	Class ACore	EUR 3.00	$3.48	129.1	-	W-C	paris.fr
2	RomeEurope	Class ACore	EUR 3.50	$4.06	150.6	-	W-C	comune.roma.it
17	Sao PauloSouth America	Class ACore	BRL 6.55	$1.26	46.8	-	W-C	prefeitura.sp.gov.br
5	SeoulAsia	Class ACore	KRW 4,800.00	$3.49	129.6	-	W-C	news.seoul.go.kr
-	ShanghaiAsia	Class BOfficial exception	CNY 14-16	-	-	-	Vehicle/operator variation prevents one uniform observation.	jtw.sh.gov.cn
-	SingaporeAsia	Class BOfficial exception	SGD 4.40-5.20	-	-	-	Operators set fares independently within official range.	lta.gov.sg
-	SydneyOceania	Class BOfficial exception	AUD 5.17	-	-	-	Official maximum; providers may charge less.	transportnsw.info
12	TaipeiAsia	Class ACore	TWD 85.00	$2.69	99.8	-	W-C	pto.gov.taipei
-	TokyoAsia	Class BOfficial exception	JPY 500	-	-	-	Approved fare-band framework; reference is not universal.	wwwtb.mlit.go.jp
8	TorontoNorth America	Class ACore	CAD 4.25	$3.06	113.6	8.29	W-B	toronto.ca
11	VancouverNorth America	Class ACore	CAD 3.75	$2.70	100.2	7.03	W-B	ptboard.bc.ca
-	ZurichEurope	Class XExcluded	-	-	-	-	Structural exclusion: no defensible single observation.	zh.ch

Audited affordability

Seven cities have wage-denominator coverage.

Work-Time Affordability is calculated in local currency: starting fare divided by audited median hourly earnings, multiplied by 60.

City	Taxi fare	Hourly denom.	Work min	Quality	Geography	Period	Qualification
New York	USD 3.00	USD 29.53	6.10	W-ACore-ready	New York-Newark-Jersey City MSA	May 2025	BLS OEWS current metro direct median.
Vancouver	CAD 3.75	CAD 32.00	7.03	W-BQualified research	British Columbia	Effective 17 Jul 2026	Current official provincial median fallback.
Toronto	CAD 4.25	CAD 30.77	8.29	W-BQualified research	Ontario	Effective 17 Jul 2026	Current official provincial median fallback.
Berlin	EUR 4.30	EUR 21.97	11.74	W-BQualified research	Berlin	April 2024	Direct local median hourly wage; older vintage.
Macau	MOP 21.00	MOP 103.02	12.23	W-BQualified research	Macao - employed residents	Q3 2025	Official ratio-of-medians hourly equivalent.
Hong Kong	HKD 29.00	HKD 85.70	20.30	W-ACore-ready	Hong Kong	May-June 2025	Direct territory-wide employee median hourly wage.
Manila	PHP 50.00	PHP 81.85	36.65	W-BQualified research	National Capital Region (NCR)	2022 OWS	PSA standardized-hourly equivalent using official 206 hours/month rule.