Bangkok Taxi Fare - Bangkok Taxi Meter Price per km

Bangkok taxi can be a comfortable and affordable way to get around the city as Bangkok taxi price per km is very reasonable. A huge number of brightly colored taxi cars can be found all around the streets of Thai capital. In Bangkok taxi meter is normally used and you should ask for it to get a fair Bangkok taxi fare.

Bangkok Taxi

The most common colors of Bangkok taxi cars are yellow/green and pink. However, you can expect to see bright blue, green, red, yellow, orange, pink/white or white taxis as well.

There is no difference which color of Bangkok taxi you will choose as the meters on all them run by the same metered fare.

You can know if the taxi is free or occupied by checking its front window. If the LED sign with 3 red Thai symbols on the front window of taxi is on (see below), the taxi is free and you can take it. However, before you get into the car, ask the driver if he will take you to your desired destination as it might be not on his way and he might refuse bringing you there. In such a case, just stop another free taxi.

For getting a fair price, you should make sure that the taxi meter is on. Normally it’s mounted on the front panel of the car.

If the driver refuses to put the taxi meter on, just get out and get another taxi – there are plenty of them on the streets of Bangkok and you won’t have a problem to find an honest driver not refusing to put the meter on. 

Bangkok Taxi Fare

Bangkok taxi fare according to the distance should be listed on the table hanging in front of your eyes when you are sitting on the back seat of the taxi but not all Bangkok taxi drivers seem to care about this requirement.

Bangkok Taxi Fare 2024

After being stable for a number of years, Bangkok taxi fare has been increased recently. All taxi meters in Bangkok had to be adjusted before the end of February 2023, even if we've still encountered taxis using the old taxi meter rates after the deadline. However, all taxis in Thailand's capital moved to the new taxi fare in 2024 that is listed below.

Bangkok taxi fare is really affordable by western standards as for a 5 km long journey here you will only pay around 61 THB (~1.7 EUR) and a 10 km trip in good traffic conditions will cost you only 95 THB (~2.6 EUR).

Bangkok Taxi Meter Price per km

35 THB is a starting taxi fare in Bangkok so you should see it on the meter at the start of your journey and for this price you can travel up to 1 km.

For the distance from 1 km to 10 km the taxi meter price is set at 6.50 THB per km (was 5.50 THB/km). Bangkok taxi meter rate changes by 2 THB so the meter will go up every 0.30-0.31 km at this rate.

The longer the distance of your trip by Bangkok taxi, the higher taxi meter rate is.

When the distance gets over 10 km, up to 20 km you will be paying 7.00 THB per km (was 6.50 THB/km) and the meter will go up by 2 THB every 0.28-0.29 km.

The distance from 20 km to 40 km has a set meter rate of 8.00 THB per km (was 7.50 THB/km), from 40 km to 60 km - 8.50 THB per km (was 8.00 THB/km), from 60 km to 80 km – 9.00 THB per km (stays the same) and over 80 km - 10.50 THB per km (stays the same). The taxi meter will still go up by 2 THB but the more far you go, the faster it will be happening.

The taxi meter price for the distance covered usually isn’t the only part of taxi fare in Bangkok. As traffic conditions in Thai capital are complicated and traffic jams here is a norm, for every minute the taxi cannot move by more than 6 km/h speed you will have to pay extra fare of 3 THB per minute (was 2 THB/minute).

Note! Bangkok taxi price per km displayed above is for the regular sedan type vehicle, which is the type of the absolute majority of taxis you will see in Bangkok. Bangkok taxi fare for the larger SUV or MPV type vehicle is slightly higher and the starting fare for the first kilometer on this type of Bangkok taxi is 40 THB instead of 35 THB. There is also a limited supply of VIP taxis in Bangkok that are even more expensive - one of them is exclusively using electric vehicles and the other one (CABB Taxi) offers a ride on London style taxi vehicles. Bangkok VIP taxis are mainly available at the airports and at some luxury shopping malls. 

Bangkok Taxi Surcharges

If you will decide to take a taxi at Bangkok Airport taxi stand in one of city’s airports (Suvarnabhumi Airport or Don Mueang Airport), there will be an additional airport surcharge of 50 THB to the metered fare.

There is a 20 THB surcharge for hiring the taxi through the radio communication center but you won’t really need to use it as it’s much easier just to get a taxi on the street.

It is worth to note that if you will book Bangkok taxi by using Grab application (vehicle option Grab Taxi), you will also need to pay a 20 THB surcharge on top of the displayed taxi meter fare.

If you're planning to use Grab for exploring Bangkok, purchase Bangkok City Ride Voucher Pack to enjoy a special discount on your rides.

Passengers are also required to pay any road tolls on top of any metered taxi fare.

Long Distance Journey Taxi Fares

Even if sometimes you can see recommended fares for long distance trips outside Bangkok (see below) displayed in taxis, the price should always be negotiated before the journey.

Recommended long distance journey taxi fares are:

Taxi fare from Bangkok to Pattaya – 1,700 THB

Taxi fare from Bangkok to Trat (ferries to Koh Chang) – 3,800 THB

Taxi fare from Bangkok to Rayong (ferries to Koh Samet) – 2,700 THB

Taxi fare from Bangkok to Kanchanaburi – 2,000 THB

Taxi fare from Bangkok to Ayutthaya – 1,300 THB

Taxi fare from Bangkok to Nakhon Pathom – 1,000 THB

Taxi fare from Bangkok to Lopburi – 2,200 THB

You can actually get similar or even better price than the recommended Bangkok taxi fare for long distance journey seen above by booking transfer online here: Transfers between Bangkok and Pattaya, Ayutthaya, Hua Hin & More.

Bangkok Airport Transfers

To avoid dealing with local taxi drivers and escape possible scams at the airport, book a private transfer online and the driver will be waiting for you at the airport holding a sign with your name on it. It's definitely the most comfortable way to reach the city and not to get lost in Bangkok on the first day of your trip.

Private transfer from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Central Bangkok can be booked online here: Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) Transfers.

Private transfer from Don Mueang Airport to Central Bangkok can be booked online here: Bangkok Don Muang Airport (DMK) Transfers.

Tips

Purchase Bangkok City Ride Voucher Pack to enjoy a special discount on Grab rides around Bangkok.

Using Bangkok public transportation can help you save some money and avoid traffic jams. If you need to cross the central part of Thai capital, consider using BTS SkyTrain or MRT Metro instead of taxi, especially if you’re in a hurry. To save time that would be wasted on buying BTS tickets for each ride, get yourself Bangkok Rabbit Card.

Airport Rail Link is a much cheaper and faster alternative to taking taxi from Suvarnabhumi Airport to Bangkok. By taking Airport Rail Link you pay much less that taxi metered fare and escape paying airport surcharge and expressway toll fee. The journey by train from the airport to the last station in Central Bangkok takes about 30 minutes and it’s much less than the same distance by taxi. Depending on the location of your hotel, you might still need to take Bangkok taxi from Airport Link station but such a trip would cost much less.

For even more local experience jump on a Public Bus – it’s a fun and cheap way of traveling around Bangkok.

An easier option to travel from Bangkok to Pattaya is by private taxi. You can book online a private taxi transfer with Bangkok hotel, Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) or Don Mueang Airport (DMK) pick up and you will enjoy easy door-to-door transfer to your Pattaya hotel in a modern air conditioned vehicle.

Where to Stay in Bangkok?

Even if catching a taxi is easy in all most popular areas of Bangkok, choosing the best area to stay in Bangkok according to your trip itinerary could save lots of money and time. Our recommendations for choosing the right Bangkok area to stay can be found here: Where to Stay in Bangkok.