Compare Uber, Lyft, and taxi prices for common routes in major US cities. Instant estimates, no sign-up required.
Before you request a ride, get a clear price estimate for every option. This free calculator compares the cost of an Uber ride, a Lyft ride, and a metered taxi for the same trip — factoring in base fare, time and distance, and the booking or service fee each app adds. Enter your pickup and drop-off to see fare estimates side by side and pick the cheapest before you book.
Pick a city and enter your trip distance and time to compare Uber, Lyft, and taxi estimates right here. For a specific route with airport surcharges, use the search above.
Example: a 5-mile, 15-minute non-surge ride in New York, NY — a typical Uber fare estimate:
Change the city, distance, and time below for your own Uber price estimate.
Estimate a non-surge fare from the 2026 rate card. This is an estimate, not a live quote — your in-app upfront price is the price you pay.
| Service | Estimated fare |
|---|---|
| Uber (UberX) | $16.98–$21.62 |
| LyftCheapest | $16.55–$21.06 |
| Taxi | $21.56–$27.44 |
Taxi shown at metered rates (no booking fee, surge not applied). Tip not included. For a city-by-city comparison with live routes, use the RideWise rate comparison tool.
Type your pickup and drop-off locations. Works with addresses, landmarks, airport codes, and neighborhoods.
See fare estimates for UberX, Uber Comfort, UberXL, Uber Black, Lyft, Lyft XL, and metered taxis side by side.
Choose the best option and open the app directly to book. Save $5–$15 per trip by comparing first.
The biggest cost driver. Uber charges $0.90–$1.60 per mile for UberX, Lyft charges similar rates.
Per-minute charges of $0.20–$0.35/min add up in heavy traffic. A 30-min ride in traffic costs more than a 15-min ride covering the same distance.
UberX and Lyft are the cheapest. Comfort/Lux add 20–40%, XL adds 40–60%, and Black/Lux Black can cost 2–3x more.
When demand exceeds supply, prices spike 1.5–3x. Common during rush hours, bad weather, concerts, and holidays.
New York and San Francisco are the most expensive markets. Southern and Midwestern cities are typically 20–30% cheaper.
A booking fee on Uber and the equivalent service fee on Lyft ($1.85–$2.75), airport surcharges ($2–$6), and tolls are added on top of the time-and-distance base fare.
Average rate structure for a typical 10-mile, 25-minute ride (non-surge).
| Service | Base Fare | Per Mile | Per Min | 10-mi Est. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UberX | $1.10–$2.55 | $1.05–$1.75 | $0.18–$0.35 | $18–$32 |
| Uber Comfort | $2.20–$3.85 | $1.40–$2.15 | $0.28–$0.45 | $26–$39 |
| UberXL | $2.50–$3.85 | $1.85–$2.85 | $0.32–$0.50 | $32–$48 |
| Uber Black | $6.25–$8.00 | $2.95–$3.95 | $0.48–$0.65 | $49–$64 |
| Lyft | $0.85–$2.50 | $1.00–$1.69 | $0.17–$0.33 | $17–$30 |
| Lyft XL | $2.35–$3.75 | $1.85–$2.75 | $0.24–$0.48 | $31–$46 |
| Taxi (metered) | $2.20–$3.80 | $1.95–$4.10 | $0.20–$0.55 | $28–$52 |
Ranges reflect the rates in our pricing engine across 27 US markets. See per-mile rates by city for your local pricing.
Every price estimate adds four parts: base fare + (distance × per-mile rate) + (time × per-minute rate) + the booking or service fee. Here is a 10-mile, 25-minute UberX ride in New York at standard (non-surge) rates:
That is the pre-surge estimate, before tolls or tip. During surge the time-and-distance portion is multiplied by 1.5–3×. A Lyft ride on the same route uses the same formula with Lyft's own rates — which is why comparing both gives the lowest fare.
Enter your pickup and drop-off locations. Our calculator uses rate data from Uber, Lyft, and local taxi services — the major ride-hailing services in supported US markets — to estimate fares for every available ride type, from a standard UberX or Lyft ride up to Uber Comfort, UberXL, Uber Black, and Lyft XL, plus metered taxis.
Enter your trip distance and time (or a pickup and drop-off) into the calculator above to get an Uber fare estimate without opening the Uber app or logging in. The estimate uses current UberX base fares, per-mile and per-minute rates, and the booking fee for your city, so you can price a ride before you request it.
An Uber price estimate from a rate-based calculator is typically within 10–15% of your final upfront price. The main sources of difference are real-time surge pricing, traffic, route changes, and tolls. For a non-surge trip, the estimate is usually very close; during peak demand, the actual price can be 1.5–3x higher.
Yes. Enter the trip distance and time for your route to get an Uber cost estimate, or use the route search to price a specific pickup and drop-off — including supported airport codes (LAX, JFK, ORD), which add the airport surcharge where data is available.
Yes, completely free. No account, no sign-up, no app download required. Just enter your route and compare prices instantly.
Estimates are built from current base fares, per-mile rates, per-minute rates, and booking or service fees for each service, drawn from the same first-party rate cards that power our city pages. Because every provider is priced from the same route, the side-by-side comparison of Uber, Lyft, and taxi is consistent even where the absolute number shifts with surge or tolls.
Our base estimates show non-surge pricing. When surge pricing is active, actual fares can be 1.5–3x higher. We recommend comparing both Uber and Lyft, as surge events often affect one app more than the other.
Yes. Enter a supported airport code (LAX, JFK, ORD, etc.) as your pickup or drop-off. Our calculator includes airport surcharges ($2–$6) in the estimate where surcharge data is available.
RideWise public guides currently focus on major US markets, with more reviewed city pages being added over time.
Looking for something more specific? Use the Lyft fare calculator to estimate a Lyft without signing in, see how much an Uber costs by distance and city, the dedicated Uber fare calculator guide, our Lyft cost breakdown, or Uber cost per mile by city. To pick the cheaper app for your exact route, use the side-by-side Uber vs Lyft comparison. Curious how your city ranks? See the Rideshare Price Index for UberX cost ranked across US metros.
Riders who compare prices save an average of $6–$12 per trip.
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