Asia is home to some of the world’s cheapest and most expensive airport taxi fares, a new report has revealed.

In its “2017 Taxi Price Index”, London-based Carspring found that a cab from Mumbai airport to the city centre was just US$4.44, making it the second cheapest in the world after Cairo (US$4.20).

At the other end of the scale however, the taxi fare between Tokyo Narita airport and downtown was found to be an eye-watering US$189.91, making it by far the most expensive in the world.

For travellers wanting to hire a taxi for sightseeing or shopping, Bangkok is among the cheapest cities in the world. The Thai capital’s hire charge of just US$0.18 per kilometre was only undercut by Cairo (US$0.10). Jakarta (US$0.30), Bengaluru (US$0.30), Mumbai (US$0.32) and Beijing (US$0.34) were also among the world’s cheapest cities in terms of cost per kilometre.

Once again, Tokyo (US$2.92 per kilometre) was Asia’s most expensive city and the third priciest in the world, behind Geneva and Zurich.

“Nothing beats the relief of hopping into a comfortable taxi after a long day of sightseeing in a new city,” said Carspring’s CEO, Maximilian Vollenbroich. “But in some cities this simply isn’t affordable, and in other places, tourists are at risk of being overcharged. We hope our research helps travellers prepare for safe, fun, and budget-friendly travel in whatever ride best suits them.”

Overall, the five most affordable cities worldwide, based on a 3km standard taxi fare, including the initial hire charge, were Cairo, Mumbai, Jakarta, Bucharest and Mexico City, while the five most expensive were Zurich, Geneva, Tokyo, Copenhagen and Helsinki.

Bangkok was seventh cheapest out of the 80 cities studied, while Kuala Lumpur came eighth, Hanoi 10th, Beijing 15th, Shanghai 17th, Singapore 10th, Seoul 30th and Hong Kong 31st.

World’s cheapest airport taxis

1) Cairo – US$4.20
2) Mumbai – US$4.44
3) Tunis – US$4.49
4) Tallinn – US$7.32
5) Dubai – US$8.31

World’s most expensive airport taxis

1) Tokyo – US$189.91
2) Milan – US$101.62
3) Oslo – US$86.51
4) Munich – US$81.06
5) Geneva – US$79.44