Budapest Airport Taxi Prices: What Changed on 1 August 2026
Budapest's regulated taxi tariff rose on 1 August 2026 — the first change since March 2023 — and airport passengers are affected twice over, because the same decision introduced a brand-new airport surcharge that did not exist before. The Budapest Metropolitan Assembly approved the package at its meeting on 26 June 2026.
| Fare component | Until 31 July 2026 | From 1 August 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Base fare (alapdíj) | 1,100 HUF | 1,300 HUF |
| Per kilometre | 440 HUF | 521 HUF |
| Waiting, per minute | 110 HUF | 130 HUF |
| Airport surcharge | none | 800 HUF |
| Effective starting fare, airport trips | 1,100 HUF | 2,100 HUF |
The 800 HUF airport surcharge applies to journeys both to and from Budapest Ferenc Liszt International Airport (BUD), so it is charged whether you are arriving and heading into town or leaving the city for your flight. In practice your meter starts at 2,100 HUF instead of 1,100 HUF the moment an airport trip begins.
One proposal did not survive the vote: an additional 800 HUF fee for telephone and app pre-orders was rejected on the grounds that it could not be reliably policed. Booking ahead therefore costs you nothing extra — a useful detail, because pre-booking is also the best protection against unlicensed drivers.
Because the tariff is set by the city and not by the operators, every licensed taxi in Budapest charges exactly the same rates. No company can undercut another, and none can legally charge more.
How Your Airport Taxi Fare Is Calculated
Budapest airport taxis do not use fixed prices. Every fare is metered, and the meter adds three things together:
- Base fare — 1,300 HUF, plus the 800 HUF airport surcharge, so 2,100 HUF on any airport journey.
- Distance — 521 HUF for every kilometre travelled.
- Slow-moving time — 130 HUF per minute, charged only while the vehicle is moving below 15 km/h or standing in traffic.
So the arithmetic for an airport ride is simply: 2,100 HUF + (kilometres × 521 HUF) + waiting time. There is no separate luggage charge, no night tariff and no weekend tariff — a 03:00 Sunday ride costs the same per kilometre as a Tuesday lunchtime one.
Currency note: the fare is set and payable in Hungarian forints. The euro figures below assume roughly 365 HUF to €1 for orientation only; exchange rates move, so treat HUF as the real number.
Taxi Fare from Budapest Airport to the City Centre
The airport sits about 21 km by road from Deák Ferenc tér, the square most people mean by "the city centre". Under the tariff in force from 1 August 2026 that works out as:
- Starting fare including airport surcharge: 2,100 HUF
- Distance: 21 km × 521 HUF = 10,941 HUF
- Running total before traffic: ≈ 13,000 HUF (≈ €36)
Add the slow-moving minutes that any ride into central Budapest collects — typically 8 to 12 minutes at 130 HUF — and a realistic door-to-door figure is 13,000–15,000 HUF (≈ €36–41). The journey takes roughly 30–40 minutes, or appreciably longer if you land inside the weekday peaks of 07:30–09:30 and 16:30–18:30.
For comparison, the identical trip under the old tariff came to about 10,300 HUF, so the same ride is now roughly a quarter more expensive. If that changes the maths for you, the 100E airport shuttle bus and the airport train remain unaffected by this decision — both are priced by BKK, not by the taxi tariff.
Estimated Airport Taxi Fares by Distance
Rather than quote prices for individual hotels, which vary street by street, the table below lets you match your own distance. All figures include the 2,100 HUF airport starting fare and exclude waiting time.
| Distance from BUD | Typical destination | Estimated metered fare |
|---|---|---|
| 10 km | Kőbánya, southern Pest districts | ≈ 7,300 HUF (€20) |
| 15 km | Zugló, eastern Pest | ≈ 9,900 HUF (€27) |
| 20 km | Keleti railway station | ≈ 12,500 HUF (€34) |
| 21 km | Deák Ferenc tér, inner city | ≈ 13,000 HUF (€36) |
| 25 km | Buda side, Castle District | ≈ 15,100 HUF (€41) |
| 45 km | Szentendre | ≈ 25,500 HUF (€70) |
Distances are approximate road distances and your driver's route may differ. The meter is the only binding figure — treat every number here as a sanity check, not a quote.
Where Is the Taxi Rank at Budapest Airport?
There is one official taxi rank, and it serves Terminal 2 — the only passenger terminal in use at BUD, split into the adjoining halls 2A and 2B. You cannot miss it if you follow the arrivals flow:
- Clear passport control and collect your bags in the Terminal 2 arrivals hall.
- Walk out through the sliding doors into the public arrivals area.
- Turn towards the kerbside directly in front of the terminal — the marked Főtaxi queue and its staffed booths sit immediately outside the exits of both 2A and 2B.
Walking time from the baggage belts is about two to three minutes. Staff at the booth assign you the next car in the line and can print an estimated fare for your destination before you get in, which is worth asking for.
Do not accept a ride from anyone who approaches you inside the terminal building or in the car park. Legitimate airport taxis wait in the rank and never tout for passengers in the hall. If the queue looks long, it moves quickly — the fleet is sized for arrival waves.
Főtaxi: the Airport's Only Official Taxi Partner
Budapest Airport has contracted a single exclusive taxi partner, Főtaxi, since 2010. No other taxi company is permitted to pick up from the airport rank, although any licensed Budapest taxi may legally drop you off at departures.
Recognising the official cars is straightforward:
- The vehicle is yellow, with yellow number plates.
- A roof sign reads "TAXI" and carries the Főtaxi name.
- The Főtaxi logo appears on the front doors.
- A visible sticker reads "Minősített Budapesti taxi / Licensed Budapest taxi".
The fleet has been substantially electrified — more than 60 fully electric cars and over 200 hybrids — so a silent arrival is normal and not a sign that something is wrong. Cars run 24 hours a day, every day, including through the small hours when the 100E bus does not operate.
How to Book a Taxi at Budapest Airport
Four routes to a car, none of which carries a booking fee after the pre-order charge was voted down:
- Join the rank. Simplest on arrival; no reservation needed at any hour.
- Ask at the Főtaxi booth. Staffed desks beside the rank; useful if you want a fare estimate in writing or need a larger vehicle.
- Use the Főtaxi app. Handy for the return leg to the airport, and it shows the car approaching.
- Order by phone. Operators speak English — the practical choice if apps are struggling on foreign cards or roaming data.
For a fixed, pre-agreed price with a driver waiting at the barrier holding a name board, a pre-booked private airport transfer is the alternative product; it is quoted in advance rather than metered, which some travellers now prefer given the higher taxi tariff.
Paying for Your Airport Taxi
Official airport taxis accept cash and credit or debit cards, and card terminals are standard equipment in the Főtaxi fleet. Say at the start of the ride that you intend to pay by card — it is your right, and flagging it early heads off the "the terminal is broken" conversation at the end.
Euros are often accepted, but the driver sets the exchange rate and it will not be in your favour. Paying in forints is materially cheaper; there are ATMs and exchange desks in the arrivals hall, though airport exchange rates are themselves poor for large sums.
Always take the printed receipt. It carries the vehicle and company identifiers, which is what makes a complaint actionable later. Tipping is discretionary in Hungary; around 10% is customary for good service and nothing is expected if the ride was merely adequate.
Taxi, Transfer, Train or Bus: What Makes Sense in 2026
The August tariff rise changes the ranking of the options, so it is worth a direct comparison for the airport-to-centre trip:
| Option | Cost to centre | Time | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Official taxi | 13,000–15,000 HUF | 30–40 min | Door to door, any hour, no planning |
| Private transfer | Fixed, quoted ahead | 30–40 min | Groups, fixed budget, name-board pickup |
| 100E shuttle bus | Single BKK ticket | ≈ 40 min | Light luggage, lowest cost |
| Train via Ferihegy | Single BKK ticket | ≈ 35–45 min | Avoiding road traffic at peak |
For two or more passengers with luggage a taxi is still competitive per head; for a solo traveller at 13,000 HUF and up, the price gap against a bus ticket has widened considerably. See the full breakdown of every route from the airport into the city centre.
How to Avoid Taxi Scams at Budapest Airport
Because the tariff is uniform and public, almost every airport taxi complaint traces back to one of a handful of avoidable situations:
- Accepting a ride from a tout. Anyone offering you a taxi inside the terminal is not from the official rank. Walk to the queue.
- Agreeing a "fixed price" on the spot. A licensed driver meters the fare. An offer to skip the meter is the clearest warning sign there is.
- Not checking the meter is reset. It should start at the airport base fare, not part-way up.
- Assuming the surcharge is a scam. Since 1 August 2026 the 800 HUF airport fee is legitimate and appears on airport journeys in both directions.
- Paying in euros without asking the rate. Legal, but expensive.
- Leaving without a receipt. Without it, a later complaint has nothing to identify the ride.
Ride-hailing apps are worth understanding here, because at BUD they are not a way around the tariff. Uber returned to the city on 13 June 2024 through a partnership with Főtaxi: you order in the Uber app, a licensed taxi arrives, and the fare is the same regulated meter reading — airport surcharge included. Bolt also operates at the airport through licensed taxi vehicles, but it quotes an upfront price set by its own dynamic pricing, so it can land either side of a metered fare. Either way an app mainly saves you the queue rather than money; the details are in our guide to whether Uber works in Budapest. For fares, licensing and payment rules across the city rather than at the airport, see taxis in Budapest.