Taxi fares in Seoul rank world`s 21st

Seoul ranked 21st among the world¡¯s 58 major cities in terms of average taxi fares. Quoting a report by the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS) on the world¡¯s commodity prices, The Economist, a British weekly news magazine, said in a recent edition that the taxi fare in Seoul for a 3-mile (4.8km) trip was $4 (about 5,000 won).

Los Angeles was the world's most expensive city in terms of taxi fares, followed by Tokyo and Zurich, respectively. The average taxi fare in these cities was over $12 for every 3 miles traveled. London, Stockholm, New York, Berlin, Vienna, and Milan finished 4th through 9th, respectively.

The average taxi fare was $8.30 in North America and West Europe, and $4.75 in South America and Asia. Taxi fares in Madrid and Athens were similar to that in Seoul, whereas the fares in Shanghai, Mexico City, Kuala Lumpur and Manila represented were more than two times the level in Seoul.

Paik Kyung-Hak stern100@donga.com