Airport Transfer Calculator (DXB)

Airport Transfer Calculator (DXB): Metro, Taxi or Bus from Dubai Airport

From Dubai Airport, the Metro is the cheapest way into the city from Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, and this calculator compares it with a taxi and a bus for your terminal, destination, party and luggage. Terminal 2 has no Metro station, so the calculator shows bus and taxi only for Terminal 2. Pick your terminal and your destination station, add your passengers and bags, and the tool shows the Metro route, fare and time, the taxi estimate, and the bus option where one exists. The Metro fare comes from the same zone engine as our Fare Calculator, and the taxi figures are estimates from the RTA meter model and the published DXB ranges. If you land late, check the Metro hours first: the first train is 5:00 am Monday to Saturday and 8:00 am on Sunday, and service ends at midnight, or 1:00 am on Friday. After that, a taxi is the only option. Fares checked 2026-11-10, verify on rta.ae.

The calculator: Metro, taxi and bus from DXB

Pick your terminal, your destination station, your card type, your passengers and your bags, then tap Compare airport transfers. The tool shows the Metro route with its fare and time, the taxi estimate, and the bus option where one exists. Terminal 2 shows bus and taxi only, because Terminal 2 has no Metro station. The luggage check runs first: if your party carries more than 2 bags per passenger, the Metro is not an option and the tool says so.

Terminal 2 has no Metro

Terminal 2 has no Metro station, so from Terminal 2 you take an RTA bus to the nearest Red Line station or a taxi. The bus route number is not verified here, so check the S’hail app or rta.ae before you travel. A taxi from Terminal 2 uses the AED 20 airport flag, and the taxi estimate uses the Terminal 1 distance, because Terminal 2 is next door to Terminal 1. Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 each have a station inside the terminal, about 5 to 8 minutes on foot from arrivals if you follow the red Metro signs, a reported figure rather than an RTA-published one.

Metro from Terminal 1 and Terminal 3

Terminal 1 and Terminal 3 each have a Red Line station inside the terminal, in Zone 5, and the Metro is the cheapest way into the city from either one. From Airport Terminal 3, Union is AED 3, Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall is AED 5, and Mall of the Emirates, DMCC, Ibn Battuta and Expo 2020 are all AED 7.50 on a Silver card, because the fare depends on the zones crossed and not on the distance. Buy a NOL card at the station: Silver costs AED 25 including AED 19 credit, a Red Ticket costs AED 2, and a QR ticket is sold in the nol Pay or S’hail app. The first train is 5:00 am Monday to Saturday and 8:00 am on Sunday. Last trains from Terminal 3 are 12:02 am towards Centrepoint, 10:52 pm towards Expo 2020 and 10:56 pm towards Life Pharmacy, and from Terminal 1 they are 12:00 am, 10:54 pm and 10:58 pm, Monday to Thursday and Saturday, with about one hour later on Friday. Those times come from the RTA station timetable as read by two agreeing sources, not from a public RTA table, so check the S’hail app on the night.

Destination from Terminal 3	Silver fare	Stops	Estimated time
Union	AED 3	5	about 13 min
Burj Khalifa / Dubai Mall	AED 5	12	about 30 min
Mall of the Emirates	AED 7.50	16	about 40 min
DMCC	AED 7.50	21	about 53 min
Ibn Battuta	AED 7.50	23	about 58 min
Expo 2020	AED 7.50	28	about 70 min

Terminal 1 is one stop closer to the city, so its times are about 2 to 3 minutes shorter and its fares are identical, because the fare depends on the zones crossed and not on the distance.

Taxi from the airport

A taxi from the airport uses the AED 20 airport flag, and Dubai Airports pages still say AED 25, so expect either figure at the airport rank. A taxi from the airport to Downtown costs about AED 50 to 80, and to the Marina about AED 80 to 100, both ranges labelled as estimates. Other destinations are computed from the meter model: the AED 20 flag plus about AED 2.19 per km, with the road distance estimated as Metro stops times about 2 km. The airport flag for a van is AED 25. A taxi has no luggage limit and drops you at the door, which is why it wins for a large party with heavy bags even though it costs far more than the Metro.

Luggage and late arrivals

RTA allows a maximum of 2 bags per passenger on the Metro, so count your bags before you choose the Metro. One large suitcase up to 81 x 58 x 30 cm and one small bag up to 55 x 38 x 20 cm is the limit, from a secondary source rather than a page read directly on RTA, so check on rta.ae if you carry oversized luggage. The calculator checks your bags against the limit and tells you if the Metro is not an option for your party. If your flight lands after the Metro closes, take a taxi: service ends at midnight, or 1:00 am on Friday. Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) has no Metro at all: buses F55 to Expo 2020 and N55 to Ibn Battuta run about every 30 minutes, and a taxi to Downtown costs about AED 100 to 150.

Frequently asked questions

The answers below use the same fares and times as the calculator above, checked 2026-11-10. The meter in the taxi is final.

Fares, times and station facts on this page were checked 2026-11-10. Verify on rta.ae before you travel. See also our Dubai Airport by Metro, Dubai Metro Fare Calculator and Dubai Metro Timings pages.