How Much Does It Cost to Get from Dulles Airport to Washington DC?

Dulles Airport is 42 km (26 miles) from downtown DC, making ground transport one of the more expensive airport-to-city trips in the United States. Costs range from USD 2.25 on the metro late in the evening and see the current price in our search for a premium private transfer.

Full cost comparison

Prices by destination

Washington Flyer taxis run on a published mileage-to-fare chart, so the taxi cost of any trip is a function of distance rather than a negotiation. The fare is USD 3.50 for the first quarter mile plus USD 0.54 for every additional quarter mile, plus the USD 5.00 Dulles trip surcharge, with waiting time at USD 24.00 an hour on top (WMATC tariff, effective January 2024).

Those meter figures are before waiting time and tip. Uber and Lyft publish no fare table at all - the app quotes you at the moment you book, so compare it against the meter yourself.

Hidden costs to watch for

• Taxi tips: A 15-20% tip is standard and expected. On a USD 64 fare, that adds about USD 10-13.
• Waiting time is metered at USD 24.00 an hour whenever the cab is stopped or crawling under 10 mph, which is what makes a rush-hour run on I-66 expensive.
• Extra passengers are charged USD 1.50 each after the first on the Washington Flyer tariff; one child under six travels free with an older passenger.
• Pre-booking a Washington Flyer taxi online adds a USD 2.00 processing fee (effective September 2024).
• Uber/Lyft surge: prices rise with demand and weather. The app shows the price before you confirm.
• Getting through the faregate: tap a contactless credit or debit card or your phone, or buy a SmarTrip card from a station vending machine.
• Metro fares are lower, not higher, late at night: after 9:30 PM on weekdays and all day at weekends the fare drops to USD 2.25-2.50.

Best value by situation

Tightest budget: the Silver Line metro at USD 6.75 on a weekday, or USD 2.25-2.50 if you land late enough, is unbeatable - though the 60-75 minute ride is long.

Solo or couple: Uber or Lyft usually balances cost and convenience best, but check the quote against the roughly USD 64 taxi meter before you decide.

Family of four: A private SUV at USD 100-130 total works out to roughly USD 25-33 per person for door-to-door service with luggage handling and child seats. That is well above four metro fares - you are paying for the door-to-door ride, not saving money.

Northern Virginia destinations: If heading to Reston or Tysons Corner, costs drop a long way, because the same meter runs over a far shorter distance.