“Should I just drive and leave the car at the airport?” We hear that one a lot. It sounds like the cheaper option, and sometimes it is. But Perth Airport parking is charged by the day, and a taxi isn’t. Once you’re away for more than a few nights, or there’s more than one of you, the numbers often flip.
Here’s how to work it out properly for your own trip. It takes about a minute, and you don’t need to trust our word for it.
Why parking and a taxi are priced so differently
Airport parking charges you for time. Your car sits in the car park doing nothing, and the meter keeps running until you come home. Three nights in Melbourne and three weeks in Bali cost very different amounts, even though the car never moves.
A taxi charges you for distance. The fare from your place to the airport is the same whether you’re coming back on Sunday or next month. With a maxi cab, that one fare covers everybody in the van and all the bags.
That’s the whole trick. So the real question isn’t “which is cheaper?” It’s “how long am I away, and how many of us are going?”
Step 1: Look up the parking price for your actual dates
Perth Airport publishes its parking prices on its website, and they change depending on the car park, the terminal and how early you book. Booking online ahead is usually cheaper than paying at the boom gate. Before you decide anything, check:
- Your terminal. Terminals 1 and 2 are on one side of the airport and Terminals 3 and 4 are on the other, each with its own car parks. Check your booking; don’t guess.
- The total for your exact dates, in both long-term parking (cheaper, further away) and short-term (closer, much dearer for a long trip).
- How you get from the car to the terminal. Some long-stay car parks are a decent walk, and that walk feels longer with three suitcases and a tired kid.
Step 2: Work out your return fare
We quote a fixed price for your trip before you book, so there’s no meter ticking over in freeway traffic. As a rough guide, one-way fares from Perth Airport are about:
- Perth CBD: around $80
- Fremantle: around $100
- Scarborough: around $120
Double it for the trip home. From the CBD that’s roughly $160 all up, for the whole van, not per person. Our airport transfer page has more suburbs, or you can ask us for an exact quote from your front door.
Step 3: Find your break-even point
This is the bit that settles it. Divide your return fare by the daily parking cost you were quoted:
Return taxi fare ÷ parking cost per day = the number of days after which the taxi is cheaper
Using a $160 return fare to the CBD:
| If parking works out at… | The taxi wins after… |
|---|---|
| $15 a day | about 11 days |
| $20 a day | 8 days |
| $25 a day | about 6 days |
| $30 a day | about 5 days |
Those daily rates are examples to show the maths. They aren’t Perth Airport’s prices, so plug in whatever you’re actually quoted.
Travelling with family or a group? This is where it really changes
Parking costs the same whether there’s one person in the car or six. A taxi fare works the same way, but a maxi cab fits up to 13 people plus luggage. Split a $160 return fare and it looks like this:
- 2 people: $80 each
- 4 people: $40 each
- 6 people: about $27 each
- 10 people: $16 each
And if your group needs two cars because one won’t fit everyone and the bags, you’re paying for two parking spots. That’s usually where the “cheap” option stops being cheap.
The costs that never show up on the parking receipt
- The drive home. After an overnight flight, the drive from the airport is the last thing anyone wants. Plenty of flights from Asia land late at night or very early in the morning.
- Extra time on the way out. You’ll need time to find a space, sort the bags and get to the terminal. When you’re already running late, that adds stress.
- Fuel and wear. Small, but real.
- Walking back to the car. It’s not much fun at midnight with kids and luggage.
With a pre-booked transfer, we pick you up from home and drop you right at the terminal. On the way back, we watch your flight and adjust if it’s early or late, so we’re there when you come out.
When driving yourself is the smarter call
We’re not going to pretend the taxi always wins. Driving yourself usually makes more sense when:
- it’s just you, or the two of you, away for a night or two
- you live close to the airport
- you need your own car the moment you land, say to drive straight on to a regional town.
Anything longer, or anything with a group, is worth the one-minute sum above.
Quick answers
Is long-term parking at Perth Airport worth it?
For short solo trips, often yes. For longer trips or groups, compare the total parking price with a return taxi fare first. The break-even calculation above shows where it tips.
How much is a taxi from Perth Airport to the city?
With us, a fixed fare to the Perth CBD is around $80 one way for the whole maxi cab. Our guide to Perth Airport taxi costs breaks it down by suburb.
Can you pick us up from home at 4am for an early flight?
Yes. We run 24/7, including early mornings and public holidays. Book ahead so we can lock in the time.
Book your airport transfer
Five Star Maxi Cab does airport runs across Perth every day, for 1 to 13 passengers, with baby seats and wheelchair-accessible vans available. Book online or call us on +61 433 530 152.