How to Get from Mexico City Airport to the City Center: Every Option, Priced (2026)
Every way from Benito Juárez airport, MEX, to the center with the price, the journey time and the catch, drawn from the AfterYouLand Mexico City guide. All fares are in Mexican pesos.
Cheapest is Metro Line 5 at $5 MXN flat, 60 to 90 minutes with a transfer. Fastest is the authorized airport taxi at 25 to 60 minutes, and it is also the door to door pick at a fixed $250 to $400 MXN by zone. The value pick in between is Metrobús Line 4 at $30 MXN.
Kiwitaxi, booked before you fly. The driver waits at arrivals with a name sign, and the price is fixed when you book. Affiliate link: AfterYouLand may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
1 The options, compared
Metro Line 5.
The cheapest ride in the city from Terminal Aérea station by Terminal 1, with a transfer into Centro and a warning from the guide: tough with big luggage.
Metrobús Line 4.
The value pick: direct from both terminals in dedicated lanes to the Centro Histórico and Buenavista, with room for luggage and buses every few minutes.
Uber and DiDi.
Usually the cheapest door to door option, with the price locked in the app and DiDi often a little cheaper. Meet the driver at the designated pickup zone.
Authorized airport taxi.
Fixed by zone and printed at the booth: roughly $250 to $330 MXN to Centro and $290 to $400 MXN to Roma, Condesa or Polanco. Pay at the counter, never to a tout.
Pre-booked transfer.
A driver waits in arrivals with your name on a sign and the fare is locked in before you land, which the guide rates easier than the taxi queue late at night.
Fixed price, agreed before you land. The alternative is Welcome Pickups, linked in the Mexico City guide.
2 Late night and first trains
Metrobús Line 4 runs about 04:30 to 00:00, so it ends at midnight. After that the guide states the late case directly: late at night or with a group, a pre-booked pickup is easier than the taxi queue.
The first stated service of the day is Metrobús Line 4 at about 04:30 from both terminals. The guide gives no first Metro departure for this route, so dawn arrivals should plan on the Metrobús or a car.
3 Groups and luggage
All figures are Mexican pesos. Public transport wins on price at every size here by a wide margin. The middle path splits well too: Metrobús at $30 MXN a head, or Uber and DiDi at $180 to $320 MXN a car, which is $45 to $80 a head at four people.
Luggage: Metrobús Line 4 has room for luggage and runs from both terminals. The Metro needs a transfer and is tough with big luggage; keep your phone in a front pocket on crowded trains.
4 Where you board
Terminals
MEX has two terminals, T1 and T2, linked by a free shuttle and the Aerotrén. Check your ticket twice before you choose a station or a meeting point, because the Metro station sits by T1 and the Metrobús serves both terminals.
Metrobús and Metro
Metrobús Line 4 boards at both terminals; buy a Tarjeta de Movilidad Integrada at the station machines, the same card that works on the Metro. Metro Line 5 boards at Terminal Aérea station by T1.
Taxi and apps
Buy the authorized taxi ticket at the booth inside arrivals, take the printed ticket, and ignore anyone offering a ride in the corridor. Uber and DiDi pick up at designated zones a short walk from the terminal doors; follow the in-app directions.
5 Questions
Authorized airport taxis charge a fixed zone fare of about $250 to $400 MXN: roughly $250 to $330 MXN to Centro and $290 to $400 MXN to Roma, Condesa or Polanco. Buy the ticket at the booth inside arrivals.
Metro Line 5 at $5 MXN flat from Terminal Aérea station by Terminal 1. It needs a transfer into Centro and takes 60 to 90 minutes, and the guide calls it tough with big luggage.
About 25 to 60 minutes by authorized taxi or by Uber and DiDi, depending on traffic. Metrobús Line 4 takes 45 to 60 minutes in dedicated lanes, and the Metro takes 60 to 90 minutes with its transfer.
Metrobús Line 4 runs about 04:30 to 00:00 from both terminals. After midnight the guide points late arrivals at a pre-booked pickup, which it rates easier than the taxi queue late at night or with a group.
No. MEX is Benito Juárez International, about 13 km east of the Zócalo, with two terminals linked by a free shuttle and the Aerotrén. Felipe Ángeles, NLU, is a different airport 50 km north, and none of these times apply to it.
6 Sources
- AICM, Benito Juárez International Airport: airport transfers and fares. Last verified October 2026.
- Metrobús CDMX: the Line 4 airport service and fares. Last verified October 2026.
- Secretaría de Turismo de la CDMX: city tourism data. Last verified October 2026.
All prices and journey times are taken from the AfterYouLand Mexico City guide, checked in October 2026.
First night in Mexico City.
Where you stay changes this trip. Centro suits the Metrobús; Roma and Condesa sit in the higher taxi zone and suit the app cars. The guide scores the first night areas and names its hotel picks.
See where to stay in the guideThis page is the transfer chapter of the full guide: the Mexico City first hour guide covers landing, money, data and your first night.
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