Getting a ride in an Isla Mujeres taxi works just fine. They’ve always gotten me from point A to B in a timely manner.
However, you should be very well aware of what a normal price is for your journey, and you should discuss this with the taxi driver before getting into the car. The one thing that taxi drivers on the island have always done is try to overcharge me. Also, I’ve had multiple taxi drivers try to give me less change than I was owed.
I’m not saying all taxi drivers are like that, but enough of them are that it’s a common occurrence. Just be aware of this, and you should be fine. As a general rule of thumb, no place on the island should cost you more than $250 pesos ($12.5 USD) to get to. Most of the time you should pay $100 – $200 pesos.
Are There Taxis On Isla Mujeres? (Location & Availability)
Yes, there are taxis on Isla Mujeres. As a matter of fact, there are A LOT of taxis on Isla Mujeres. The main hub for the taxis is located right next to the ferry terminal. When you exit the ferry terminal building, walk left for 60 feet (20 meters), and you’ll see a small red building with a bunch of taxis lined up.
This is the main taxi hub of the island. Here, you can almost always get a taxi. That means both day and night.
How to Get a Taxi on Isla Mujeres: Step-by-Step
There are two spots where you’ll want to get a taxi: near the ferry terminal/main taxi stand, and literally anywhere else on the island. Here’s how to get a taxi in both situations.
From the Xcaret / Ultramar ferry terminal – Stand In Line
To get a taxi, stand in line at the taxi terminal and wait for your turn. Because you’re a tourist, the main guy at the taxi terminal will sometimes let you go ahead of other people in line. That’s because you’re going to pay more than the locals.
The main guy at the taxi terminal will ask you where you’re going, and your taxi driver might ask that as well. While you’re putting your bags in the trunk of the car, it’s wise to ask how much the trip will cost. I wish I could say that the taxi drivers are fair people. Some of them are, and others are definitely out to charge you as much as possible. We’ll discuss rates in a second.
Talking about putting your bags into the trunk of the car, there are three types of taxis. There are compact cars, sedans, and minivans. If you have two big bags, they’ll be able to fit in the trunk of any of these. If you have more, you’ll need to go with the sedans or the minivan. Don’t worry, the taxi drivers will figure this out with each other.
Pro tip: Don’t prebook a taxi online. Waiting times at the ferry terminal, even when it’s busy, are only 5-10 minutes at most. Online pre-booking services also charge a lot for taxis in general. Much cheaper to just do it at the terminal.
Anywhere else on the island – Just Wave
If you’re not at the ferry terminal/main taxi stand on the island, and you need a taxi, just stand on the side of the road and wave one down. If they have availability, they’ll stop, and you can get into the taxi. Again, before getting in, tell the taxi driver where you want to go and ask how much this will cost. That will save you a lot of headaches.
Isla Mujeres Taxi Journey: What to Expect During the Ride
Isla Mujeres is a small island. At most, your journey to your hotel or apartment will last 10 minutes. This will happen at a leisurely pace because most traffic on Isla Mujeres doesn’t drive faster than 30mph (50km/h). There are also plenty of speed bumps.
If you don’t speak a lot of Spanish, most taxi drivers aren’t very talkative.
Isla Mujeres Taxi Rates and Prices In 2026
Taxis on Isla Mujeres are unmetered, meaning you’ll need to discuss the price verbally beforehand for your own mental well-being. Official price sheets exist, but they’re not shown to tourists and often ignored by taxi drivers.
To give you an idea, this is how much I’ve paid for taxi journeys to different parts of the island:
- Main taxi hub -> Chedraui (main supermarket) = $100 pesos ($5 USD)
- Main taxi hub -> Oscars Restaurant = $150 pesos ($7.5 USD)
- Main taxi hub -> Mayan Monkey = $150-200 pesos ($7.5 – $10 USD)
- Main taxi hub -> Kin Ha Beach Club = $200 pesos ($10 USD)
- Main taxi hub -> Garrafon Reef Park = $250 pesos ($10 USD)
- Main taxi hub -> Punta Sur = $250 pesos ($10 USD)
All these points are ranked from the northernmost location to the southernmost. If you use Google Maps, you can figure out where your destination is located and what’s a reasonable price.
Isla Mujeres taxi prices shouldn’t cost more than $250 pesos. If you’re being charged more than that, the taxi is trying to overcharge you. Having big bags or luggage does NOT come with a surcharge.
Pro tip: Make sure you get the right amount of change back. I’ve had taxi drivers try to scam me out of an extra $50-100 pesos multiple times, hoping I wasn’t paying attention.
Can I Pay With U.S. Dollars in an Isla Mujeres Taxi?
I’ve never tried this myself, but I’ve seen other people pay with American dollars in the taxis. I would highly discourage this. That’s because there is no standard conversion fee for USD to MXN on the island.
In general, that means that the taxi driver will charge you 15-20% more for paying with American dollars than you would if you just paid with pesos. Paying with American dollars is the easiest way to get overcharged.
Wondering where to get Mexican pesos if you don’t have those already? Across the street from the main taxi hub is a bank. It’s a big white building, you can’t really miss it. They have two ATMs (the ones on the left) where you can get pesos from, and these ATMs don’t charge that much of a fee (like $31 pesos ($1.5 USD) for a transaction). There’s also an ATM on the right, but that one is only for deposits.
Pro tip: if you’re using these ATMs, keep in mind that you’ll need to put your card in horizontally with the chip to the side that’s indicated on the image above the card reader. It’s a system I haven’t seen anywhere else and I often see that people have trouble with it, so just so you know.
Should You Tip Taxi Drivers On Isla Mujeres?
No, you shouldn’t tip taxi drivers in Isla Mujeres. I’ve spent two years here and have never tipped a taxi driver. It’s also not expected.
There’s a very simple reason for that: the price they charge already includes more than enough tip.
For reference, if a local person takes the taxi, they pay $20 pesos for a one-way trip. It does not matter where they’re going on the island. So, when you inevitably end up paying $200 pesos for your journey, you’re paying 10x what they normally earn.
Do you think you should include some extra tips? Taxi drivers are consistently the highest-paid profession on the island.
Is a Taxi the Best Way to Get Around Isla Mujeres?
That completely depends on where you’re staying, how much time you have, and how much you’re willing to pay. I do want you to know that there are plenty of other transportation options. Click this link for my guide on how to get around Isla Mujeres.
When to Skip the Taxi (Walkers and Backpackers)
Let’s start with the people who shouldn’t take a taxi. If you’re staying in the northern part of the island, you can easily walk to your hotel. You can cross the entire city center in 13 minutes, even with bags. Don’t take a taxi in this case and just walk.
If you have too many bags or don’t want to carry them, there are plenty of ‘maleteros’ waiting for you when you get off the ferry. They have the shirts that say ‘will carry your bags for tips’. I’ve never done this, but I imagine that if they carry your bags all the way through the city center, $80-$100 pesos in tips should do the job.
Another group of people who shouldn’t take a taxi are young backpackers trying to save as much money as possible. There’s a local bus on the right side of the ferry terminal. When the sun is in the sky (yes, that’s the rule), they drive about every 20-30 minutes or so. No, there’s no schedule. Just wait at the bus stop and get on it when it arrives. You’ll pay $20 pesos per person.
When a Taxi is Your Best Option
If you don’t mind paying the taxi prices and your accommodation isn’t located in the northern part of the island, taking a taxi is the quickest way to get there. We always take a taxi when we arrive on Isla Mujeres after travelling.
Is There Uber In Isla Mujeres?
No, there’s no Uber on Isla Mujeres. There has also never been Uber here, nor are there plans to expand Uber to the island. There are also no alternative taxi apps that can be used. If you want to take a taxi, you have to take one of the registered taxis.
There are numerous reasons why Uber isn’t on Isla Mujeres. One of the reasons is that it’s a small island, and Uber typically likes to expand its services to major cities like Cancun.
However, another factor is definitely that the local taxi drivers are very protective of their services. In Cancun, Uber drivers have been attacked by local taxi drivers numerous times over the past few years. This is also why you typically won’t be able to get an Uber near the main hotspots (such as the ferry terminals), but you’ll need to walk a couple of blocks over for someone to accept the journey.
If someone were to become an Uber driver on Isla Mujeres, I’m certain that they would quickly be made aware of the fact that this isn’t appreciated. Hence, there are no Ubers on Isla Mujeres.
