Experts reveal the world's most expensive and cheapest cities to park in

London, United Kingdom ranked in 3rd place. Following with 143 points, England’s capital has the most expensive hourly rate out of our studied cities. There, an hour of leaving your car will cost you approximately $7.79 (€7.17). Our findings affirm that their metropolises are sure expensive places to park! Despite this high figure, London has one of the more average — yet still pretty costly — fining charges out of the ranked cities. Facing a parking infraction? It’ll cost you $134.10 (€123.47).

And, if you fancy exploring what more of the surrounding areas have to offer, then why not check out the Surrey Hills National Landscape? It’s an official Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and only a half-hour drive from Gatwick Airport.

Following in 4th place is Copenhagen, Denmark. The city’s joint combined score for parking costs for the hour and any fines, fed into its high ranking position of 141 points out of 160. This is because any violations will cost a respectable $148.70 (€136.87), and any parking, about $4.96 (€4.56) an hour. So, be mindful of the clock or correct bays when you’re parking, so you can scope out its historic backstreets with peace of mind.

Only a 29-minute car ride from Copenhagen Airport is Rosenborg Castle, a Renaissance summer house originally constructed in 1606. One of the city and country’s cultural gems, it’s not to be missed.

In the middle of the rankings is Seattle, Washington in the United States. The second American city in our combined findings and the 5th most expensive one in the world for parking chargers, thanks to the city’s score of 139 out of 160. Famed for verdant forestry and the Space Needle observation tower studding its skyline, Seattle doesn’t fall short on sights. But the same can be said for their parking charges - any infractions can cost you up to $245 (€225.42). Be mindful of their hourly costs, too, which can set you back about $3.57 (€3.29).

To soak up more of Seattle, then be sure to scope out Pike Place Market Square, the city’s original artisanal market - heaven for a foodie. Only a 5-minute drive away is Pioneer Square, a trendy neighborhood with architecture that dates back centuries.

Next, in 6th place, is Sydney, Australia with a score of 136 points. Best known for its Opera House, this southeastern beach haven is the first Australian city in our top 10 rankings but the 6th out of our 80 ranked cities! There, an hour of parking will cost you approximately $4.35 (€4). Although it might be hard to pry yourself away from the amazing local views and beaming sunshine, try not to be too long - our findings concluded a parking infringement in Sydney is $143.17 (€131.80).

Catching a game of rugby at the Allianz Stadium is a must-see. And, afterwards, why not see Darling Harbor at night, offering a beautiful walk and waterside view? Plus, they’re only a 15-minute drive away from each other — easy!

The only Scottish city to appear in this category, Edinburgh, United Kingdom ranked the 7th most expensive city for combined parking charges in the world. An average street parking cost per hour of $5.86 (€5.39) and an average parking fine that equates to $127.70 (€117.55) could be something to be aware of when visiting its charming medieval Old Town and quaint Georgian New Town streets. Be late back or park in an incorrect bay and it could cost you - literally.

In 8th place is Barcelona, Spain. Home to the world-famous Sagrada Família cathedral and Park Güell gardens, the Catalonian capital scored a modest 133 points. The city’s ranking position is due to their hourly parking charges equating to $3.95 (€3.64), with any violations of parking law costing $152.30 (€140.14). Plus, both these hotspots are only an 8-minute drive away from each other, leaving you plenty of time to explore the local area and take in the views.

In joint 9th place, is Toronto, Canada and Dublin, Ireland. Both scored 127 points. In Toronto, their fines for parking infractions were found to be the 10th most expensive in the world, at $176.11 (€162.04). Meanwhile, those in Dublin come in at $130.50 (€120.12). Dublin’s hourly parking charges were also around $4.03 (€3.71), and Toronto, $3.32 (€3.06). Whether exploring Toronto’s CN Tower or St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Ireland’s capital, stay aware of the nearby parking meters and laws and your pockets will be fuller and your memories richer.

For a once-in-a-lifetime day trip and only an hour and a quarter’s drive away from Toronto Pearson International Airport, Niagara Falls is an awe-inspiring natural wonder that is set to impress!

Meanwhile, in Dublin, the National Botanic Gardens is only a 20-minute drive from the center of the city. There are 19.5 hectares of wonderful biodiversity and plant life to check out.

The top 10 cheapest combined cities:

Within this ranking for the 10 cheapest cities for average hourly parking and fines, Kuala Lumpur ranked in 1st position with 6 points. There, parking costs approximately $0.31 (€0.29) and infringement charges, $10.65 (€9.80). This was followed by New Delhi with 7 points and in joint third, Rio de Janeiro and Ankara with 8 points each. Belgrade, Serbia succeeded with 11 points.

In 5th place was Cape Town, with the South African capital scoring 13. Rounding off the ranking was Brazil’s Belo Horizonte with 22, Istanbul with 23 points, Bucharest with 26, and lastly, São Paulo with 33 points.

Within the findings for the world’s most expensive cities for parking charges, our team found that overall, 8 out of the 10 highest-ranking cities were all in Europe. There was also a high $3.30 (€3.04) difference between the 1st and 10th ranking cities. And, that of the top 3 ranked cities — London, Amsterdam and Chicago — were also amongst the highest averages for combined charges for hourly street parking and parking infringement fines.

The most expensive hourly rankings:

Regarding average parking fines, our findings concluded that 50% of the top 10 most expensive charges were all based in the United States — Chicago, Dallas, Seattle, Los Angeles and Houston.

Mexico headed the rankings with an average parking fine equating to $434.72 (€399.99). Interestingly, Mexico appeared in the 10 cheapest cities to park in, with a $0.59 (€0.54) hourly rate.

The most expensive parking fine rankings:

So, there are some evident fluctuations on parking charges around the world. From Asia to Europe and Australia to the America’s, staying aware of them can help keep spending low and the law in check, ensuring funds can be kept on making great memories on once in a lifetime trips!

We recommend researching any rules and legalities regarding the road before you reach the destination you will be driving in. This way, any risk of receiving a fine or unknowingly driving or parking illegally will be minimized. For parking, being aware of bays - the different types, indicative visuals and any requirements needed for disabled or family spots, for example - can also help this. However, if you do receive a parking fine, we advise paying it as soon as possible. We also recommend taking your time, having a reference point and keeping an eye on your surroundings when parking abroad, especially if these countries drive on the opposite side to where you live.

DiscoverCars.com investigated the most expensive and cheapest cities for parking and parking fines in the world.

These components were analyzed using 80 of the most populous global cities. The scores created from working out the average cost of parking and the average parking infraction total for each city, were then calculated. The combined total cost of both these factors were then also calculated. The scores were then ranked 1-80. The highest score received was 160.

These 3 separate score averages for each city then created 3 top 10 lists for each theme.

The cost of parking data was formulated using the average cost of 1 hour of parking on the street of each city on a weekday (Monday to Friday), on non-public holidays. The average parking fine figure was estimated as the mean for both basic to serious infractions.

The cost of parking data was collated from sources including government websites, and national parking databases to local media. The most up to date data of fines in each city was also collected from local government websites and press.

All monetary figures are shown in USD ($) as well as a conversion into EUR (€). All data was configured in May 2024. All conversion rates were correct at the time of publishing (June 2024).