How To Get From Manila Airport To Makati (Fastest & Cheapest!)

Manila Airport is just 6km from Makati. However, the journey can often take more than 30 minutes due to traffic. There are four ways you can travel from Manila Airport to Makati:

• Grab
• Yellow Taxi
• White Taxi
• Pre-Arranged Transfer

Sadly, there is no public transport between Manila Airport and Makati – instead, a taxi from Manila Airport to Makati costs between 370 PHP and 500 PHP.

The best way to travel from Manila Airport to Makati is in a Grab taxi. Grab is Asia’s take on Uber and operates in most major cities.

To take a Grab taxi from Manila Airport to Makati, you can either:

1. Order the Grab using the Grab mobile app (available on both iOS and Android)
2. Order from the Grab booth outside at the Grab pick-up point.

You’ll need to go to the Grab pick-up point, whichever method you choose. The Grab pick-up point is outside the airport, across from Bay 4 in the centre island of traffic. This pick-up point is well located both inside and outside of the airport.

If you order from the Grab booth, you’ll be given a slip of paper for your reference. This paper will include the license plate registration and pre-agreed fare. In my case, the pre-agreed Grab taxi fare from Manila Airport to Makati was 423 PHP.

I arrived at Manila Airport at 11 pm, ordered a Grab taxi at the taxi booth and waited 9 minutes for it to arrive. The journey from Manila Airport to my hotel, Lub D in Makati, was a little over 30 minutes. Yes, even at 11 pm, the traffic in Manila is still crazy!

⏱️ Time: 30 minutes
💵 Cost: 370 PHP

The second type of taxi you can get from Manila Airport to Makati is a yellow taxi. Yellow taxis depart from the taxi rank at Manila Airport. This taxi rank area also serves Grab and white taxis and has signs inside and outside the airport.

To get a yellow taxi from Manila Airport, join the queue and wait until you reach the front line. The wait for a yellow taxi at Manila Airport is often more than 30 minutes.

Unlike white taxis, yellow taxis can only serve the airport and are heavily regulated. However, this extra regulation and security comes at a price. Yellow taxis from Manila Airport to Makati cost around 100 PHP more than white taxis.

Yellow taxis should operate on a calibrated meter. If the driver refuses to turn on the meter, get out of the taxi and go to the next one in line. This is incredibly uncommon with yellow taxis but worth being aware of nonetheless.

⏱️ Time: 30 minutes
💵 Cost: 500 PHP

White taxis, also known as coupon taxis, serve the entire metro region of Manila.

The cost of a white taxi from Manila Airport to Makati is arranged with the driver, and there is no meter. Therefore, as a tourist collected from the airport, you will likely be charged a lot more.

In addition to this, white taxis also offer no receipt and are generally less safe than yellow taxis. I would not recommend getting a white coupon taxi, even if the wait is significantly shorter than a yellow taxi or Grab.

The fourth and final way to travel from Manila Airport to Makati is in a private transfer. Private transfers are ideal for groups or those happy to spend more for convenience.

The driver of your transfer will meet you in the airport’s arrivals hall with a name sign. Once you’ve met with your driver, they will walk you to the car, load your bags and drive you to your hotel.

A private transfer from Manila Airport to Makati does require some pre-planning. You will need to book with a driver in advance. I recommend booking via Hoppa and reading the reviews of past customers.