Tipping around the world

By Dean Last reviewed July 21, 2026

If you are reading this site before a trip outside the US, the single most useful thing to know is that American tipping habits do not travel well. What feels generous at home - 20% left on a restaurant table - can read as confusing, condescending, or even offensive in places where service workers are paid a living wage and tips are not part of the model. The reference below covers the consensus norms for 43 countries across seven regions, organized around the question you actually have: should I tip here at all, and if so how much?

Four tiers sort the countries, and the tiers are the page's own contribution - a simpler mental model than the per-country percentage soup:

Expected

Tip is structurally part of the wage (US/Canada model). Not tipping is a real statement. (7 countries)

Appreciated

Tip is welcomed but not required. A modest amount for good service. (16 countries)

Optional

Rounding up or a small gesture. Locals often leave nothing. (17 countries)

Not expected

Tipping can cause confusion or offense. Do not tip unless explicitly invited. (3 countries)

North America

3 countries in this section.

Tipping customs in North America: restaurant, hotel, and taxi norms by country
Country	Restaurant	Hotel	Taxi	Tier
United States	15–20% (pre-tax)	$2–5 per night	10–15% or round up	Expected
Canada	15–20%	C$2–5 per night	10–15%	Expected
Mexico	10–15%	MX$20–50 per night	Round up	Expected

United States: The country this site is about. Tipping is structurally part of the wage in most states.
Canada: Closest to the US model. Tip expectations have crept up in recent years, especially in Toronto and Vancouver.
Mexico: Tip is expected at sit-down restaurants; 10% is the floor. Tourist areas follow more US-like norms.

Western & Northern Europe

12 countries in this section.

Tipping customs in Western & Northern Europe: restaurant, hotel, and taxi norms by country
Country	Restaurant	Hotel	Taxi	Tier
United Kingdom	10–12.5% if no service charge	£1–2 per night	Round up	Appreciated
Ireland	10–12%	€2–5 per night	Round up	Appreciated
France	Round up or 5%	€1–2 per night	Round up	Optional
Italy	Round up or 5–10%	€1–2 per night	Round up	Optional
Spain	Round up or 5–10%	€1–2 per night	Round up	Optional
Germany	Round up or 5–10%	€1–2 per night	Round up	Optional
Netherlands	Round up or 5–10%	€1–2 per night	Round up	Optional
Switzerland	Round up	CHF 1–2 per night	Round up	Optional
Sweden	Round up	Not expected	Round up	Optional
Norway	Round up	Not expected	Round up	Optional
Denmark	Round up	Not expected	Round up	Optional
Finland	Round up	Not expected	Round up	Optional

United Kingdom: Many restaurants add a 10–12.5% "service charge" to the bill. Under the UK’s 2024 tips law it must be passed to staff in full — closer to an auto-gratuity than to a US-style house fee. If it is on the bill, you don’t need to add more; if it isn’t, 10–12.5% cash is the norm.
Ireland: Appreciated at sit-down restaurants and for taxi help with bags; not required at pubs for counter service.
France: Service is legally included ("service compris"). Coins or rounding up are welcomed; a percentage tip is unnecessary.
Italy: "Coperto" (cover charge) is common and is not a tip. A few euros on top for good service is appreciated.
Spain: Small change at bars and cafes; 5–10% at sit-down restaurants. Locals often leave nothing at the counter.
Germany: Tell the server the total you want to pay (rounded up) rather than leaving cash on the table.
Netherlands: Service is included; rounding up or 5–10% for genuinely good service is the norm.
Switzerland: Service is legally included by law. Rounding up the bill is appreciated but a percentage tip is uncommon.
Sweden: Service workers earn a strong living wage; rounding up is a gesture, never expected.
Norway: Similar to Sweden: high wages make tipping a genuine bonus, not a wage component.
Denmark: Service is included by law and wages are high. Tips are a thank-you, not an expectation.
Finland: Same Nordic model as Sweden and Denmark: high wages, service is included, rounding up is a small thank-you but never expected.

Southern & Eastern Europe

7 countries in this section.

Tipping customs in Southern & Eastern Europe: restaurant, hotel, and taxi norms by country
Country	Restaurant	Hotel	Taxi	Tier
Portugal	5–10%	€1–2 per night	Round up	Optional
Greece	5–10%	€1–2 per night	Round up	Appreciated
Croatia	5–10%	€1–2 per night	Round up	Appreciated
Turkey / Türkiye	5–10%	₺20–50 per night	Round up	Appreciated
Czech Republic	5–10%	CZK 50 per night	Round up	Appreciated
Hungary	5–10%	HUF 1,000 per night	Round up	Appreciated
Poland	5–10%	PLN 5–10 per night	Round up	Appreciated

Portugal: More tipping-friendly than Spain; 5–10% at restaurants is appreciated but not required.
Greece: Tip is genuinely welcomed at restaurants and for hospitality staff; tourism is a large share of the economy.
Croatia: Appreciated at restaurants and bars; rounding up is the local convention.
Turkey / Türkiye: Tips ("bahşiş") are welcomed at restaurants, hammams, and for guides; 5–10% is the norm.
Czech Republic: Round up at restaurants (typical is 5–10%); tipping at tourist-heavy Prague venues is closer to expected.
Hungary: Tip is appreciated in Budapest restaurants; some places add a service charge to the bill, so read it before adding more.
Poland: Tip is welcomed at sit-down restaurants (5–10%); rounding up is common for taxis and small services. Locals say "thank you" (dziękuję) when paying the exact amount to signal "keep the change."

Asia

8 countries in this section.

Tipping customs in Asia: restaurant, hotel, and taxi norms by country
Country	Restaurant	Hotel	Taxi	Tier
Japan	Not done	Not done	Not done	Not expected
South Korea	Not done	Not done	Not done	Not expected
China	Not customary	Not expected (int’l hotels excepted)	Not done	Not expected
Hong Kong	Round up or 10%	HK$10–20 per night	Round up	Optional
Singapore	Often 10% service charge	SG$2 per night	Not done	Optional
Thailand	10%	THB 20–50 per night	Round up	Appreciated
Vietnam	5–10%	VND 20,000–50,000 per night	Round up	Appreciated
India	5–10%	INR 50–100 per service	Round up	Expected

Japan: Tipping is not part of the culture and can cause confusion or offense. Excellent service is built into the price.
South Korea: Similar to Japan - tipping is not customary and may be refused. Some international hotels are the exception.
China: Not part of the culture; may be refused. International hotels and Western-focused tours in major cities are the exception.
Hong Kong: More Western-influenced than mainland China; 10% service charge is often added at restaurants.
Singapore: A 10% service charge is commonly added to restaurant bills; additional tipping is not expected.
Thailand: Tips are welcomed at restaurants, for massages, and hotel staff; rounding up is the everyday convention.
Vietnam: Tip is welcomed at restaurants, spas, and by guides; amounts are small in dollar terms but meaningful locally.
India: Tip is expected at restaurants and by hotel staff; even small amounts matter to workers and are genuinely appreciated.

Oceania

2 countries in this section.

Tipping customs in Oceania: restaurant, hotel, and taxi norms by country
Country	Restaurant	Hotel	Taxi	Tier
Australia	0–10% for good service	A$2–5 per night (optional)	Round up	Optional
New Zealand	0–10% for good service	NZ$2–5 per night (optional)	Round up	Optional

Australia: Not expected due to high minimum wages; 10% for genuinely good service at a sit-down restaurant is appreciated.
New Zealand: Similar to Australia: living wages mean tipping is a genuine bonus, not a structural wage component.

Middle East & Africa

5 countries in this section.

Tipping customs in Middle East & Africa: restaurant, hotel, and taxi norms by country
Country	Restaurant	Hotel	Taxi	Tier
United Arab Emirates	10–15%	AED 10–20 per night	Round up	Appreciated
Israel	10–12%	₪10–20 per night	Round up	Expected
Egypt	5–10%	EGP 20–50 per service	Round up	Expected
South Africa	10–15%	R20–50 per night	10% or round up	Expected
Morocco	5–10%	MAD 10–20 per service	Round up	Appreciated

United Arab Emirates: A 10% service charge is often added; an additional 5–10% in cash for the server is appreciated.
Israel: Tip is expected at restaurants (10–12% is the norm); service is rarely included in the bill.
Egypt: "Baksheesh" (small tips) pervades the service economy; carry small bills for guides, drivers, and hotel staff.
South Africa: Tip is expected at restaurants, for petrol attendants, and for car guards; 10–15% is the restaurant norm.
Morocco: Tips are welcomed throughout the service economy; amounts are small in dollar terms but significant locally.

Central & South America

6 countries in this section.

Tipping customs in Central & South America: restaurant, hotel, and taxi norms by country
Country	Restaurant	Hotel	Taxi	Tier
Costa Rica	Often 10% service charge	Not expected	Not expected	Optional
Colombia	5–10%	COP 2,000–5,000 per service	Round up	Appreciated
Peru	5–10%	PEN 5–10 per night	Round up	Appreciated
Brazil	Often 10% service charge	R$5–10 per night	Not expected	Optional
Argentina	5–10%	ARS 500–1,000 per night	Round up	Appreciated
Chile	5–10%	CLP 1,000–2,000 per night	Round up	Appreciated

Costa Rica: A 10% service charge is legally required on restaurant bills; additional tipping is genuinely optional.
Colombia: Tip is appreciated at restaurants and by hotel staff; small in dollar terms but meaningful locally.
Peru: Tip is welcomed at restaurants and for guides (especially on the Inca Trail); rounding up is common for taxis.
Brazil: A 10% service charge ("serviço") is usually added to restaurant bills; additional tipping is uncommon.
Argentina: Tip is appreciated at restaurants; rounding up for taxis is the convention. Inflation makes peso amounts change quickly.
Chile: Tip is appreciated at restaurants (5–10%); rounding up for taxis and small services.

Service charge, service included, or tip? - three things Americans conflate

The single most common mistake Americans make abroad is treating every extra line on a restaurant bill as if it were a tip. It usually isn't, and the distinction matters for whether you should add cash on top. Three different concepts show up across the countries on this list, and the language is not consistent from place to place:

"Service included" (France, Switzerland, the Nordics)

The price on the menu already accounts for service. There is no line item on the bill, no additional expectation, and workers are paid a proper wage. Rounding up or leaving coins is a thank-you, never an obligation.

Service charge added to the bill (UK, Hong Kong, Singapore, Brazil, Costa Rica)

A percentage - typically 10% to 12.5% - appears as a line item on the bill. Whether it reaches the staff depends on the country. In the UK, the 2024 tips law requires that any service charge be passed to workers in full. In much of Asia and Latin America the distribution is opaque and may go to the house as revenue. If a service charge is on the bill, adding more is usually unnecessary; if you want to reward a specific server, hand them cash directly so it bypasses the house.

Tip / gratuity (US, Canada, India, Israel, South Africa)

Voluntary money from the customer directly to the worker, on top of the listed price. This is the system Americans are used to and the one the rest of this site is about. For the full US definition, see the gratuity and service charge entries in our glossary - the US-specific rule is that a service charge is the business's revenue and is not a tip.

The reason this matters in practice: if you see "12.5% service charge" on a London bill and treat it the way you would in the US (assume it goes to the house, add a separate cash tip), you double-pay. If you see it in Singapore and assume it reaches the server the way a UK service charge does, you may be wrong. When a line item is present, the safest move is to ask the server whether it reaches them - and if you want to be sure, hand the cash tip directly.

How to use this list as an American abroad

Three habits translate well across the whole list and save you from looking up each country individually:

Watch what locals do, then match them. If the table next to you is leaving coins on top of the bill, you can too. If no one is tipping, neither should you. This works in every country on the list.
Read the bill before adding anything. A line item labeled "service," "serviço," "service charge," or "10%" is not the same as a tip - see the explainer above. If one is present, additional cash is usually unnecessary; the exceptions are countries where distribution to staff is opaque, in which case a small cash tip handed directly to the server is the only reliable way to make sure they benefit.
When in doubt, round up. Rounding up the taxi fare or leaving the small change on a restaurant bill is the lowest-friction, lowest-offense move in nearly every country. It is never wrong in the "appreciated" or "optional" tiers, and it is never missed if you forget.

The one place rounding up fails is the "not expected" tier - Japan and South Korea in particular. There, leaving cash on the table will prompt a server to chase you down the street thinking you forgot your change. When the country says no tipping, take it literally.

Where this list comes from

The per-country norms above are cross-checked across regional travel references and Wikipedia's long-running "list of tipping customs by country" as a base, then reframed into the four-tier intensity model and the per-region tables. The tiers and the comparison structure are original to TippingUSA; the underlying facts (whether a tip is expected, the typical amount, the service-charge convention) are common knowledge across multiple sources. For the reverse use case - what to tip when visiting the US - see the foreign-visitor guide, which is the symmetric page aimed at inbound travelers.

Sources & references 5 sources

List of tipping customs by country - Wikipedia (accessed 2026-07-21) - Long-running comparison table of tipping customs across 200+ countries and territories; used as the factual base for the per-country norms on /tipping-around-the-world.
Tipping in Europe - Rick Steves (accessed 2026-07-21) - Standard American-facing reference for the European rounding-up norm, where 5% is adequate and 10% is generous, and overtipping (American-style 20%) can be considered rude.
Guide to Tipping - Condé Nast Traveller (accessed 2026-07-21) - Global reference including the no-tipping norms for Japan and South Korea, where tipping can be considered offensive.
How to Tip Around the World - BBC Travel (accessed 2026-07-21) - Regional tipping norms across Asia, Europe, and the Americas, including the Chinese-tipping exceptions where tips are acceptable in major cities but refused elsewhere.
Tipping Customs in Oceania - Lonely Planet (accessed 2026-07-21) - Reference for Australia and New Zealand, where high minimum wages mean tipping is a genuine bonus for exceptional service rather than a structural wage component.