Tipping by country: what to leave, where

Tipping practice is one of the most confusing parts of travel. An American leaves 20% in Milan and looks clueless. A German leaves nothing in New York and feels the glare. Here’s a current rundown by country, with specifics.

Tipping is not a universal gesture of gratitude — it’s a local wage structure. In the US, the federal tipped minimum wage is $2.13 an hour, which is why tipping a server 18–22% is genuinely their income, not a bonus. In most of Europe, service staff are paid a full wage by law, and tips are small acknowledgments on top. Understanding this changes how you tip without feeling cheap or weird.

United States and Canada

Restaurants: 18–22% at sit-down, 10% at casual counter-service. Tipping is expected; skipping it is read as displeasure with the service.

Bars: $1–$2 per drink, or 18–20% on a tab.

Rideshare and taxis: 10–15%, rounded up. Uber and Lyft default prompts are 15%, 18%, 20%.

Hotels:$2–$5 a night for housekeeping (left in an envelope or marked as such), $1–$2 per bag for bellhops, 10–15% on room service if gratuity isn’t already included.

Canada follows the US model closely — 15–20% at restaurants is expected, with 18% as a comfortable default in Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver.

United Kingdom and Ireland

A 12.5% service charge is commonly added to restaurant bills in London. Check for it on the bill. If it’s there, you don’t need to tip again. If it’s not, leaving 10% at a sit-down restaurant is generous; rounding up is normal. In pubs, buying the bartender a drink (“and one for yourself?”) is the tipping equivalent. Taxi fares are usually rounded up to the next pound.

France, Italy, Spain, Germany

Europe runs on rounding, not percentages. In France, service compris is nearly always included, which means no extra tip is required — though rounding up to the nearest 5 euros on a nice meal is a kind gesture.

In Italy, the coperto (cover charge, usually €1–€3 per person) covers bread and the setting of the table; it is not a tip. Leaving €5 on a €60 dinner is a very warm gesture.

In Germany, tell the server the total you want to pay when they take your card — e.g., “make it thirty” for a €27.80 bill. Rounding up 5–10% is standard. Don’t leave cash on the table; Germans find it strange.

In Spain, rounding up or leaving a euro or two per person at casual spots is standard. At nicer restaurants, 5–10% if you were happy.

Japan and South Korea

Do not tip. In Japan, leaving cash on the table is confusing at best, insulting at worst. Service staff are paid well, and hospitality (omotenashi) is treated as a craft, not a tipped transaction. Some hotels that work with foreign tourists have adapted, but the default is: no tips anywhere — restaurants, bars, taxis, hotels. Korea is the same. If you try to leave extra, the server will chase you down the street to return it.

Australia and New Zealand

Minimum wage is high and tipping is not expected. Rounding up on good service is appreciated but not required. Nicer restaurants in Sydney and Melbourne are starting to see 5–10% tips from regulars, but you’re not being rude if you leave nothing.

Mexico, Argentina, Brazil, Chile

Mexico: 10–15% at sit-down restaurants. Check if service is already added on tourist bills in Cancun or Cabo — some places double-dip. Round up on taxis.

Argentina:10% at restaurants, paid in cash if possible (card tips often don’t reach the server).

Brazil: A 10% taxa de serviçois included on most restaurant bills — it’s optional to pay but nearly everyone does. No extra tip needed.

Chile: 10% expected and usually written on the bill as a suggested amount.

Southeast Asia

Not expected in most countries, but appreciated. Thailand: round up or leave 20 baht on a 400 baht meal. Vietnam: the same, around 10–20,000 VND for good service. Singapore and Hong Kong include a 10% service charge on almost every restaurant bill — no additional tip needed.

Middle East

UAE and Saudi Arabia: 10–15% at upscale restaurants, rounding up elsewhere. Some places automatically add service — check.

Israel: 12–15% at sit-down restaurants, cash preferred. Many places now include service on the bill.

A note on group tips when splitting the bill

If a 20% group gratuity is auto-added (common for parties of 6+ in the US), you still split that tip proportionally, not evenly. Tax and tip are always scaled to what each person ordered — see our guide to itemized tax on shared bills for how to handle that cleanly.

The quick reference

If you’re splitting a dinner abroad, use splitmax to scan the receipt, apply the correct tax and tip, and let each person in your group pay in their preferred app. It works with currency and tax in local formats.