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How much to tip in 22 countries — and why the number changes at the border

Twenty percent is normal in New York and excessive in Copenhagen. Here is what people actually leave in 22 holiday and city-break destinations, plus a calculator that splits the bill for you.

The awkward pause when the bill lands

You know the moment. The card machine is held out, there is a prompt on the screen, and everyone at the table looks at each other. Tipping is one of the few pieces of everyday arithmetic where getting the number right depends less on maths than on where you happen to be sitting.

Our new Tip Calculator settles it in a couple of taps: enter the bill, pick the country, and it shows the tip, the total, and what each person owes — using the levels that are customary there, in the local currency.

There are really only three tipping cultures

Once you see the pattern, 22 countries stop feeling like 22 separate rules to memorise.

  • The tip is part of the wage. The United States is the clearest case: federal rules let an employer pay a tipped worker a cash wage of as little as $2.13 an hour and count tips toward the $7.25 federal minimum, though several states require more. That is why 15–20% is expected rather than appreciated.
  • The price already includes service, and the tip is a thank-you. Most of Europe works this way. In France the menu price is service compris by law; in Denmark prices must be quoted as the total price including VAT and charges. You are not filling a gap — you are rewarding an evening.
  • Tipping is simply not done. In Japan it is not customary and can cause confusion. Zero is the correct answer, and it is not rude.

What people actually leave, destination by destination

  • United States: 15–20% with table service, more for something special. Watch for an automatic service charge on large tables.
  • United Kingdom: many bills already carry a discretionary 12.5% service charge — if it is there, you are done. Nothing is expected when you order at the bar.
  • France: service compris, so a tip is purely voluntary. Rounding up or a couple of euros after a good meal.
  • Italy: a per-person coperto is often already on the bill, and nothing more is expected.
  • Spain and Portugal: discretionary and modest. The change, or up to about 10% after a proper meal out.
  • Greece and Croatia: around 10% at a restaurant, rounding up for coffee and drinks.
  • Germany, Austria, the Netherlands: voluntary, with rounding up or 5–10% as the norm. In Germany a tip handed over voluntarily is tax-free for the person who receives it.
  • Denmark, Sweden, Norway: service is in the price. Round up, or leave 5–10% for an evening worth rewarding.
  • Poland, Czechia: about 10% for table service, and it is normal to say the total you want to pay as you hand over the card.
  • Hungary and Bulgaria: around 10% — but read the bill first, because in Budapest a 10–15% service charge is often printed on it. Bulgaria has used the euro since 1 January 2026.
  • Turkey and Egypt: about 10% in restaurants on top of any service charge, and cash reaches the staff most directly.
  • Thailand: no strong tipping culture. Round up or leave the change; hotels and tourist restaurants often add 10% service already.

Splitting the bill without quietly overshooting

The classic table mistake is to split the bill first and then have everyone add their own tip on top. Add the tip once, then divide — which is exactly what the per-person figure in the calculator does. If you would rather work it out in your head, our Percentage Calculator handles the general case.

Rounding up is the European default

Across much of Europe nobody thinks in percentages at all; they round the bill up to a comfortable number. The calculator does that too, either on the total or on each person's share, and it uses a step that suits the currency — the next euro, the next 10 kroner, the next 500 forint. Keep an eye on the effective percentage while you do it: rounding a 63 bill up to 65 is a little over 8%, not the 5% you started from.

Three mistakes worth avoiding

  • Tipping on top of a service charge that is already printed on the bill. Read it first, then subtract the charge before you calculate.
  • Taking a US percentage abroad. Twenty percent in Copenhagen, Madrid, or Bangkok is far above what anyone expects.
  • Accepting whatever the card terminal suggests. Those defaults are set by the venue, not by local custom.

One last practical note: the calculator shows amounts in the currency of the country you pick, so a bill in baht looks like a bill in baht. If you want to know what the evening cost in your own money, run the total through the Currency Converter.

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