Driving for Uber isn't free - these are the top cities that make drivers pay big bucks

In some cities, all it takes to become an Uber driver is a background check and a quick car inspection. In others, signing up to drive takes weeks to process and thousands of dollars.

In a new blog post, Uber's research team looked at how different cities' regulations affect how often drivers hit the road. Here's the chart:

Uber

New York City requires the most time and money to become an Uber driver.

Even though New York City may be the most time-consuming and one of the most expensive places for Uber drivers to start driving, it's generally easier to become an Uber driver in the US than Europe and Asia. Consequently, people are more likely to drive part time in the US, as they don't have such high costs to make up: Uber found that more than 60% of drivers in the US use the app for less than 10 hours a week of work. In Asia, that number drops to 51%. In Europe, only 31% of drivers use the app for less than 10 hours a week.

Here's how Uber has ranked 42 of its top cities around the globe, from most to least costly for drivers:

1. New York City
2. Paris
3. Singapore
4. Sao Paulo, Brazil
5. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
6. Manila, Philippines
7. London
8. Mexico City
9. Houston
10. Las Vegas
11. Dallas
12. Los Angeles
13. San Francisco
14. Moscow, Russia
15. Columbus
16. Toronto, Canada
17. Denver
18. Sydney, Australia
19. Seattle
20. Washington D.C.
21. Baltimore
22. Auckland, New Zealand
23. Portland
24. Minneapolis-St. Paul
25. Miami
26. Philadelphia
27. Baton Rouge
28. Detroit
29. Salt Lake City
30. Chicago
31. New Jersey
32. San Diego
33. Orange County
34. Phoenix
35. Boston
36. Orlando
37. Charlotte
38. San Antonio
39. Oklahoma City
40. Indianapolis
41. Austin
42. Stockholm