Desk research against primary sources. Figures are traced to the issuing UAE authority and linked on the page.
Which option wins depends on the hour, not just the price: the Metro fare is unbeatable on cost but shares the same rush-hour crowding as everywhere else, so factor in the walk from the platform to your hotel and whether you are carrying luggage before choosing it purely on price. Careem or Uber sit close to the taxi fare band and are worth comparing on the app at the moment of booking rather than assuming one is reliably cheaper than the other.
A pre-booked private transfer costs more than a taxi from the rank, but it buys certainty — a named driver waiting inside arrivals rather than a queue you join after a long flight, which matters more on a red-eye landing than the fare difference suggests. Whichever option you choose, book or queue at the marked rank rather than accepting an offer from someone who approaches you first, since that approach itself is the signal that the price will not match the meter.