Water prices compared in 36 EU-cities

19 March 2021
Editorial Team

In a comparison of water prices in 36 EU-cities the tap water price in Oslo resulted to be the highest. For 1.000 litres (1 m3) of drinking water Norwegian citizens pay 5.51 euro. Of all the cities in the European Member States drinking water is the cheapest in Naples in Italy. There the same amount of water costs 1.42 euro. The water price index of the EU Member States is part of a bigger study executed by Holidu, an online travel platform.

The Holidu water price index compares water prices of 114 cities worldwide. In this global comparison water prices in Oslo are the highest. Holidu also compared the prices of bottled water. The organisation wants to give travellers an idea about the travel costs of the most essential of needs: water. The result is an interesting list for water professionals as well. Water prices are an important indicator of the implementation of the cost recovery principle.

	Member State	City	Price tap water (EUR/m3)
1.	Norway	Oslo	5.51
2.	Germany	Stuttgart	4.67
3.	Denmark	Kopenhagen	4.37
4.	Netherlands	Rotterdam	3.99
5.	Netherlands	Amsterdam	3.65
6.	Sweden	Stockholm	3.60
7.	France	Lyon	3.57
8.	Germany	Hamburg	3.49
9.	Belgium	Brussels	3.49
10.	Germany	Munich	3.45
11.	Germany	Frankfurt	3.33
12.	Switzerland	Geneva	3.20
13.	Czechia	Prague	3.09
14.	Germany	Cologne	3.00
15.	Germany	Berlin	2.85
16.	Austria	Vienna	2.85
17.	France	Marseille	2.76
18.	Austria	Innsbruck	2.74
19.	Finland	Helsinki	2.52
20.	Switzerland	Zürich	2.39
21.	France	Paris	2.14
22.	Spain	Barcelona	2.00
23.	Spain	Almeria	1.95
24.	Italy	Florence	1.90
25.	Ireland	Dublin	1.85
26.	Croatia	Zagreb	1.68
27.	Portugal	Porto	1.68
28.	Spain	Madrid	1.65
29.	Portugal	Lisbon	1.63
30.	Poland	Warsaw	1.42
31.	Italy	Naples	1.29
32.	Hungary	Budapest	1.23
33.	Greece	Athens	1.16
34.	Italy	Rome	1.05
35.	Estland	Tallinn	0.82
36.	Italy	Milan	0.40

Research methods

Holidu compared tap water prices in the cities up to 15m³ per month. The factor displays the billing price per month for 1 m3 of tap water based on the latest effective tariff from the The International Benchmarking Network for Water and Sanitation Utilities (IBNET) database. Each city is represented by one utility provider and their respective rates. A list of the cities and their utility providers can be supplied upon request.

Parameters

To calculate the monthly price/m3, the following parameters were used. Service type: Water, or Water and Wastewater where the same price applies for both. Latest available water tariff (based on consuming up to 15 m3 of water per month). Additional monthly service charges where applicable and VAT where applicable.