Tap water prices in the U.S. 2021, by select city

The price of tap water in the United States varied greatly from city to city in 2021. One of the most expensive cities for tap water in the U.S. is San Francisco, where one cubic meter costs an average of 6.07 U.S. dollars per cubic meter. In comparison, citizens in the Arizona state capital of Phoenix paid, on average, 0.96 U.S. dollars per cubic meter. This is roughly 63 percent lower than the U.S. average.

Rising water bills in the U.S.

Over the past decade, water bills in the U.S. have increased considerably in a number of major cities. In Austin, Texas, water bills rose by 869 U.S. dollars between 2010 and 2018, an increase of 154 percent. The sharp rising costs has left many in the United States with unaffordable water bills, especially in low income areas in cities such as New Orleans, Cleveland, and Santa Fe.

U.S. water crisis

One of the reasons for the rising water bills in the U.S. is the aging and deteriorating water infrastructure. In addition to rising bills, outdated treatment plants with leaking pipes have resulted in harmful toxins and chemicals contaminating drinking water. A number of highly populated cities in the U.S. have been found to have high concentrations of PFAs in tap water, exposing millions of people to potentially unsafe drinking water.