Annual average water service fee in Italy 2018, by region

Tuscany’s water bills were the highest in Italy: in 2018, the average household spent 676 euros on water bills. Other two central regions ranked in the top three most expensive regions: Umbria and Marche. This macro-region was the one with the highest investments by water management companies for the period 2016 to 2019. In contrast, water bills were much cheaper in regions where private sector investments in water infrastructure were low, such as the Southern regions of Calabria and Molise.

Water in Italy is underpriced

In Italy, that year a three-member household spent 426 euros in water bills, with an increase of 12 euros compared to 2017. Compared to other European countries, however, water was considerably underpriced. In fact, in 2017 Milan ranked among the cities with the lowest water price in the world.

The water leakage problem

Italy ranked first in Europe for the daily volume of water treated per capita: on average, 428 liters a day in 2015. However, only about 60 percent the volume entering the network reached households due to leakage in the distribution system. In 2018, 2.7 thousand Italian households (about 10.4 percent of the total) experienced tap water disruptions. Southern regions, such as Calabria and Sicily, were the most affected by this problem.