The water price increase announced in 2023 finished rolling out on 1 April 2025. Potable water now costs $3.24 per cubic metre for the first 40 m3 a household uses each month, up from $2.74 before the increase. That is a 50-cent rise spread over two steps: 20 cents on 1 April 2024 and 30 cents on 1 April 2025. As of June 2026, no further increase has been announced, so $3.24 is the rate you are paying now. For a typical family using around 16 m3 a month, the full increase works out to roughly $8 more per month before any rebates, and U-Save covers a big chunk of that for most HDB households.
Singapore last raised the water price in two phases. Before the increase, 1,000 litres (one cubic metre) of potable water cost $2.74 once you add up every component on the bill. The first step on 1 April 2024 added 20 cents, taking it to $2.94. The second step on 1 April 2025 added another 30 cents, landing at $3.24 per m3 for normal household use.
That headline number is not a single charge. Your water bill is built from three parts that PUB stacks together, and then 9% GST is applied on the total. Understanding the three parts is the only way to read your bill properly and spot whether you are in the higher-priced consumption tier.
Here is how $3.24 is built for the first 40 m3, which is the tier almost every household sits in. Tariff $1.43, plus WCT at 50% of $1.43 which is about $0.72, plus the waterborne fee of $1.09. Add those and you get $3.24 per m3 before GST.
Households that use more than 40 m3 in a month pay the higher tier on every cubic metre above 40. That is rare for a typical flat or small family, but large households, homes with frequent guests, or households with private gardens and pools can cross it. The table below shows both tiers as they stand in 2026.
| Component | First 40 m3/month | Above 40 m3/month |
|---|---|---|
| Water tariff | $1.43/m3 | $1.81/m3 |
| Water conservation tax | 50% of tariff (~$0.72/m3) | 65% of tariff (~$1.18/m3) |
| Waterborne fee | $1.09/m3 | $1.40/m3 |
| Total per m3 (before GST) | $3.24 | $4.39 |
GST in Singapore is 9% and it applies to your water bill on the full price, which already includes the water conservation tax and waterborne fee. So you are paying 9% GST on a figure that itself contains a tax. The Ministry of Finance has explained that this is by design: the water conservation tax is treated as part of the price payable for water, the same way GST applies to the duties on tobacco, liquor and petrol.
In plain terms: the $3.24 per m3 becomes about $3.53 per m3 after 9% GST for the first tier. For the higher tier, $4.39 becomes about $4.79 per m3 with GST. When you compare your bill to the headline price, remember GST is the gap.
If you also want to see how water sits next to electricity and gas in your overall utilities spend, the breakdown in the average utility bill guide puts the numbers side by side.
The size of the increase depends entirely on how much water you use. PUB reported that household water use averaged 141 litres per person per day in 2025, down slightly from 142 the year before. A four-person household at that rate uses roughly 16 to 17 m3 a month.
Run the maths on the 50-cent total increase. A household using 16 m3 a month pays 16 x $0.50 = $8 more per month before GST, or about $8.72 with GST. Across a year that is roughly $105 extra. A smaller two-person household using around 9 m3 pays closer to $4.50 more a month. The government's own figure when announcing the change was that three in four households would see an increase of under $10 a month once fully phased in.
Usage tracks roughly with household size and flat type, so the bigger the flat the more people it tends to hold and the higher the bill. The table below maps typical usage to flat type to give you a rough sense of where you sit. Treat the bill figures as a guide, since two homes in the same flat type can use very different amounts depending on habits.
| Monthly usage | Typical household | Water bill at $3.24/m3 | Extra vs old $2.74 price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 m3 | 1-2 person | $29.16 | +$4.50/month |
| 16 m3 | 3-4 person | $51.84 | +$8.00/month |
| 22 m3 | 5+ person | $71.28 | +$11.00/month |
People usually want the answer framed by flat type rather than cubic metres, since that is what they know off the top of their head. The link between the two is loose, because water use depends on how many people live there and their habits, not the floor area. Still, the rough pattern holds: smaller flats house fewer people and use less water, so they feel a smaller dollar increase. The table pairs each flat type with a typical occupancy and the matching usage band from the table above.
Two anchors keep this honest. PUB said three in four households would see their monthly bill rise by under $10 once the increase was fully in. And for most HDB homes, the quarterly U-Save rebate covers more than the increase adds, so the net effect on the year is small or even negative.
| Flat type | Typical occupants | Rough monthly usage | Extra vs old price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1- and 2-room | 1-2 people | 8-10 m3 | +$4 to $5/month |
| 3-room | 2-3 people | 11-14 m3 | +$5.50 to $7/month |
| 4-room | 3-4 people | 14-17 m3 | +$7 to $8.50/month |
| 5-room / executive | 4-5+ people | 17-22 m3 | +$8.50 to $11/month |
The price had held flat from 2017 to 2024, so this was the first move in seven years. Over that stretch the cost of producing and delivering water climbed across the board, and the increase was set to catch the price back up. When the change was announced, PUB put hard numbers on it: electricity tariffs that run the desalination and NEWater plants had gone up by about 37%, construction costs for water projects by about 35%, the chemicals used to treat water by about 33%, and maintenance by about 18%. Spread over the years since 2017, the 50-cent rise works out to roughly 2.5% a year, and PUB noted water bills are still under 2% of an average household's spending.
The structure of the bill is also deliberate. The water conservation tax exists to make heavy users feel the price more, which is why the tax rate jumps from 50% to 65% once you cross 40 m3. The waterborne fee follows the same logic for used water. The pricing is meant to recover the real cost of a resource Singapore cannot take for granted, not to turn a profit.
The increase was not limited to potable tap water. NEWater, the high-grade recycled water that mainly serves industry and some commercial buildings, went up by 17 cents per m3 over the same two phases, from 1 April 2024 and 1 April 2025. Most households never see NEWater on a bill because homes run on potable water, so this affects businesses and a small number of mixed-use premises rather than the average flat.
If you live in an HDB flat or condo, the number that matters to you is the $3.24 per m3 potable rate. The NEWater change is worth knowing only if you run a business that uses it directly.
Most HDB households do not feel the full increase because of U-Save, the utilities rebate paid out under the GST Voucher scheme. U-Save is credited directly to your utilities account in four quarters: April, July, October and January.
For FY2025 (April 2025 to January 2026), eligible HDB households received up to $760 across the year for 1- and 2-room flats, scaling down by flat size to $440 for executive and multi-generation flats. For FY2026, the regular U-Save is up to $570 for the smallest flats. These rebates cover utilities broadly, not water alone, but for a typical household the annual rebate dwarfs the roughly $105 a year that the water increase added.
To be eligible you need at least one Singaporean owner or occupier living in the flat, and the household must not own more than one property. You can check your eligibility and disbursement on the GST Voucher guide, and see how it stacks with other handouts in the CDC voucher guide.
| Flat type | January 2026 U-Save | FY2025 total |
|---|---|---|
| 1- and 2-room | $95 | $760 |
| 3-room | $85 | $680 |
| 4-room | $75 | $600 |
| 5-room | $65 | $520 |
| Executive / multi-gen | $55 | $440 |
Alongside U-Save, the government paired the increase with help to use less water in the first place. The Climate Friendly Households Programme, now branded Climate Vouchers, gives every HDB household $400 in vouchers, made up of $300 from April 2024 and another $100 from April 2025. The scheme later extended to Singaporean households in private homes, and the vouchers run until 31 December 2027.
You spend the vouchers on water- and energy-efficient fittings and appliances, including 3-tick shower taps and mixers, water closets, and basin taps, plus items like LED lights and efficient fridges. Swapping in a 3-tick shower set is one of the cheapest ways to cut the biggest slice of household water use, and the voucher covers most or all of the cost. Claim them through the Climate Vouchers portal using Singpass.
Businesses got their own track. PUB said three in four firms would see a monthly water bill increase of under $25, and companies can tap the Water Efficiency Fund for support on water recycling and efficiency projects. The same logic applies to a business as to a home: the only real lever on the bill is using less, because the per-m3 price is fixed.
Because the price is per cubic metre, the only way to spend less is to use less. About 80% of household water goes to showering, flushing, the kitchen and laundry, so that is where the savings sit. Small fixtures pay back fast at $3.53 per 1,000 litres.
As of June 2026, PUB has not announced any further water price increase. The two-step rise that ran from 2024 to 2025 is complete, and $3.24 per m3 (first tier, before GST) is the standing rate. The previous price had held for seven years from 2017 to 2024, so prices in Singapore are reviewed periodically rather than every year.
PUB has said it reviews the price as costs change, and the long-run pressures, namely energy prices, climate, and the cost of building more NEWater and desalination capacity, have not gone away. Plan your household budget around $3.24 per m3 for now, but do not be surprised if a future review nudges it up again. If it does, it will be announced ahead of time and paired with rebate support, as it was this round.
Potable water is $3.24 per cubic metre for the first 40 m3 a household uses each month, before 9% GST, which brings it to about $3.53 per m3. Usage above 40 m3 is charged at $4.39 per m3 before GST. These rates took effect on 1 April 2025 and are unchanged in 2026.
It was rolled out in two steps. The price rose 20 cents (to $2.94 per m3) on 1 April 2024, then another 30 cents (to $3.24 per m3) on 1 April 2025. The total 50-cent increase was announced in September 2023.
The water tariff ($1.43/m3 for the first 40 m3), the water conservation tax (50% of the tariff for the first 40 m3), and the waterborne fee ($1.09/m3 for the first 40 m3). GST of 9% is then applied to the total of all three.
The increase was 50 cents per cubic metre in total. A household using 16 m3 a month pays about $8 more before GST, or roughly $105 a year. Smaller households pay less. For most HDB homes, U-Save rebates more than cover this.
Yes. GST of 9% is applied to the full water price, which already includes the water conservation tax and waterborne fee. The Ministry of Finance has explained that the water conservation tax is treated as part of the price payable for water, so GST applies to it in the same way it applies to the duties on tobacco, liquor and petrol.
No further increase has been announced as of June 2026. The rate stays at $3.24 per m3 for first-tier use. PUB reviews the price periodically as costs change, and any future increase would be announced in advance with rebate support.
A typical 3-4 person household uses around 16 m3 a month, which costs about $52 before GST and rebates, or roughly $56 with GST. After U-Save rebates, the net cost is lower for eligible HDB households.
Yes. NEWater rose by 17 cents per cubic metre over the same two phases, from 1 April 2024 and 1 April 2025. NEWater mainly serves industry and some commercial buildings, so most households are not billed for it directly. If you live in an HDB flat or condo, the rate that applies to you is the $3.24 per m3 potable water price.
Climate Vouchers, run under the Climate Friendly Households Programme, give each HDB household $400 in total: $300 from April 2024 and $100 from April 2025. You spend them on water- and energy-efficient fittings such as 3-tick shower sets, taps and water closets, plus efficient appliances. Fitting a 3-tick shower set cuts one of the biggest sources of household water use, and the vouchers cover most or all of the cost. They are valid until 31 December 2027.
When the increase was announced, the government said three in four businesses would see a monthly water bill increase of under $25 once it was fully in. Firms can apply to PUB's Water Efficiency Fund for support on water recycling and efficiency projects. As with homes, the only way to lower the bill is to use less, since the per-cubic-metre price is fixed.
This is general financial information for Singapore, not personal financial advice. Figures change — verify current rates against the official sources above before acting. See our full disclaimer.