Water bills to rise in Czechia next year – how much will you pay?

People in Czechia are set to see a sharp increase in water bills starting next January, according to data from the Waterworks and Sewerage Industry Association (PVK). Waterworks operators plan to raise prices on average between 11 to 12 percent nationwide on average to cover rising costs, though hikes may exceed 25 percent in some regions.

Inflation, higher energy and operational costs, and – most notably – an increase in value-added tax for water (from 10 to 12 percent) underpin the increase in costs. Infrastructure work undertaken last year has also driven up the prices of water bills, which will take effect from the beginning of January next year.

“The water-supply industry consumes electricity, gas, and fuel…the materials in the construction industry are rising in price, and every year we start 200 constructions connected to water-management infrastructure,” explains Mario Böhme, spokesperson of water company Severočeská vodárenská in news site ČT24.

Water companies, in cooperation with municipalities, set the price of water. This allows for variations across individual regions and cities. However, an established ceiling, referred to by experts as the “social affordability threshold,” ensures that the price never exceeds 2 percent of the average household income in the region.

In Pardubice for instance, water will cost CZK 148 per cubic meter (m³) from January – up from CZK 132. Ostrava residents will need to pay CZK 109 per m³, versus the current CZK 97. 

České Budějovice is the only region in the whole country where the price of water will not increase – in a bid to not overburden its citizens with excess costs, it has decided to maintain its rate of CZK 84 per m³.

Praguers will need to wait until around Christmas to see how much their water bill will rise. However, PVK spokesperson Tomáš Mrázek estimates the increase to be around 13 percent. Last year, residents were slapped with an 18.5-percent increase in their water bill. According to the City of Prague, residents currently pay about CZK 129 per m³ – among the highest rates in the country.

What does this mean for personal finance? Thankfully, not much damage will be done. Officials estimate the average family's water bill will rise by several tens of crowns monthly. A person living alone can therefore expect to pay no more than CZK 20 monthly for their water usage.