Data & Tools
Water tariffs & cost benchmarks
What water costs in this region, on two measures that actually move: what households are charged, and the levelised tariff quoted for desalinated supply when a seawater PPP is bid or awarded. Both are slow-moving, both are published, and both are hard to find in one place.
Reference values, converted at indicative rates. Reviewed annually. Last review: 20 October 2026.
17
countries with a published tariff
12
bid and award tariffs tracked
$0.277
lowest tariff ever bid, US$/m3
20
countries covered
The price of desalinated water
The levelised tariff quoted at a large seawater PPP is the cleanest price signal this sector produces: a single number, competitively set and often made public at bid or award. It fell by nearly half from the 2018 Rabigh 3 bid to the 2020 Hassyan bid, which was never financed; on awards the fall was nearly a third, to US$0.365 at Hassyan, re-let in 2023 with financial close in April 2024. Since then it has gone back up.
One point of care with the lowest number on the chart. Dubai took a bid of US$0.277 per cubic metre at Hassyan in September 2020, reported at the time as a world record. The winner never reached financial close, the contract did not survive, and the same site was re-let in 2023 at US$0.365, a third higher, to ACWA Power. No water has ever been produced at the record price. The latest prices, from Saadiyat’s 2024 bid to Bahrain’s Hidd bid in 2026, sit at about US$0.73 to 0.77.
The winning price of desalinated water, by year
US$ per cubic metre, quoted levelised water tariff at bid, preferred-bidder or award stage
Sources and notes
Procurer announcements and contemporaneous trade reporting. Filled markers are award prices; hollow markers are bid or preferred-bidder prices (hover for the stage and date). Prices are not strictly comparable: they differ in tenor, indexation, power supply and site conditions. They are nonetheless the closest thing the market has to a public price series.
What households pay
Almost every tariff in the region is blocked, most are subsidised, and several are split, on different bases: by nationality in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Oman and for Qatar’s wastewater fee, by type of home in Kuwait (private homes against investment apartments), and by household quantity in Israel. A single headline number is therefore usually misleading. The table gives a range where one is needed, the year it applies to, and where it came from. Where nothing comparable is published, it says so rather than guessing.
| Country | Residential tariff | Cost to supply | Notes | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | $0.03 – 1.60 | about $0.61 | Steeply blocked: SAR 0.10/m³ for the first 15 m³ a month rising to SAR 6.00 above 60 m³ for water alone, and SAR 0.15 to 9.00 with sewage. This is the schedule as reproduced by the US-Saudi Business Council from the National Water Company; confirm against NWC before relying on it. The cost is SWCC's estimated weighted average production cost of SAR 2.27/m³ in 2020, from the same brief. | 2022 | US-Saudi Business Council, Saudi Arabia's water sector (February 2022), Table 1, from NWC |
| United Arab Emirates | $0.57 – 3.06 | — | TAQA (Abu Dhabi) residential rates US$0.57–2.83/m³; Dubai DEWA base slabs US$2.10–2.76/m³, up to US$3.06/m³ with the fuel surcharge, before VAT. Abu Dhabi, from 1 January 2025: UAE nationals pay AED 2.09 per 1,000 litres up to an average of 7,000 litres a day in a villa or 700 in a flat, and AED 2.60 above it; expatriates pay AED 7.84 up to 5,000 litres a day in a villa or 700 in a flat, and AED 10.41 above it. Social card holders get a free first band. These rates have applied since January 2017, and 5% VAT applies to water consumption. Dubai: AED 7.700/m³ for the first 27 m³ a month, AED 8.800 to 54 m³ and AED 10.120 above it, plus an AED 1.100/m³ fuel surcharge and 5% VAT. Converted at AED 3.6725 per US$. | 2026 | DEWA slab tariff (page updated 16 May 2026); TAQA Distribution, Utility Tariff 2025 and VAT FAQ (archived) |
| Qatar | $1.21 – 2.03 | — | QR 4.40/m³ up to 20 m³, QR 5.40 from 20 to 50 m³, QR 6.40 from 50 to 100 m³ and QR 7.40 from 100 to 150 m³: the slab schedule Kahramaa applied from September 2015, as reported at the time, replacing a flat QR 4.40. The report gives no billing period and no rate above 150 m³. Since the January 2021 bill a wastewater fee of 20% of the water bill applies to non-Qatari homes, which lifts the range to about $1.45 – 2.44; Qatari homes do not pay it. Ashghal describes the fee as 20% of Kahramaa's monthly water bill. Kahramaa's tariff page lists residential flat and villa categories; the figures above are from the 2015 schedule. Converted at QR 3.64 per US$ (World Bank official exchange rate, 2015 average). | 2015 | Gulf Times, 13 October 2015; Ashghal, 13 December 2020, for the wastewater fee; Kahramaa tariff page |
| Kuwait | $0.57 / $1.43 | $5.74 | Kuwaiti private homes pay 800 fils per 1,000 imperial gallons ($0.57/m³); investment apartments have paid KD 2 ($1.43/m³) since 2017, under Law No. 20 of 2016. The ministry puts production cost at about KD 5 per 1,000 gallons (about $3.59/m³), rising to KD 8 ($5.74/m³) in 2024, ten times what citizens pay. Converted at KD 0.3067 per US$ (World Bank official exchange rate, 2024 average). | 2024 | Arab Times quoting the Ministry of Electricity, Water and Renewable Energy, 24 July 2025; Law No. 20 of 2016 (Arab Times, 2 March 2017) |
| Bahrain | $0.07 – 2.06 | — | A subsidised Bahraini household pays 25 fils/m³ to 60 m³, 80 fils from 61 to 100 m³ and 775 fils above it. Bahrainis with more than one account, non-Bahrainis and commercial customers pay 775 fils/m³ from the first cubic metre: a thirty-one-fold gap on the same water. One subsidised account per household, and the holder must be registered as head of household. Converted at BD 0.376 per US$ (World Bank official exchange rate, 2025 average). | 2026 | Electricity & Water Authority, ewa.bh/en/tariff |
| Oman | $1.72 – 2.00 | — | OMR 0.660/m³ for a citizen household with two accounts or fewer; OMR 0.770 for a citizen above two accounts and for expatriate residential; OMR 1.320 for commercial and government, outside the household range. Wastewater adds OMR 0.154 to 0.231/m³ and a monthly sewage fee. | 2025 | Nama Water Services, services tariffs and fees; Nama Dhofar Services 2025 schedule |
| Jordan | $0.31 upward | $2.72 | Seven monthly blocks under the restructuring the cabinet approved on 17 September 2023 for 2023 to 2029. The first block, to 6 m³ a month, was JOD 0.218/m³ for water and JOD 0.23 for sanitation in 2024, subsidised at 82% of cost; the subsidy falls block by block and the seventh block, above 42 m³, is not subsidised. Billing moved from quarterly to monthly with the September 2023 bill. The cost of supply is the government's cost per m³ of water, JOD 1.93 in 2024 (down from JOD 2.16 in 2021), converted at the dinar's peg to the dollar. | 2024 | Cabinet decision reported by the Jordan Times, 17 September 2023 (tariff); International Growth Centre, 25 November 2025 (cost) |
| Israel | $2.46 / $4.53 | $0.87 (farm fresh water) | ILS 8.508/m³ for the recognised household quantity and ILS 15.623 above it, including VAT, from 1 January 2026: those are water and sewage combined. Water alone is ILS 4.54 and 11.65/m³, and Mekorot charges local suppliers ILS 1.17 and 7.14/m³ excluding VAT. The cost figure is the full average cost of fresh water for agriculture, ILS 3.02/m³, not a household supply cost. Converted at ILS 3.45 per US$ (World Bank official exchange rate, 2025 average). | 2026 | January 2026 tariff regulations as reproduced by the farmers’ federation; Davar for the increase |
| Egypt | $0.013 – 0.065 | — | EGP 0.65/m³ for the first 10 m³ a month rising to EGP 3.15 above 40 m³, with sanitation billed at 75% of the water charge. This is the schedule set by prime ministerial decree 1012 of 2018, gazetted on 31 May 2018 and applied from the June 2018 bill; on 2 August 2026 the holding company said no new increase had been approved or applied. Among the lowest tariffs in the region in dollar terms, and falling in real terms as the pound depreciates against a schedule fixed in 2018. | 2018 | Prime ministerial decree 1012 of 2018, as reported; HCWW statement of 2 August 2026 |
| Morocco | $0.24 – 1.10 | $2.34 (Laâyoune desalinated water) | The ONEE schedule runs MAD 2.37/m³ for the first 6 m³ a month to MAD 11.03 above 35 m³, excluding tax, with a fixed charge of MAD 6 a month. Above 12 m³ ONEE bills selectively: the rate of the block reached applies to the whole month's consumption, so the marginal price is far higher than the blocks suggest. Households in the large cities are billed by their regional multi-service company, except in areas still covered by delegated contracts, including Rabat-Salé, served by Redal, and Tangier-Tétouan, served by Amendis. The cost is the Court of Accounts' figure for producing and distributing desalinated water in Laâyoune in 2023, MAD 23.41/m³, against an average selling price of MAD 5.06; it is not a national cost of supply. | 2014 / 2023 | Arrêté 2682.14 of 21 July 2014, BO 6275 bis, in force 1 August 2014 (tariff); Cour des comptes 2024–2025 annual report, as reported (cost) |
| Tunisia | $0.065 – 0.75 | — | Six quarterly blocks, excluding VAT: TND 0.200/m³ to 20 m³, 0.740 to 40, 1.040 to 70, 1.490 to 100, 1.770 to 150 and 2.310 above it. Tourist use pays the top rate from the first cubic metre. In 2023, 75.6% of domestic subscribers used less than 40 m³ a quarter, within the two lowest blocks. | 2024 | Ministerial arrêté, JORT no. 033 of 1 March 2024, applying to bills issued from that date; SONEDE, 2023 summary report (consumption) |
| Algeria | ~$0.05 | — | DZD 6.30/m³ for the first quarterly tranche of 25 m³ in the Algiers, Oran and Constantine zones, excluding tax, rising through multipliers to DZD 40.95 above 82 m³. Among the lowest tariffs in the region and far below the cost of the desalinated supply now entering the system. The schedule has not been revised since it took effect in 2005. The decree sets dinar rates only; the dollar figure is converted at DZD 131.6 per US$ (World Bank official exchange rate, 2025 average). | 2005 | Décret exécutif 05-13 of 9 January 2005, JO no. 05 |
| Turkey | ~$1.34 | — | Istanbul’s first residential block (0–15 m³ a month) was TRY 35.26/m³ for water and TRY 17.62 for wastewater, TRY 52.88/m³ in all excluding VAT, on İSKİ’s schedule of 5 January 2026. Rates are indexed monthly: in 2025 the water rate rose from TRY 25.28 in January to TRY 34.97 in December. Residential bands are 0–15, 16–30 and 31 m³ a month and above. Of every 2.5 m³ consumed, 0.5 m³ goes unbilled up to the first 15 m³. The dollar figure covers water and wastewater, converted at TRY 39.45 per US$ (World Bank official exchange rate, 2025 average), and moves sharply with the lira. | January 2026 | İSKİ, 2026 monthly water and wastewater unit prices (schedule of 5 January 2026) and 2025 monthly schedule |
| Lebanon | flat-rate | — | Billed as an annual lump sum for a nominal 1 m³ a day (about US$150 a year in 2024, World Bank) rather than by metered volume. The ministry’s strategy says current tariff levels, affected by the devaluation of the Lebanese pound, do not allow the Water Establishments to reach financial breakeven. It targets recovery of operating costs by 2028 through tariff adjustment, increased collection and subscription, and reduced production costs, and gives the current national non-revenue water average as 50%. | 2024 | Ministry of Energy and Water, National Water Strategy 2024–2035; World Bank, Second Greater Beirut Water Supply Project appraisal document (December 2024) |
| Iraq | ~$0.08 | $0.13 | IQD 100/m³ minimum (about US$0.08). Under the 2023 Federal Budget Law, governorates apply a minimum of IQD 100/m³ for water and sewerage, rising with consumption (as reported, September 2023); higher rates follow consumption bands adopted locally. Earlier the Baghdad rate was IQD 10/m³ (US$0.0086) for the first 30 m³, in four monthly blocks of 30 m³, with sewerage charged at the same rate and industrial and government users at about IQD 100. Operation and maintenance cost was put at IQD 155/m³ (US$0.13) in 2013, the cost figure shown. Collection is weak: a large part of the population did not pay. | 2023 and 2013 | Federal Budget Law No. 13 of 2023, article 18(2), as reported; World Bank project information document, Baghdad water and sewerage improvement |
| Iran | levy only | ~$0.35 | The 1404 budget law (Iranian year March 2025 to March 2026) requires the provincial water and wastewater companies to collect, on top of the water charge, IRR 2,000/m³ of drinking water sold up to the household consumption standard, or up to contracted capacity for non-household users, and IRR 4,000/m³ above those thresholds, paid to the National Water and Wastewater Engineering Company; the 1405 budget was not checked. The tariff itself is issued nationally: the Cabinet set water and sewerage subscription charges on the Ministry of Energy’s proposal in January 2025, and the household consumption standard varies by province. Desalination production cost was reported at about IRR 98,000/m³ (over US$0.35, the source’s own conversion) for the Iranian year ending 20 March 2022. | 2025/26 (levy); 2021/22 (cost) | Clause (ت) of Note 7 of the 1404 budget law (Etemad Online; Nezamat); EcoIran on the Cabinet decision of 16 Dey 1403; Tehran Times, 2 August 2022, for the production cost |
| Syria | not published | — | No national schedule is published. In 2026 SANA reported a new monthly flat tariff by subscription bracket for the Aleppo countryside only, not covering Aleppo city or other governorates, and reported that tariffs do not cover the cost of producing a cubic metre. The World Bank describes the national tariff structure as about 15 years old and under revision, with low cost recovery. | 2026 | World Bank, project information document P515199 (2026); SANA (2026) |
| Yemen | not published | — | The local water and sanitation corporations charge tariffs approved by the Ministry of Water and Environment, and those tariffs are highly subsidised, but no current schedule was found published. A 2009 study found that network water in Sanaa cost a tenth as much as tanker water. | 2017 (policy note); 2009 (study) | World Bank, Yemen water policy note (2017) |
| Libya | not published (LYD 0.25/m³ announced, 2025) | — | Supply is effectively unpriced at the household level: UNICEF (2022) cites the absence of tariff collection, and FAO describes billing as irregular and not always existent. In February 2025 the General Company for Water and Wastewater said that, after a census and numbering of connections, household use would be charged from 250 dirhams (LYD 0.25) a cubic metre, about US$0.05, and non-household use up to LYD 1.30, about US$0.25, converted at LYD 5.30 per US$ (World Bank official exchange rate, 2025 average). Older published figures: a 1994 tariff of LYD 0.080/m³ for urban use of Great Man-Made River water, whose full cost FAO put at LYD 0.235/m³ (US$0.194) in 2011. | 2025 (announced); 1994 and 2011 | Libya Observer (Arabic), 25 February 2025; FAO AQUASTAT country profile (2016); UNICEF (2022) |
| Palestine | ~$1.39 (average price, West Bank) | ~$1.50 (O&M cost) | The regulator publishes realised averages rather than a single tariff: NIS 5.08/m³ of water sold, all uses, against an operating and maintenance cost of NIS 5.5/m³ in the West Bank. The West Bank average was below cost, while 15 of 30 large providers with both figures were below cost. Non-revenue water is 35% against a 30% maximum, and the tariff instrument is the unified system of 2021. The regulator published no 2023 figure for Gaza. Converted at ILS 3.67 per US$ (World Bank official exchange rate for the shekel, 2023 average). | 2023 | Water Sector Regulatory Council, performance report for 2023 |
The gap
Where both the tariff and the cost of supply are published, the distance between them is the single most important number in the sector. It determines whether a utility can fund maintenance, whether a PPP needs a government guarantee, and how much political capital any reform will consume.
What households pay, against what the water costs
US$ per cubic metre, where both figures are published
Sources and notes
National utilities, water ministries and contemporaneous reporting; see the table for the source and year of each figure. Ranges are shown at their midpoint.
How to cite. These tables and charts may be reproduced for research, journalism and education with attribution: MENA Water Review (2026), “Water tariffs & cost benchmarks”, menawaterreview.com, accessed [date].