Are water bills going up?
Water supply prices were 9.1% higher than a year earlier in August 2026, and stand at 180.5 on a scale where 2015 = 100.
On a year earlier, August 2026.
2015 = 100, August 2026.
Water prices over time
What’s this?
How much higher the cost of water supply is than a year earlier.
What it cannot tell you: It is an average across the country; what you pay depends on where you live, what you buy and when.
What’s this?
The level of the cost of water supply, with 2015 set to 100.
What it cannot tell you: It is an average across the country; what you pay depends on where you live, what you buy and when.
Month by month
| Period | Water supply bills, yearly change | Water supply bills, index (2015 = 100) |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 9.1% | 180.5 |
| July 2026 | 9.1% | 180.5 |
| June 2026 | 9.1% | 180.5 |
| May 2026 | 9.1% | 180.5 |
| April 2026 | 9.1% | 180.5 |
| March 2026 | 26.3% | 165.5 |
| February 2026 | 26.3% | 165.5 |
| January 2026 | 26.3% | 165.5 |
| December 2025 | 26.3% | 165.5 |
| November 2025 | 26.3% | 165.5 |
| October 2025 | 26.3% | 165.5 |
| September 2025 | 26.3% | 165.5 |
Questions people ask
How much do water bills rise each year?
Water bills in England and Wales are set by regulated price limits and usually change each April. The ONS rate showed prices 9.1% higher than a year earlier in August 2026.
What is the index?
A scale where the 2015 price level is 100. At 180.5, water bills are higher than in 2015 by that margin over 100.
What does “water supply bills, yearly change” measure?
How much higher the cost of water supply is than a year earlier. It was 9.1% (% a year) in August 2026, up 10.7 points on January 2021. The highest we have is 26.3% (April 2025) and the lowest −5.3% (April 2000).
What does “water supply bills, index (2015 = 100)” measure?
The level of the cost of water supply, with 2015 set to 100. It was 180.5 (index, 2015 = 100) in August 2026, up 72% on January 2021. The highest we have is 180.5 (April 2026) and the lowest 51.6 (January 1998).
Sources: ONS Consumer Prices Index. Updated every night. Each chart has a CSV and a Share button.
See also: Inflation