Munich, Bavaria – Starting July 1st, residents of Munich will see an increase in their drinking water prices. The Stadtwerke München (SWM), the city’s public utility company, announced that the price for 1,000 liters of drinking water will rise by ten cents net. This decision follows a resolution by the Bavarian State Parliament to introduce a water extraction fee, also known as the “Wassercent.”
Bavarian Water Extraction Fee Spurs Price Hike
The Bavarian State Parliament decided last year to implement a water extraction fee beginning July 1st. This fee aims to assign a value to drinking water, one of the world’s most vital resources, and encourage more sustainable use of this precious commodity. Bavaria is the 14th German state to introduce such a fee.
According to SWM, the utility is obligated to pass this fee on to the Free State of Bavaria. The company stated that the additional burden cannot be offset by cost reductions, necessitating the price increase for consumers.
Impact on Munich Households
Currently, one cubic meter of drinking water from SWM costs 1.74 Euros. As of July 1st, this price will increase to 1.84 Euros. Including the seven percent value-added tax, consumers will pay a total of 1.97 Euros per cubic meter of drinking water.
SWM estimates that a two-person household typically consumes eight cubic meters of drinking water per month. With the new fee, such a household will pay an additional 86 cents per month.
State-by-State Comparison: Bavaria’s Water Fee in the Mid-Range
The introduction of the “Wassercent” aligns Bavaria with other German states that have already implemented similar fees. Each federal state determines whether to impose such a fee and its specific amount.
A 2025 report by the BUND (Bund für Umwelt und Naturschutz Deutschland e.V.) indicated that only five of the then 13 federal states charged a fee below 10 cents per cubic meter of water. Berlin reportedly has the highest water extraction fee at 31 cents per cubic meter, while North Rhine-Westphalia has the lowest at 5 cents per cubic meter of drinking water.
The “Wassercent” initiative underscores a broader national effort to promote responsible water management and acknowledge the intrinsic value of drinking water as a fundamental resource.
