According to the Texas Tribune, how much people pay for water in the U.S. can vary significantly by where they live. Further, there is not necessarily a correlation between water costs and where “water rich” and “water poor” cities are located. 


For instance, based on use of 7,500 gal. of water per month, a family in Seattle has the highest water rates in the country at $56.18. However, the city has experienced relatively adequate, normal rainfall over the past five years.
Conversely, residents of San Antonio pay less than half that amount, $22.80, for the same allocation of water. Yet over the past five years, San Antonio has experienced drought conditions 80% of the time.


Based on the use of 7,500 gal. of water per month, the study targets the 10 major U.S. cities with the costliest water:


Seattle, $56.18
2.   

Boston, $41.18
3.   

Philadelphia, $39.30
4.   

Phoenix, $38.55
5.   

Los Angeles, $37.50
6.   

Minneapolis, $34.58
7.   

New York City, $31.80
8.   

Houston, $31.40
9.   

Denver, $24.08
10.

Detroit, $22.95


“There are other factors influencing how much we pay for water,” says Klaus Reichardt, CEO and founder of Waterless Co. Inc., and a frequent writer on water efficiency issues.  
“Costs can be higher (in some cities) because some are addressing water infrastructure issues. In other cases, water rates have simply been kept artificially low for decades,” he says. 


Over the past 10 years, Reichardt adds, the cost of water has been increasing about 5.5% per year. “We likely can expect these rate increases to go up considerably, even double, in the next few years,” he says.