Tariffs & tips

What water costs

The more water you use, the more each kilolitre costs.

Water comes in four price steps. Past 35 kl a month, each kilolitre costs about four times the first 6.

Step	Water a month	Price a kilolitre
1	The first 6 kl	R25.05
2	6 to 10.5 kl	R34.42
3	10.5 to 35 kl	R54.60
4	Over 35 kl	R109.98
Fixed charge, most homes		R103.65 a month

A home using 15 kl a month pays about R655 for water.

6 kl at R25.05 (step 1)R150.30
4.5 kl at R34.42 (step 2)R154.89
4.5 kl at R54.60 (step 3)R245.70
Fixed chargeR103.65
TotalR654.54

City of Cape Town domestic tariffs for 2026/27, in force from 1 July 2026, including VAT. A kilolitre is 1 000 litres. Sanitation is billed on top. Indigent households pay nothing for water.

Sources: City of Cape Town, 2026/27 tariff book (Annexure 6), water-wise tariffs; City of Cape Town, 2026/27 budget (Annexure 4), tariffs in force from 1 July 2026

Prices went up 3% to 14% this year, most for the heaviest users.

The dashed line marks last year's price at each step.

Water a month	2025/26	2026/27	Change
0 to 6 kl	R24.32	R25.05	+3%
6 to 10.5 kl	R33.42	R34.42	+3%
10.5 to 35 kl	R49.96	R54.60	+9%
Over 35 kl	R96.37	R109.98	+14%
Fixed charge, most homes		R103.65 a month

City of Cape Town domestic tariffs for 2026/27, in force from 1 July 2026, including VAT. A kilolitre is 1 000 litres. Sanitation is billed on top. Indigent households pay nothing for water.

Sources: City of Cape Town, 2026/27 tariff book (Annexure 6), water-wise tariffs; City of Cape Town, 2026/27 budget (Annexure 4), tariffs in force from 1 July 2026

Restrictions put the price up. Under Level 2, the same 15 kl would cost about R844, about R190 more a month.

A month's water bill for 15 kl at each restriction level, with the fixed charge.

No restrictionsR654.54
Level 1R700.33
Level 2R844.47
Level 3R1 079.36
EmergencyR1 574.56

Restriction prices apply only while the City declares that level. The 2026/27 budget sets no-restriction prices from 1 July 2026.

Sources: No restrictions; Level 1; Level 2; Level 3; Emergency

Water restrictions in Cape Town

City's current levelNo restrictions

No water restrictions have been in effect since 1 November 2020. Permanent water-saving rules under the City's Water By-law still apply.

In effect from 01/11/2020. Source

Outlook

If this summer goes like the last 25, dams could be about 36% full by 30 Apr (between 33% and 40%).

Summer is when the dams drop. Every litre saved now is still in the dam in April.

Estimate, not a City forecast. It assumes this season goes the way past seasons did.

Ways to save water

Check for a hidden leak tonight

Turn off every tap, read your meter, and read it again in the morning. If it moved, something is leaking.

Water the garden before 9h or after 18h

Less is lost to sun and wind, so the plants get more of every litre.

Fix a running toilet

A cistern that keeps trickling runs day and night. A new washer or flapper is usually all it needs.

Cover the pool

A cover stops most of the water a pool loses to evaporation on hot, windy days.

Keep showers to two minutes

Wet, soap with the tap off, rinse. It's the habit Cape Town leaned on in 2018.

Run the washing machine and dishwasher full

A full load uses about the same water as a half one.

Wash the car with a bucket

A bucket and cloth instead of a hosepipe, or skip it until the rains.

Tap off while you brush

Turn the tap off while brushing teeth or shaving, then rinse with a cup.

Mulch the beds

A layer of mulch keeps soil moist for longer, so you water less often.

Reuse shower and laundry water on the garden

Collect it in a bucket and use it the same day.

Catch the rain

A tank or even a bucket under a downpipe gives you free water for the garden in summer.