The North is the region of the country that pays the most for water and where the price has increased the most between 2018 and 2021
A family in the north, with a consumption of 120 cubic meters of water (not counting taxes or costs of other services), has to pay an average of 127.05 euros a year. In the Algarve (a region of the continent where supply is cheaper), the same household would save 22.88 euros. In Madeira, this saving would reach 57 euros. In Greater Lisbon, they would pay almost five euros less. The disparity of tariffs throughout the country is enormous and "unjustified," according to the Water and Waste Services Regulatory Authority (ERSAR), and it is the most loss-making systems and those with the fewest clients that charge the least for a scarce good.
The Metropolitan Area of Porto leads the list of communities with higher prices, followed by the West, Coimbra, Tâmega and Sousa and Lezíria do Tejo. On the opposite spectrum are Alentejo Litoral, Baixo Alentejo, Douro, Trás-os-Montes, and Viseu Dão Lafões [see infographic]. And there is a giant abyss between municipalities. There are municipalities where the annual water bill is below 50 euros and others where it exceeds 200. For example, in Trofa and Santo Tirso, the annual cost of 120 cubic meters (m3) exceeds 264 euros, while in Terras do Bouro or Penedono is 46.50 and 53.80 euros, respectively.
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