Seoul water bill: tap water, sewage and water-use charge per cubic metre, meter base fees and a household bill estimator
Numbers checked against the official source on 2026-10-19
In Seoul, a household's monthly water bill is built from three per-cubic-metre charges plus a fixed meter fee: 580 won per m³ for tap water, 480 won per m³ for sewage (the 2026 rate), and 170 won per m³ for the water-use charge, plus a base fee that depends on meter size (1,080 won for a 15 mm meter). Household water has a single rate per m³ on the official table, with no price steps. Seoul's sewage rate is scheduled to rise every year until 2030.
Source: Seoul Metropolitan Government Arisu customer centre pages "rate tables by business type", "bill simulation" and "bill reduction", read on 2026-10-19. The page printing the tariff shows no revision date of its own; the simulation page states that the water rate applies from 1 January 2023 and the sewage rate from 1 January 2026.
Household tariff
| Charge (household) | Rate per m³ | Applies |
|---|---|---|
| Tap water (sangsudo), 2021 / 2022 / 2023 columns | 390 / 480 / 580 won | The bill-simulation page says the water rate table applies from 1 January 2023, so the 2023 column (580 won) is the one in force |
| Sewage (hasudo), 2026 | 480 won | Use from 1 January 2026 |
| Water-use charge (mul-iyong budamgeum) | 170 won | Same for every business type, use from 1 January 2011 |
Sewage rate path for households, 2026 to 2030
| Year | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sewage, won per m³ | 480 | 560 | 630 | 700 | 770 |
Meter base fee, per month
The base fee is a fixed amount by meter diameter and is added to the usage charge. Check your bill or ask the waterworks office which meter size you have.
| Meter (mm) | Base fee (won) | Meter (mm) | Base fee (won) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 15 | 1,080 | 100 | 89,000 |
| 20 | 3,000 | 125 | 143,000 |
| 25 | 5,200 | 150 | 195,000 |
| 32 | 9,400 | 200 | 277,000 |
| 40 | 16,000 | 250 | 375,000 |
| 50 | 25,000 | 300 | 465,000 |
| 65 | 38,900 | 350 | 565,000 |
| 75 | 52,300 | 400 or larger | 615,000 |
How the monthly bill is built
- Average use per household per month. Usage (m³) divided by the number of months in the reading period, divided by the number of households; drop everything after the first decimal place.
- Tap water = average use x 580 won, x households x months, plus the base fee x months. The usage part is rounded down to the tens of won.
- Sewage = average use x the sewage rate (480 won in 2026), x households x months, rounded down to the tens of won.
- Water-use charge = average use x 170 won, x households x months, rounded down to the tens of won.
- Total = tap water + sewage + water-use charge.
The official worked example: 273 m³ over 2 months, 4 households, a 20 mm meter gives an average of 34.1 m³, tap water 164,220 won (158,220 usage + 6,000 base), sewage 130,940 won and water-use charge 46,370 won.
Bill estimator (household rates, Seoul)
This follows the official household method above, with the 2026 sewage rate of 480 won. It covers household use only: no business or bath-house rates, no discounts (electronic billing, welfare, self-reading and others), no late fees, and no city other than Seoul. The Arisu site warns that its own simulator gives a reference figure and that the actual bill can differ if a meter was replaced, locked out or could not be read.
Discounts the city lists
- Basic Livelihood Security recipients, independence-merit holders and people with severe disabilities: up to 10 m³ of monthly household use is reduced; if monthly use is under 10 m³, only the actual use is reduced.
- Electronic billing: 1% of the tap-water charge (between 200 and 1,000 won).
The city page lists more reductions (self-reading, leaks, single-parent and multi-child sewage reductions); those are on the city's reduction page and are not in the estimator.
Where the official pages are unclear
| Point | What the pages say | What we show |
|---|---|---|
| Price steps | The tariff page text says the tap-water charge has a 3-step progressive structure for all four business types, but its household row lists a single rate per m³ and the bill-simulation page uses one rate for households | One rate for households. The steps apply to the other business types. |
| Which year column | The tap-water table prints three year columns (2021, 2022, 2023) with no later year; the simulation page says the water rate applies from 1 January 2023 | 580 won (2023 column) |
| Sewage | The page keeps the pre-2026 sewage table and a 2026-2030 table; for households both show 480 won for 2026 | 480 won for 2026 |
Related: household electricity rates and Seoul city gas rates. Rates elsewhere in Korea differ; confirm with the Seoul call centre (120) before relying on an estimate.
Checked 2026-10-19.
Official sources
- Seoul Arisu Customer Center — rate tables by business type (요금업종별요율표) — base fees by meter size; tap water 390/480/580; sewage 480 (2026) and 2026-2030 path; water-use charge 170 (checked 2026-10-19)
- Seoul Arisu Customer Center — bill simulation (요금계산) — calculation method, rounding and worked example; water rate from 2023-01-01, sewage from 2026-01-01 (checked 2026-10-19)
- Seoul Arisu Customer Center — bill reduction schemes (요금감면제도) — 10 m3 reductions and 1% electronic-billing reduction (checked 2026-10-19)
Prices change. If an official page shows a different number from this page, the official page wins — and please tell us so we can fix it.