Households served by VandCenter Syd in Odense pay DKK 65.98 per cubic metre for drinking water and wastewater in 2026, including VAT and the state water tax. In Aarhus the combined price is DKK 58.55. In Copenhagen, HOFOR's provisional rate from 1 January 2026 is DKK 49.57, so Odense pays about 33% more than the capital (calculated: 65.98 / 49.57).
Wastewater drives the bill
Most of the difference sits on the wastewater side of the bill, not in drinking water. HOFOR's Copenhagen water rate is DKK 12.93 and its wastewater rate DKK 20.35, both before VAT. Aarhus Vand charges DKK 11.40 for water and DKK 39.19 for wastewater, both including VAT. The same pattern holds across the sector: in 2022 wastewater companies took DKK 10.85 billion in revenue, against DKK 4.21 billion for drinking water companies.
Prices set locally, capped nationally
Denmark has about 2,300 general waterworks, and each utility sets its own tariffs on a non-profit basis. The Danish Water Sector Regulator regulates companies selling at least 200,000 m³ a year and caps revenue for those above 800,000 m³. It estimates that without that regulation, prices at large companies would be 13–17% higher. Aarhus Vand kept its 2026 prices unchanged from 2025.
Investment pressure ahead
Bills now face a heavier investment programme. In 2022 the sector's 182 municipally owned companies owed DKK 40.1 billion. Copenhagen committee minutes from April 2026 link a forecast water tariff rise of DKK 4.80–5.00 per m³ to the Tinghøj reservoir rebuild and pipe renewal. HOFOR's Svanemøllen cloudburst tunnel is estimated at DKK 4.1–4.6 billion. In 2022 the average household spent DKK 5,738 a year on water and wastewater.
Where Denmark's water comes from, who runs it, which major projects are under way and what changes next are covered in the full profile. The full report, Denmark Country Intelligence Profile, is available for USD 99. For a free overview, see Denmark Country Snapshot.