On 1 June 2025, households in central Guangzhou paid more for tap water for the first time since 2012: the first-block residential rate rose from RMB 1.98 to RMB 2.55 per m³, an increase of 28.8%. The top-block rate nearly doubled, from RMB 3.96 to RMB 7.65.
Prices had fallen behind cost
A November 2023 cost audit put the unit cost of supplying water in the central area at RMB 2.46 per m³. The old first-block price therefore covered about 80% of that cost. Hearing coverage reported the lead utility's losses widening from RMB 447 million in 2020 to RMB 653 million in 2022. Before the reform, Guangzhou's residential price ranked 26th of 36 key Chinese cities.
A softer outcome than first proposed
Neither scheme put to the public hearing on 9 May 2024 was adopted unchanged. The city says the final tariff saves households RMB 118 million a year against the original proposal, and that about 80% of households use no more than the 21 m³ a month covered by the first block. Low-income and preferential-care households keep their RMB 0.70 rate for the first 7 m³ per person each month.
One city, several price lists
The reform covers only the area served by Guangzhou Water Supply Co., Ltd., whose service population is 11.43 million. Most outer districts set their own prices. Nansha's first-block rate from 20 September 2026 is RMB 1.98, and Conghua's is RMB 1.66. Huadu held its hearing on 7 August 2026 and had not published adopted rates by late October.
The notice adds a three-yearly cost review and a review trigger when costs move by 20%.
The full report answers what this article does not: who regulates and owns Guangzhou's water utilities, how dependent the city is on river inflow, which supply projects are operating or under construction, and what to watch to 2030. The full report, Guangzhou City Intelligence Profile, is available for USD 99 at https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/reports/guangzhou-city-intelligence-profile. For a free overview, see https://ourfuturewaterintelligence.com/cities/guangzhou.