---
title: The Cities Seeing the Biggest Utility Rate Increases in 2026
description: Cities across the U.S. will see big increases in water and sewer costs in 2026. If you manage multifamily properties, these changes can impact your budget.
image: https://blog.livable.com/hubfs/Blog%20Title.png
---

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# The Cities Seeing the Biggest Utility Rate Increases in 2026

Posted by [Livable Content Team](https://blog.livable.com/author/written-with-love-by-the-livable-content-team) on Dec 9, 2025 3:00:01 AM

![](https://blog.livable.com/hubfs/liv_favicon-1.png)

Many cities across the U.S. will see big increases in water and sewer costs in 2026. If you manage multifamily properties, these changes can impact your budget in a major way.

Some cities will only see small jumps, but others have already approved large increases—some of the biggest in the country. Here’s what to expect and how you can prepare.

<https://hubs.la/Q03Kzv0q0>

## **Cities With the Highest Increases**

Several major cities have multi-year plans that raise rates every year. Many of these cities are seeing **5–8% yearly increases**, with sewer rates sometimes rising even faster.

Cities with larger increases include:

- **Seattle, WA** – Around 5–6% increases each year
- **Phoenix, AZ** – Another 6.5% water rate jump planned
- **Oakland / East Bay, CA** – 6.5% higher water and 8.5% higher sewer
- **Tampa, FL** – 6% water increase and 3% sewer increase
- **San Francisco, CA** – About 8% increases continuing

Other cities have steady CPI-style increases of around 2–4% each year.

For owners and managers, this means your utility bills will continue to rise—and so will your risk if you aren’t billing correctly.

## **What This Means for Property Managers**

Rising city rates can:

- Reduce your NOI
- Create uneven or unfair billing if not updated correctly
- Make it harder to communicate increases to residents
- Lead to more water usage when tenants don’t see their usage

If your billing system is outdated or slow, these problems can get worse very quickly.

## **How Livable Helps Properties in Any City**

 Livable gives you simple tools to stay ahead—even in cities with the biggest rate hikes.

**With Livable, you can:**  
✓ Update rates quickly when your city changes them  
✓ Recover costs fairly with modern RUBS tools  
✓ Keep residents aware of their usage and encourage conservation  
✓ Review statements before they are sent  
✓ Boost property value by recovering expenses you’re currently eating

Everything is built to make your life easier so you can focus on managing your property—not chasing down utility numbers.

## **Make a Plan Before Rates Go Up Again**

If your property sits in a high-increase city, the best time to update your billing process is right now. With Livable, you get flexible billing tools, smart conservation features, and an easier way to protect your NOI.

What to see how simple it can be?  
👉 [Schedule a Discovery Call](https://hubs.la/Q03zTWPK0)

#### Subscribe to join our monthly newsletter

Stay updated on real estate news, laws,  and monthly saving tips and tricks!

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#### Smart saver tip of the month

Insulating water pipes is a quick and inexpensive way to lower water-heating costs. The easy upgrade reduces heat loss and allows you to lower your buildings’ water temperature setting by two to four degrees. Plus, since water doesn’t take as long to heat up, less of this precious resource is wasted waiting for faucets and showers to get to the appropriate temperature.

On smaller buildings, this is a definite DIY job that should take less than a day to complete. Check out the [U.S. Department of Energy’s website](https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/services/do-it-yourself-energy-savings-projects/savings-project-insulate-hot-water-pipes?utm_campaign=Newsletters&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8yh5oCnhWhoNYxyWitSNwCQZKjwDza8YZ-_XqR_0bGeAJoJKUSlyuOiGT5Nuvpv6Yhcarj) for a comprehensive shopping list and step-by-step instructions.

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