Reference tariff for 2026 was R$6.76/m³
Starting this Thursday (1st), water and sewage bills will become more expensive in the State of São Paulo. At least, for the 371 municipalities served by Sabesp, including the capital of São Paulo. In December, Sabesp announced the first tariff adjustment after its privatization: 6.1106%. The increase was authorized by the Public Services Regulatory Agency of the State of São Paulo (Arsesp).
Arsesp states that the change refers “exclusively to inflationary replacement, with no real increase for the consumer”. When contacted, Sabesp declined to comment.
Understand the calculation
The adjustment followed the inflation recorded by IBGE through the IPCA, which takes into account the variation in prices of the population’s basic basket of products and services. The calculation takes into account the accumulated result for the 16 months between July 2024, when Sabesp was privatized, and October 2025 – the last data available when the survey was presented to Arsesp. The adjustment will be annual and, in the next adjustments, the tariff will be updated based on 12-month inflation.
The regulatory agency argues that the adjustment was 15% below the value that would be applied if Sabesp were still state-owned. The reference tariff for 2026 was R$6.76/m³.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
