Costs of doing laundry and washing dishes in the 100 largest German cities
For the study, IFA Berlin analyzed the official fee schedules and price lists of municipal utility companies (including Berliner Wasserbetriebe, Hamburg Wasser, Stadtwerke München, and RheinEnergie Köln) for Germany’s 100 largest cities and determined the combined price per cubic meter for drinking water and wastewater. Annual cost calculations were based on an assumption of 200 washing and dishwashing cycles per year, with water consumption of 50 liters (older washing machine) or 35 liters (efficiency class A washing machine) and 14 liters (older dishwasher) or 9 liters (efficiency class A dishwasher) per cycle, drawing on reference values from the German Environment Agency and the Federation of German Consumer Organizations. Electricity costs were calculated using the local usage rates of the respective primary utility providers (as of July 1, 2026) and assumed consumption levels of 1.20 kWh (older appliances) or 0.50 to 0.55 kWh (efficiency class A appliances) per cycle.
Reference date of the analysis: 4 June 2026.
