Hey everyone,

I really need some perspective here because my jaw dropped when I saw my water bill for June. My wife and I live in an older condo, and our latest bill came out to a whopping 5,314 Baht.

According to the bill, we somehow consumed 156 units at 34 Baht per unit.

Here is the thing: we don't have a pool, we don't take baths, and we don't have any water-heavy appliances or luxuries. It’s just the two of us living a pretty standard lifestyle. 156 units sounds like we are running a commercial car wash out of our living room.

Before I head over to the local water authority to double-check everything, I wanted to check in with the community.

• How many units does your household normally burn through?

• What unit price are you currently paying in Pattaya or the nearby suburbs?

• Is 34 Baht/unit normal for an older building?

If anyone has dealt with a huge spike like this, please let me know how you tracked down the issue. I am terrified we have a massive hidden pipe leak somewhere behind the walls.

Appreciate any insights or numbers you guys can share!

You seem to be using a lot of water at a high price.

33 minutes ago, leverito said:

Appreciate any insights or numbers you guys can share!

Just had chat with my boss. She is the one that pays bills (with my money)

No water bill is 5k + baht.

So my water is about 230b

34 baht per unit , wow , ours is 6 baht.
Just got our bill 112 baht for the month. , all showers and toilets and washing up run off our meter .

42 minutes ago, leverito said:

156 units at 34 Baht per unit.

34 baht per unit , wow , ours is 6 baht. House in a village
Just got our bill 112 baht for the month. 17 units plus 10 baht for the meter reader goes on the bill , all showers , toilets , washing up and the wife hoses the front down once a day.

Edited July 6Jul 6 by NE1

The most obvious thing to do is to check the meter reading with the bill first! Mistakes happen.
If it is a large water leak, it would be noticeable, even if hidden in a wall.

2 hours ago, leverito said:

I saw my water bill for June. My wife and I live in an older condo, and our latest bill came out to a whopping 5,314 Baht.

According to the bill, we somehow consumed 156 units at 34 Baht per unit.

What was the previous month's reading.

What charges for water are on your lease agreement?

Edited July 6Jul 6 by SAFETY FIRST

Our water bill in Bang Sare was around 125 baht for 15 years. I think to have a busted line somewhere or this being Thailand someone has tapped your line for some kind of commercial use or the govn. is going for free memory drives for their computers or beer money. A major leak would cause this type of charge.

On average we use 20m³ per month and that's a 4 storey shophouse with 3 people, and 6 at weekends, when daughter and family visit; bill is about Bht320.

Something seriously wrong with your bill.

Fanily of 4 average water bill is 80bt month 😁

WHAT????

We have a three bed, all en suite, set in 1.5 rai, plus restaurant and bar (not always open, very seasonal).....automatic sprinkler system for the hedges........don't water the lawn that much.......biggest bill excluding Songkran...... 150B

I live in a house and our water bill for the month including washing machines that the maid who comes twice a week uses is around Baht 200.

This is all the washing for a family of 4 as well.

Either there is a leak or somebody is stealing water. But if in a gated community there are many places like in Hua Hin where the water bill is paid directly to the managment of the gated housing community who takes a heavy commission on water and electricity bills. So a few things to watch out here.

There almost has to be a leak. Or else you're being ripped off somehow.

One time, in the USA, I got a water bill for almost $1200 US. But typically, it was about $35, so something wasn't right. As it turned out, one of the outside faucets was turned on slightly, and over a month or so, that much leaked out.

you sure its the water bill?

electricity could be 5K if you leave the AC on most of the time.

Is your water bill directly from the provincial water authority, or is it from the condo manager? What about your electricity bill, is it from the condo manager or direct from the PEA?

Electricity bill could be that much in hot weather if AC used a lot.

As said in another thread regarding water, there must be a stop-cock somewhere BEFORE your meter. Find that and turn it OFF. If the meter still runs, it is in your property, and your resposibility.

Here in the sticks I pay Bht 5 per unit, and a family of four use about 10 units a month, everything included except drinking water.

1 hour ago, wil iam not said:

As said in another thread regarding water, there must be a stop-cock somewhere BEFORE your meter. Find that and turn it OFF. If the meter still runs, it is in your property, and your resposibility.

Here in the sticks I pay Bht 5 per unit, and a family of four use about 10 units a month, everything included except drinking water.

That's the first thing to do, for sure. Turn off the water before it gets to your meter and see what happens. But if you turn off the water, how could there still be a leak after that point? The water is OFF.

1 hour ago, jas007 said:

That's the first thing to do, for sure. Turn off the water before it gets to your meter and see what happens. But if you turn off the water, how could there still be a leak after that point? The water is OFF.

I'm not sure what's so funny about that. Am I hallucinating?

12 hours ago, wil iam not said:

As said in another thread regarding water, there must be a stop-cock somewhere BEFORE your meter. Find that and turn it OFF. If the meter still runs, it is in your property, and your resposibility.

Here in the sticks I pay Bht 5 per unit, and a family of four use about 10 units a month, everything included except drinking water.

think about it, it's OFF, it ant leak now!! 📴

Ours is 150 baht or less for 2 people

33 minutes ago, NewGuy87 said:

Ours is 150 baht or less for 2 people

38 minutes ago, Olmate said:

think about it, it's OFF, it ant leak now!! 📴

Yes you are correct. I was not thinking. straight.

So how can he find out if someone is nicking his water?

So one if your toilets kept filling because the valve inside didn't close properly. Would have had to have been for a long time.

• check the meter reading. maybe the unit of measurement was read incorrectly and billed that way. it can happen ...

• close all the valves (toilet, faucets, washing machine, etc.) in your apartment, then check if the water meter is still running ...

• check each water fixture to see if water is constantly running, especially the toilet ...

please give us some feedback. it would be nice to know what you find. good luck!

Edited July 9Jul 9 by motdaeng

You needed to check with your condo first. Sounds like this charges must be from Condo. If it's directly from MWWA, it can be computer error which happened many times before. Good luck!

On 7/6/2026 at 9:37 AM, leverito said:

According to the bill, we somehow consumed 156 units at 34 Baht per unit.

That does not sound like you are paying the PWA directly but being charged a set amount by the condo management.

I paid my Pattaya PWA water bill yesterday, all be it for a house, and there is a fixed charge of 30 baht and after that per unit works out at about 13 baht per unit.

Do you not check your meter readings every bill?

1 hour ago, topt said:

That does not sound like you are paying the PWA directly but being charged a set amount by the condo management.

I paid my Pattaya PWA water bill yesterday, all be it for a house, and there is a fixed charge of 30 baht and after that per unit works out at about 13 baht per unit.

Do you not check your meter readings every bill?

He's certainly paying an inflated price per unit, but that's only a minor issue - the big question is how he could possibly use 156 cubic meters of water in a month without filling a swimming pool or something.

If a unit is a m³ then 150 units is in the area of one year's use. Often it is calculated as 100 litres per person per day; however, you might use more in hot countries if shower more often like 2-3 times a day. So, 100 ltr. x 2 x 365 = 73,000 ltr. = 73 m³. In my home country I used about 100 m³ per year. Here in 'paradise' I don't have a meter, but get water by truck, in average we use about 125 m³ in a year for two — including refill of outdoor jacuzzi, laundry, and some light car wash — and sometimes a pair of guests, totalling may two month in a year.

So, if a unit equals one cubic meter and you water bill for one mon th is in the area of 150 units, there must be some heavy leak somewhere. Note that a running toilet can consume a lot of water.

Hard to understand why they have not checked the meter reading as the first step. Maybe they don't understand anything at all about how things work in the world. I know people like that.

On 7/6/2026 at 10:15 AM, NE1 said:

34 baht per unit , wow , ours is 6 baht.
Just got our bill 112 baht for the month. , all showers and toilets and washing up run off our meter .

So you are not a frequent showerer then?