The 2026 lawn care season is starting off on a dry note: Over 60% of the contiguous U.S. is currently in drought.<\/p>
So, where is lawn watering the biggest drain on homeowners\u2019 budgets?<\/p>
To mark Water Awareness Month in May, Lawn Love<\/a> ranked the Most Expensive Cities for Watering Your Lawn in 2026.<\/p> Some lawn irrigation stats:<\/strong><\/p> \ud83d\udca7 An estimated 30%<\/strong> of average residential water use <\/strong>is spent outdoors, primarily on landscape irrigation<\/strong>.<\/p> \ud83d\udca7 Across the 500 largest U.S. cities, households spend an average of 1.15%<\/strong> of their yearly income on water bills, but this ranges from $459<\/strong> annually in Flint, Michigan<\/strong> (No. 426) to $2,160<\/strong> in Newton, Massachusetts <\/strong>(No. 119). <\/p> \ud83d\udca7 Water and sewer bills across the U.S. increased by 5.1%<\/a> in 2025, outpacing inflation<\/strong>. <\/p> To rank the cities, we looked at climate metrics such as drought risk, precipitation rates, and growing season length. We also factored in yard size, how water-intensive the region\u2019s most common grass types are, and whether rainwater harvesting systems are restricted or incentivized. <\/p> Explore our ranking of the 500 largest U.S. cities below. To learn how we ranked the cities, see our methodology<\/a>.<\/p> Where is it costly to maintain a green backyard oasis? Here are the Most Expensive Cities for Watering Your Lawn.<\/p> In this article<\/h2>
Rankings: Most expensive cities for watering your lawn<\/span><\/h2>