As the key economic lever, the water price plays an important role in promoting water saving. By analyzing the domestic water price and affordability of the worldwide typical urban inhabitants, the following conclusions are drawn: The full-cost water pricing method is widely adopted considering resource cost, project cost and environmental cost. The water prices in developed countries are significantly higher than those in China's cities. In China, the water prices in the eastern cities are higher than those in the central and western cities, and those in the northern cities are higher than those in the southern cities. The water pricing modes include flat water price and combination of fixed cost and variable cost. The cities in China and Singapore as well as Tokyo City adopt the stepped water price. Although there are large differences in worldwide water prices, the ratio(R)of per capita monthly water bill to disposable income is close. The value of R in each city is relatively low, and it is not incentive for water saving. The water price should be adjusted reasonably to support the construction of water-saving society.