For about $30 to $60, you can screw a filter directly onto your tap. It’s more convenient than a pitcher, and it looks cool—like your faucet is wearing a tiny, useful hat.
Replacement cartridges cost $15 to $25 every three to four months. Annual cost? Around $60 to $100. Not bad, but you’ll need strong wrists to turn the dial—some of these things have the resistance of a rusty doorknob.
Also, be prepared for your kitchen sink to look like a plumbing science experiment. But hey, aesthetics are temporary, clean water is forever.
Under-Sink Systems: The "Serious" Upgrade
This is where things get real. An under-sink system (like a reverse osmosis unit or a carbon block filter) costs between $150 and $600 upfront. Installation is usually DIY-friendly, but you might want to bribe a handy friend with pizza.
How Much Do Home Water Filtration Systems Cost? {Price Chart}
These systems remove everything from lead to pharmaceuticals. Seriously, they’re like the bouncers of water purification—nothing sketchy gets through.
Annual maintenance (new filters, maybe a membrane) runs $50 to $150. So over five years, you’re looking at $400 to $1,000 total. That’s a lot of numbers, I know. But break it down: that’s less than a dollar a day for water that tastes like a mountain spring. Or at least like a mountain spring that doesn’t have lead in it.
