How to Cut Bottled Water Costs with a Water Filter Pitcher

Wondering whether a water filter pitcher will help you to save money on bottled water? How much can you expect to save if you buy a water filter pitcher?

We’ve shared everything you might want to know in this guide. 

💰 Does A Water Filter Pitcher Help You Save Money On Bottled Water?

Yes, a water filter pitcher will help you to save money on bottled water, especially if you currently exclusively drink bottled water and won’t touch tap water. 

You can use a water filter pitcher to remove the contaminants you’re concerned about in your water. The best filter pitchers should effectively address all the reasons why you currently don’t want to drink your tap water, whether you’re worried about the health effects of certain contaminants, or you don’t like your water’s taste. 

When you buy a water filter pitcher for your home, you’ll get to enjoy clean water with an improved taste that has come from your own faucet. So, you won’t have to spend money on as much bottled water because you can start drinking your tap water at home again. 

Plus, a water filter pitcher is one of the most affordable filter types to buy and maintain. The average cost of this filtration device is $40-$75, and the typical annual cost of filter changes is less than $100, even for higher-end products. 

So, a water filter pitcher can help you save money on bottled water – and it shouldn’t significantly add to your spend on great-tasting water, either. 

🤔 How Much Money Can A Water Filter Pitcher Save Compared To Bottled Water?

So, we know that a water filter pitcher can save money on bottled water – but how much money are we talking?

Let’s break this down. 

The average daily recommendation for drinking water is around 8 glasses, or 64 ounces, for a healthy adult. 

If you have a family of four, that means collectively, you should drink around 2 gallons of water per day. 

Now, let’s say that you spend around $6 on a case of water, or around $0.40 per bottle. 

To work out the annual cost of bottled water, assuming that you drink bottled water exclusively, you’d do this sum: 

Cost per bottle x number of bottles per person

Then, with this figure, you’d continue with the following: 

x the number of people in your family x 365 (days in a year)

For the figures we’ve shared above, the sum would be: 

$0.40 x 5.3 = $2.13 

 $2.13 x 4 x 365 = $3,095.20

So, your annual average spend on bottled water comes to over $3,000. 

We should point out that this bottled water cost assumes that you’re buying lower-cost bottled water, not the fancy artisan stuff in glass bottles, which can cost double or triple the amount. 

Now let’s consider the cost of a water filter pitcher. 

Most basic water filter pitchers have a starting price of around $40. They need a maximum of 6 filter changes per year, costing around $100, maximum. You can buy multipacks of filters in advance so you know exactly what you’ll be spending that year. 

We should also take the cost of your tap water into account. The price per 1,000 gallons in the US is about $5.85. On average, a family of 4 uses around 730 gallons of tap water per year for drinking, so the annual cost of tap water is around $4.27. 

So, to work out the cost of a water filter pitcher per year, you’d do this sum: 

Pitcher upfront cost + annual filter replacement cost + annual cost of water from tap

That would be: 

$40 + $100 + $4.27 = $144.27

That means, in this scenario, you’d potentially save just over $2,800 per year if you exclusively filtered your water in a pitcher rather than drinking bottled water. 

⌨️ Bottled Water vs Water Filter Pitcher Cost Calculator

📋 Factors Affecting Your Savings From Switching To A Water Pitcher Filter

There are a few factors that affect just how much you’ll save from switching from bottled water to a water filter pitcher. 

These include: 

How Much Bottled Water You Buy

Do you exclusively drink bottled water, or do you only drink one or two small bottles per day? Your bottled water drinking habits will determine how much money you will save when you switch to using a water filter pitcher. 

For instance, if you drink nothing but bottled water, you’ll save the most money by switching to a water filter pitcher because you’ll go from spending hundreds of pounds on bottled water per year, to less than $100 annually on a water filter pitcher. 

But if you only drink the odd bottle of water here and there, you probably won’t save any money by buying a water filter pitcher – although you’ll still get the perks of filtered water at home whenever you want it.

The Brand Of Bottled Water You Usually Buy

The brand of bottled water you usually buy will also affect how much money you’ll save from switching to a water filter pitcher. 

The more expensive your bottled water tastes, the more money you’ll likely save by ditching the bottled water habit and drinking filtered water from a pitcher. 

The best news is that your filtered water will probably taste just as great as your bottled water of choice, perhaps even better.

The Cost Of The Water Filter Pitcher

Finally, the cost of your chosen water filter pitcher will also determine how much money it saves you compared to drinking bottled water. 

For instance, if you spend $40 on a lower-cost water filter pitcher, and filter replacements cost around $50/year, you’ll save more money than if you buy a pitcher for $80 with a $100 annual filter replacement spend. 

So, if you want to enjoy the biggest savings, look for budget-friendly water filter pitchers. Just make sure you don’t compromise on quality for the sake of a cheap deal. 

Related: Making a cheap DIY filtered pitcher at home

✅ Other Benefits Of Using A Water Filter Pitcher Instead Of Bottled Water

Aside from potentially saving you some money, here are some of the other benefits of using a water filter pitcher instead of drinking bottled water at home. 

Reduces Your Plastic Consumption

A major benefit of water filter pitchers is that they greatly reduce your plastic consumption . 

Most water filter pitchers have filters that need replacing every 2-3 months. On the other hand, your family might be getting through one or two big bottles of water per day – perhaps even more – so your plastic consumption will be greatly reduced by switching to a water filter pitcher. 

If you’re trying to make eco-conscious decisions and do your bit for the environment, filtering your water with a pitcher at home is a step in the right direction. 

Convenient At-Home Solution

Another benefit of water filter pitchers compared to bottled water is that they’re a convenient at-home solution. 

Whenever you’re thirsty, simply fill the pitcher, wait for the water to filter, then pour yourself a glass and enjoy. Or, if you don’t want to wait, fill your pitcher in the morning when you wake up, then you’ll have filtered water whenever you want it throughout the day.

You’ll no longer need to keep a constant eye on your bottled water stock, and you won’t have to rush to the store on a Sunday morning or a weekday evening if you discover you’re all out of water. 

Reduced Risk Of Microplastics Contamination

Microplastics are tiny plastic particles that have been linked to health effects including reproductive, digestive, and respiratory harm. 

These plastic particles are present in both tap water and bottled water supplies, but you’re at a particularly high risk of microplastics exposure if you drink bottled water because your water is stored in plastic bottles, often for long periods of time before drinking. 

Using a water filter pitcher reduces your risk of microplastic contamination because the best pitcher filters can remove microplastics. Plus, some water filter pitchers are made out of glass, meaning that there’s no chance of recontamination of your filtered water. 

You Control What You Remove

Finally, filtering your water with a pitcher filter lets you control exactly how you treat your water – a luxury you don’t have if you drink bottled water. 

You can buy a water filter pitcher that removes specific contaminants that you’re most concerned about, and it’s up to you how thoroughly you want to treat your water. You can also buy alkalizing water filter pitchers if you enjoy the taste of mineral-rich filtered water. 

It’s not always obvious what a bottled water product contains, while you know exactly what’s in your water – and more importantly, what’s not – when you filter it at home. 

📑 Final Word

If you only drink bottled water at home, switching to a water filter pitcher is a great way to save money. 

You’ll still enjoy water that’s free from harmful contaminants and tastes good, without consuming excess plastics and spending hundreds of dollars per year to replenish your bottled water stock.