What a filter really costs, over five years.
The price on the box is the down payment. This adds every cartridge you will buy, replaced at the maker’s gallon or month rating, whichever comes first.
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How the numbers work
- Prices are each maker’s own list price, never a retailer’s sale price. Each statement says when it was checked. Prices change; the maker’s page is the final word.
- Replacement timing uses the maker’s rating in gallons and in months, whichever runs out first for your household. The system ships with its first cartridges, so those are not counted twice.
- Water use starts at 1 gallon of drinking and cooking water per person per day. That is TapBuff’s assumption, not a measured figure; change it to match your home.
- Whole-house systems see every gallon the house uses, so they start at 80 gallons per person per day, the low end of USGS’s estimate of 80 to 100 gallons for indoor use. For scale, EPA says the average American family uses more than 300 gallons a day at home.
- Installation is added only when you enter a plumber’s quote, and only to whole-house systems. TapBuff doesn’t estimate it.
- Not included: plumbing parts, salt for softeners, electricity for pumps or UV lamps, and the water an RO system or a backwashing filter sends to drain.
Every filter, five years, at a glance
A household of 3: 1 gallon each a day through a filter at the tap, or 80 gallons each a day through a whole-house system, before installation. “Replaced” is how often parts run out at that rate. A filter rated for few gallons runs out fast, which is why a cheap pitcher can cost the most. A plus sign means a part due in those five years has no published price.
| Filter | Type | Certified for | Replaced | Five years | Per gallon |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A.O. Smith Whole House Sediment Filter, Valve-in-Head (AO-WH-PREV) | Whole house | Nominal Particulate Reduction, Class V | Every 12 months4 replacements | $131 | 0.0¢ |
| A.O. Smith Whole House Central Water Filter (AO-WH-FILTER) | Whole house | Chlorine | None in five years | $350 | 0.1¢ |
| SpringWell Whole House Water Filter System (CF1) | Whole house | No certification found | Every 12 months4 replacements | $1,547 | 0.4¢ |
| iSpring WGB32B 3-Stage Whole House Water Filter | Whole house | No certification found | Every 6 months9 replacements | $1,651 | 0.4¢ |
| SpringWell UV Water Purification System, 15 gpm (SPRW-UV-15gpm) | Whole house | No certification found | Every 12 months4 replacements | $1,807 | 0.4¢ |
| SpringWell Salt Based Water Softener System (SS1) | Whole house | No certification found | No cartridges | $1,890 | 0.4¢ |
| iSpring WGB32BM 3-Stage Whole House Iron Filter | Whole house | No certification found | Every 6 months9 replacements | $1,976 | 0.5¢ |
| Aquasana SimplySoft 40,000 Grain Softener (WH-SF40) | Whole house | Hardness | Every 6 months9 replacements | $2,031 | 0.5¢ |
| SpringWell FutureSoft Salt-Free Water Conditioner (FS1) | Whole house | No certification found | None in five years | $2,100 | 0.5¢ |
| Aquasana Salt-Free Water Conditioner (WH-SFWC-S) | Whole house | No certification found | Every 6 months18 replacements | $2,424 | 0.6¢ |
| SpringWell Whole House Well Water Filter System (WS1) | Whole house | No certification found | None in five years | $2,625 | 0.6¢ |
| Aquasana Rhino Whole House Water Filter (WH-1000) | Whole house | No certification found | Every 6 months18 replacements | $2,664 | 0.6¢ |
| Aquasana Rhino Chloramines Whole House Water Filter (WH-1011) | Whole house | No certification found | Every 6 months18 replacements | $3,464 | 0.8¢ |
| Aquasana HealthShield (WH-HS) | Whole house | PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | Every 6 to 23 months20 replacements | $4,864+ | 1.1¢ |
| APEC Essence ROES-50 | Under-sink reverse osmosis | TDS | Every 6 months to 2 years22 replacements | $566 | 10¢ |
| Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Elite Filter (OB60, OB06) | Pitcher | Lead, Chlorine | Every 40 days45 filters, 120 gallons each | $942 | 17¢ |
| Brita Elite Water Filter Faucet System (SAFF-100/FF-100) | Faucet mount | Lead, Chlorine, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | Every 33 days54 filters, 100 gallons each | $1,004 | 18¢ |
| Aquasana Claryum Direct Connect (AQ-MF-1) | Under-sink carbon | Lead, PFOA, PFOS, Chlorine, Chloramine, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | Every 6 months9 replacements | $1,078 | 20¢ |
| LARQ Under Sink Water Filter | Under-sink carbon | PFOA, PFOS, PFHxS, PFNA, PFBS, Chlorine | Every 6 months9 replacements | $1,090 | 20¢ |
| iSpring RCC7 | Under-sink reverse osmosis | TDS Reduction | Every 6 months to 2 years38 replacements | $1,100 | 20¢ |
| Brita Tahoe Pitcher with Original Filter (OB60, OB03) | Pitcher | Copper, Chlorine | Every 13 days136 filters, 40 gallons each | $1,124 | 21¢ |
| Waterdrop G3P600 | Under-sink reverse osmosis | Lead, PFOA, PFOS, Fluoride, Chlorine | Every 6 months to 2 years15 replacements | $1,149 | 21¢ |
| Multipure Aquaversa (MP750) | Under-sink carbon | Lead, Chlorine, Chloramine, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | Every 8 months7 replacements, 750 gallons each | $1,215 | 22¢ |
| AquaTru Classic (AT2000) | Countertop reverse osmosis | Lead, Copper, PFOA, PFOS, Nitrate, Arsenic, Chromium (total), Fluoride, Chlorine, Chloramine, Total trihalomethanes (TTHM) | Every 6 to 13 months22 replacements | $1,344 | 25¢ |
| Clearly Filtered Filtered Water Pitcher | Pitcher | Chlorine | Every 33 days54 filters, 100 gallons each | $3,620 | 66¢ |
| ZeroWater 10 Cup Pitcher (ZP-010) | Pitcher | Lead, PFOA, PFOS, Chromium (total), Chlorine | Every 5 days365 filters, 15 gallons each | $7,334 | $1.34 |