What a water filter costs to own over three years

Start with the exact model

Use the price and replacement parts for the exact model and version you’re considering. Each review lists its sources, the date they were checked and a calculator you can edit. The figures are budgeting estimates, not measured bills. The cheapest total isn’t a ranking either, since a pitcher and a whole-house filter do different jobs.

What replacement filters and membranes cost

Filters aren’t interchangeable. A membrane, a carbon cartridge and a pitcher cartridge each have their own price and schedule. Most have two limits, months and gallons, and whichever comes first counts.

AquaTru rates the Classic’s VOC filter for 1 year or 600 gallons¹. Above about 1.6 gallons a day, it reaches the gallon limit first². The Carafe’s VOC filter is rated for 12 months or 300 gallons, so it hits the gallon limit first above about 0.8 gallons a day^{2, 27}. LifeStraw’s carbon filter is rated for just 40 gallons or two months, which works out to about two-thirds of a gallon a day³⁰.

The yearly figures in the reviews follow each maker’s time schedule. For the G3P600, Waterdrop’s month and gallon ratings work out to about 3 gallons of filtered water a day³. Clearly Filtered says its 100-gallon pitcher cartridge lasts an average family about 3 months⁴. The WD-10UA feeds your regular faucet, so its cartridge filters all the cold water you run, dish rinsing included³². If you use more water, you’ll replace filters sooner and pay more.

Installation and drain water

Plumbing, fittings and drain water are separate from electricity. Most plumbed systems here have no installation price. Waterdrop calls the G3P800 a 30-minute DIY install⁵. Aquasana strongly recommends a licensed plumber for the Rhino, and its manual says local codes may require one^{6, 7}. Neither maker prices the labor, so installation stays unknown in both reviews.

Reverse osmosis systems send some water down the drain. At the G3P800’s 3:1 ratio, about 1 gallon goes to the drain for every 3 gallons you get⁵. The calculator has no automatic charge for that water. If it matters on your bill, add a yearly allowance under other costs.

Countertop reverse osmosis has no drain line, but it still rejects some water. AquaTru rates the Carafe at 63% efficiency, so about 37% of the water you pour in doesn’t come out purified²⁷. The Classic is rated at 75%¹.

The calculation

Three-year cost = purchase + installation + 3 × yearly filters and parts + 3 × other yearly costs + (watts ÷ 1,000) × hours per day × 365 × 3 × electricity price per kWh.

The calculator starts at $0.18 per kWh. That’s an editable assumption, not your local rate. Enter zero only when a cost is known to be zero. A missing value gives an incomplete subtotal. Tax, shipping, financing and resale are left out unless you add them.

A worked example

Take a made-up system with a $500 purchase and $100 for installation. Filters cost $60 a year, and other costs come to $20 a year. It draws 50 W for 8 hours a day, and electricity costs $0.20 per kWh.

Purchase and installation come to $600. Three years of filters add $180, and three years of other costs add $60. The unit uses 0.4 kWh a day, or 438 kWh over three years. At $0.20 per kWh, that’s $87.60 of electricity. The three-year total is $927.60.

At the $0.18 default, the same electricity costs $78.84, and the total falls to $918.84. Now suppose the installation cost is unknown. At $0.20 per kWh, leaving it out gives a known subtotal of $827.60. That’s a floor, not a full ownership cost.

Recurring costs across the lineup

The table pulls the recurring costs from the water reviews, at prices checked on October 13, 2026. Yearly figures use one-time list prices, not autoship or member prices. None of these systems requires a subscription. The subtotal is purchase plus three years of filters, with installation and electricity added only where they’re known.

The table covers all 15 systems we review, grouped by type. Pitchers and the dispenser come first, then countertop reverse osmosis, under-sink filters, under-sink reverse osmosis and whole-house filters.

What the table shows

Filters can cost more than the system. The Clearly Filtered pitcher is $110, and three years of filters add $780 at four $65 filters a year^{4, 13}. LifeStraw’s glass pitcher is $64.95, and its filters run $75.95 a year in the 1-year pack^{30, 31}. At the other end, the SpringWell CF1’s routine upkeep is one sediment cartridge at a time, about $46 a year at the regular price if you change it every 6 months^{21, 22}.

The lowest three-year figures belong to the Brita Ultramax at $148.96 and the Waterdrop WD-10UA at $151.96^33–36. The WD-10UA’s figure leaves out installation, which Waterdrop doesn’t price. They do different jobs, so check each review for what it’s certified to remove.

Some parts fall outside three years, and the reviews have no price for them. The Rhino’s tank is rated for 1,000,000 gallons or 10 years, and its filter housings are due every 5 years^{6, 7}. Aquasana also says to replace the Claryum’s housing sumps every five years¹². SpringWell gives no price for replacement CF1 media²².

Electricity is the biggest gap. AquaTru lists 120 V power for the Classic, and Waterdrop says the G3P600 and G3P800 need electricity^{1, 3, 5}. None of the three has a published power draw. iSpring’s product page doesn’t say whether the RO500AK-BN needs power¹⁶. So the three-year figure for each of those stays incomplete.

The AquaTru Carafe is the one plug-in system with a published power draw. AquaTru lists 36 W in use and about 4 W idle, but not how many hours a day it runs^{28, 29}. Left plugged in all year, the idle draw alone is about 35 kWh, or about $6.30 at the $0.18 default.

Two purchase prices were sales when checked. The Rhino was $999 against a $1,998 MSRP⁶. The CF1 was $1,160.25 against a $1,365 regular price²⁶. At full price, each three-year subtotal would be higher by the difference. The WD-10UA’s page showed $39.99, but only with a checkout code, so the table uses the $58.99 list price^{32, 36}.

Sources

1. AquaTru Performance Data Sheet, models AT2000 to AT2050 (rev. 10.24.R4) AquaTru · manufacturer
2. AquaTru replacement filters store listing (prices, pack contents, filter life) AquaTru · manufacturer · data file
3. Waterdrop G3P600 Undersink Tankless Reverse Osmosis System - Black Faucet Waterdrop · manufacturer
4. Filtered Water Pitcher Clearly Filtered · manufacturer
5. Waterdrop G3P800 Undersink Tankless Reverse Osmosis System - Black Faucet Waterdrop · manufacturer
6. Rhino Whole House Water Filter (SKU 100365488) Aquasana · manufacturer
7. Rhino (WH-1000) Owner's Manual Aquasana · manufacturer
8. APEC RO Replacement Filters Pre-filter Set for All ESSENCE Reverse Osmosis Systems (Stages 1-3) APEC Water Systems · manufacturer
9. APEC RO Replacement Filters Complete Filter Set for ESSENCE ROES-50 System (Stages 1-5) APEC Water Systems · manufacturer
10. APEC ROES-50 Owner's Manual (Essence RO system), copy hosted by ESP Water Products APEC Water Systems · manufacturer
11. Claryum 3-Stage Max Flow Filter Replacements (AQ-C3M-R) Aquasana · manufacturer
12. AQ-6200, AQ-6300 and AQ-6300M Owner's Manual Aquasana · manufacturer
13. Pitcher Replacement Filter Clearly Filtered · manufacturer
14. WD-G3P800-N2RO Filter for Waterdrop G3P800 Reverse Osmosis Systems | 800GPD Waterdrop · manufacturer
15. iSpring F7-RO500AK NSF/ANSI 58 Certified 2-Year Replacement Filter Pack for RO500AK Tankless Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System iSpring · manufacturer
16. iSpring RO500AK-BN NSF Certified Tankless Reverse Osmosis Water Filtration System iSpring · manufacturer
17. 20" Pre-Filter Replacement - 3 Pack Aquasana · manufacturer
18. Post-Filter Replacement Aquasana · manufacturer
19. iSpring F3WGB32B 20" x 4.5" 3-Stage Whole House Water Filter Replacement Pack iSpring · manufacturer
20. iSpring WGB32B Whole House Water Filter System iSpring · manufacturer
21. Replacement Sediment Filter – 10 inch store listing (pack sizes and prices) SpringWell · manufacturer · data file
22. Whole House Water Filter System SpringWell · manufacturer
23. Whole House Water Filter installation instructions (CF1, CF4, CF+) SpringWell · manufacturer
24. Replacement WD-WF20PG for WD-WHF3T-PG Whole House 3-stage Home Filtration System Waterdrop · manufacturer
25. Waterdrop 3-Stage Whole House Water Filter System with Carbon Filter & Sediment Filter (WD-WHF3T-PG) Waterdrop · manufacturer
26. Whole House Water Filter System store listing (CF1, CF4 and CF+ variation prices) SpringWell · manufacturer · data file
27. AquaTru Carafe Performance Data Sheet, models AT100 to AT140 (rev. 09.25.R5) AquaTru · manufacturer
28. How much power does the AquaTru Carafe typically draw during use? AquaTru Support · manufacturer
29. What is the idle power draw of the AquaTru Carafe? AquaTru Support · manufacturer
30. LifeStraw Home 7-Cup Glass LifeStraw · manufacturer
31. LifeStraw Home Replacement Filters store listing (pack prices) LifeStraw · manufacturer · data file
32. Under Sink Water Filter | Direct Connect Filtration System (WD-10UA) Waterdrop · manufacturer
33. Replacement Undersink Water Filter WD-RF10, WD-RF15, WD-RF17 store listing Waterdrop · manufacturer · data file
34. Brita Ultramax Water Dispenser with Elite Filter Brita · manufacturer
35. Brita Elite Replacement Filters Brita · manufacturer
36. Direct Connect Filtration System store listing (variants, prices, description) Waterdrop · manufacturer · data file
37. Brita Elite filter (OB06) performance data sheet Brita · manufacturer