Kitchen, cost per litre
Cost per litre: tap, filter jug and bottled water
This is the widest spread on the whole site. The same substance, delivered three ways, differs by more than a hundred to one, and the expensive end of it is sold on the basis that it tastes different.
Some links on this page are affiliate links, which earn us a commission if you buy. It costs you nothing extra, and it never changes which option comes out cheapest here, because the ranking is arithmetic. How this works.
The answer
Tap water costs 0.46p a litre. The dearest row on this page costs 67p, a factor of 145.7. Over 730 litres a year, two litres a day, the difference between the top and the bottom of the table is £486.
| Option | Running | Cost per litre | Relative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Straight from the tapmetered mains water | 0.46p | 0.46p | |
| Filter jug£6.25 cartridge, 150 litres | 4.63p | 5.31p | |
| Bottled, supermarket multipackown label still water | 21p | 21p | |
| Bottled, branded stilla named spring brand | 67p | 67p |
The tap figure includes sewerage, because you are billed for a litre on the way in and again on the way out. Even carrying both charges it is under half a penny, which is why nothing else on this page can get close to it.
The filter jug is ten times the tap and still very cheap
A cartridge costs £6.25 and is rated for 150 litres, so it adds 4.63p to every litre and the jug itself adds almost nothing. That makes filtered water about ten times the price of tap water and about a quarter the price of the cheapest bottle.
The rated life is the number to watch. Filter jug cartridges are also sold on a four week clock, and if you filter less than about 40 litres a week you will be replacing cartridges on time rather than on volume, which quietly raises the real cost per litre well above 4.63p.
It reduces chlorine taste and limescale. It is not a purifier and UK tap water does not need purifying: it is already regulated to a standard that bottled water is not held to. If you are buying a jug for taste and for a cleaner kettle, that is a real reason. If you are buying it because you think the tap is unsafe, you are paying for something you already have.
Where the bottled price goes
Not on the water. It goes on the bottle, on moving something heavy across the country, on chilling it in a shop, and on the brand. That is a legitimate set of costs for a legitimate product, and it is worth being clear that you are buying convenience and packaging rather than a better litre of water.
The comparison that matters most
A single branded bottle bought on the way to work is the expensive habit here, not the multipack. At 67p a litre, one bottle a working day is around £160 a year. The same water from the tap through a £25 jug is about £12, and the jug lasts five years.
The verdict
Drink tap water. If you dislike the taste or your area is hard enough that the kettle furs up in a fortnight, buy a jug, because 4.63p a litre is a small price for actually enjoying it. Buy bottled when you are out and had not planned to be thirsty, which is what it is genuinely good for, and stop buying it for the house.
Put your own numbers in
The consumable field is the filter cartridge or the bottle. Put your own water rate in, since it varies more by company than any other price on this site.
Cost per meal
Set the purchase price to zero for the running cost alone.
Questions
How much does tap water cost per litre in the UK?
About 0.46p a litre including sewerage, at £4.60 per cubic metre a cubic metre. Rates vary by company more than any other price on this site, so check your own bill.
Is a water filter jug cheaper than bottled water?
Much cheaper. A filter jug works out around 4.63p a litre against 21p for the cheapest supermarket multipack and 67p for a branded bottle.
How much does a Brita style filter cost per litre?
About 4.63p, based on a £6.25 cartridge rated for 150 litres. If you filter less than roughly 40 litres a week you will hit the four week replacement clock first and the real cost per litre rises.
Is bottled water better than tap water in the UK?
Not on safety. UK mains water is regulated to a stricter standard than bottled water is. Bottled water is a convenience and a taste preference, and it costs between 45 and 145 times as much.
Does a filter jug soften water?
It reduces limescale build up in a kettle, which is what most people notice, but it is not a water softener and will not change the water reaching your boiler or shower.
Related
- Cost per mile: petrol, diesel and electric in 2026What a mile costs in a petrol, diesel or electric car at August 2026 UK pump and charging prices, fuel only and with depreciation and upkeep included.
- Cost per page: ink vs compatible vs tonerWhat a printed page really costs in the UK: original ink, third party cartridges and mono laser toner, with the printer's own cost divided in.
- Cost per portion: meal kits, shopping and takeawayWhat a portion of dinner costs in the UK from a meal kit, a supermarket shop, a batch cook and a takeaway, with the cooking energy included.
More kitchen costs, or read how we work these out.
Prices used on this page
- Water and sewerage, £4.60 per cubic metre. Combined volumetric water and wastewater charge, metered. Mean of three large suppliers for 2026/27: Thames Water £4.02, United Utilities £4.75, Anglian Water £5.03 per cubic metre.. Published 2026/27 household charges, Thames Water, United Utilities and Anglian Water. Checked 22 August 2026.