What is the price of water?

One litre of bottled water may cost several euros, compared to which the price of tap water is hardly worth mentioning. And while water from your own well is cheap, neither is it completely free.

In most countries in the world, tap water is only good enough for washing purposes. As it is not recommended for drinking, people buy their drinking water in plastic bottles in a shop. Bottled water is also on sale in Finland, including Finnish spring water and imported bottled waters. The price difference between various brands may be up to ten-fold, with the most expensive imported waters costing almost ten euros a litre. A higher price is no guarantee of better quality, however.

Finnish tap water is safe to drink and also a good match for bottled waters in its quality. Even if it were made from lake or river water, it usually has no unpleasant taste. It also has a lower concentration of microbes than bottled water and, consequently, its hygienic quality is better.

The average price of tap water is around five euros per cubic metre, which means that you can get around a thousand litres of water from the tap for the price of one litre of imported bottled water.

While there is no charge for pumping water out of your own well, a well must be looked after: it must be cleaned regularly, and the water quality must be tested from time to time. As the pump must be serviced, too, you also end up paying a small price for your well water.

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