Bottled water delivery, or filtered water from your tap?
An honest comparison of the two ways to get better drinking water at home in Barcelona: what each costs, what each takes up, and when delivery is the better choice.
Left: a dispenser and its bottles on the kitchen floor. Right: the Oasly unit under the sink.
Delivery service vs. filtration at the tap
The difference is architecture: water that is stored and transported, versus water that is filtered on demand where you drink it. Here is how the two compare, row by row.
Where the water comes from
Purified and bottled at a plant, then transported to your door
Your own mains supply, filtered at the point of use
Freshness
Sits in a plastic bottle at room temperature, typically a month between deliveries
Filtered the moment you open the tap. Nothing is stored
Can you run out?
Yes, between delivery cycles
No
Floor space
A dispenser, plus somewhere to keep full and empty bottles
Under the sink. Nothing on the floor
Physical handling
Lifting and inverting a 20 kg bottle each cycle
None
Electricity
Dispensers heat and cool continuously. Spanish consumer organisation OCU measured units of this type drawing roughly twice as much as a fridge (OCU, June 2025)
About 85 W, and only while producing water
Minerals and taste
Varies by product
Remineralised with calcium, magnesium and potassium so it does not taste flat; slightly alkaline
Price transparency
Typically quoted after a sales visit rather than published
Published: €24.90/month or €249/year in Barcelona city, €27.90/month or €279/year in the extended area, or €629–€699 to buy
Commitment
Varies by provider
No minimum term · two months' written notice
Delivery-service figures describe the category in general; terms vary by provider. We measure your TDS before and after installation and show you both numbers.
Common questions about the two options
When is a bottled water delivery service the better choice?
If you can't drill a hole for a second tap and your landlord won't allow a 3-way faucet; if there's no cold water connection near where you want to drink; if you want 90 °C water on tap without boiling a kettle; or if you're outside Barcelona, where we don't install. If any of those describe you, a delivery service is probably the better fit. We'd rather tell you now.
Is bottled water delivery or a filter cheaper?
It depends on how much you drink and on the quote you are given. Delivery pricing is usually arranged after a sales visit rather than published, so compare the total yearly figure. Our prices are published: €24.90 per month, €249 per year, or €629 to €699 to buy the unit outright.
How much space does a water dispenser take up?
A floor-standing dispenser occupies roughly the footprint of a small bin, and you also need somewhere to keep full bottles waiting to be used and empty ones waiting for collection. A point-of-use filter sits inside the sink cabinet instead, so nothing stands on the kitchen floor.
Do water dispensers use a lot of electricity?
They heat and cool water continuously, so they draw power around the clock. Spanish consumer organisation OCU measured units of this type drawing roughly twice as much as a fridge (OCU, June 2025). Our system uses about 85 W, and only while it is actually producing water.
What happens if I run out of bottled water?
You wait for the next delivery cycle, or you buy bottles at the supermarket to bridge the gap. Deliveries are typically monthly, so a heavier week can leave you short. Water filtered at the tap draws from your mains supply, so there is no cycle to run out of.
Can I install a water filter in a rented flat in Barcelona?
Often yes, but ask your landlord first. Installation means connecting to the cold-water feed and drain under the sink, and usually a dedicated faucet, which needs a hole in the worktop or sink. If drilling is not allowed, a delivery service is likely the better option for you.
What is reverse osmosis and how does it work?
It is the same process used to bottle drinking water and to desalinate seawater. It separates by scale: a reverse osmosis membrane is not a sieve with holes but a dense polymer film of roughly 0.0001 micron. Water molecules pass through easily; dissolved salts and metals far less so.
What Oasly costs
Published prices for Barcelona city, with installation and maintenance included in the subscriptions. No minimum term.
Unit, installation, maintenance and yearly filter swap included
The same service, about €50 less per year
€629 machine only, €699 installed in Barcelona
Badalona, L'Hospitalet, Sant Cugat and Esplugues: €27.90/month or €279/year.
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