When it comes to drinking water, Australians have more choices than ever. You can pour a glass straight from the tap, install a home water filtration system, or purchase bottled water from almost every supermarket and convenience store.
So which option is actually the better choice?
Many people assume bottled water is cleaner or healthier than tap water. Others wonder whether investing in a home water filter is worthwhile when Australia’s drinking water is already considered among the safest in the world.
The reality is more nuanced.
Australia has some of the world’s strictest drinking water regulations. Public drinking water is monitored under the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG), helping ensure it is safe for everyday consumption. However, many households—particularly across South Australia—still choose to install water filtration systems to improve taste, reduce chlorine, minimise sediment, and address contaminants that may enter water through ageing household plumbing.
For South Australians, the discussion is particularly relevant. Adelaide and many surrounding regions receive water sourced primarily from the River Murray, resulting in naturally harder water with higher mineral content than many other Australian cities. While completely safe to drink, this mineral profile often affects taste, odour and appliance performance, making filtered water an increasingly popular choice.
This guide compares bottled water vs filtered water to help you make an informed decision for your family.
You’ll discover:
- Which option is healthiest
- Which offers the best value for money
- Environmental differences
- Why many South Australian households choose filtered water
- Whether bottled water is really worth the extra cost
- How to choose the best home water filter
Whether you’re considering a Puratap water filtration system or simply want to understand your options, this guide explains the facts without the marketing hype.
Quick Answer: Is Filtered Water Better Than Bottled Water?
For most Australian households, yes.
While bottled water can be convenient when travelling or during emergencies, a quality home filtration system offers the best balance of health, cost, taste and environmental sustainability.
At a glance
| Feature | Tap Water | Filtered Water | Bottled Water |
| Safe to drink | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Improves taste | ❌ Sometimes | ✅ Yes | ✅ Usually |
| Removes chlorine | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | Varies |
| Helps reduce sediment | ❌ No | ✅ Yes | Usually |
| Can reduce lead* | ❌ No | ✅ With certified filters | Varies |
| Can reduce PFAS* | ❌ No | ✅ Some certified systems | Varies |
| Contains fluoride | ✅ Yes | Usually retained depending on filter | Often no |
| Ongoing cost | Very low | Low | Very high |
| Plastic waste | None | None | High |
| Best for everyday use | Good | Excellent | Not ideal |
*Removal depends on the filtration technology and certification.
Bottom line:
- Tap water is safe and highly regulated.
- Filtered tap water provides the same convenience while improving taste and reducing additional contaminants depending on the filtration system.
- Bottled water offers convenience but generally costs hundreds to thousands of times more over time while creating significantly more plastic waste.
Why This Comparison Matters More in South Australia
If you live in Adelaide or elsewhere in South Australia, you’ve probably noticed your water tastes different from interstate supplies.
That’s because South Australia’s drinking water has unique characteristics.
SA Water consistently achieves extremely high compliance with the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines, with more than 99.8% compliance across health-related parameters and 100% compliance for microbiological safety testing. This means your tap water is safe to drink.
However, South Australian water is also naturally:
- Higher in dissolved minerals
- Moderately to highly hard
- More likely to have noticeable chlorine taste
- More prone to causing scale build-up in kettles, coffee machines and plumbing fixtures
These characteristics don’t necessarily affect safety—but they do influence taste and why so many South Australians choose to filter their water.
Rather than replacing safe drinking water, a quality filtration system enhances it by reducing chlorine, sediment and unwanted tastes while maintaining the convenience of your existing tap supply.
For many families, it’s about improving drinking water rather than replacing it.
Bottled Water vs Filtered Water: What’s the Difference?
Although both provide safe drinking water, they differ significantly in where the water comes from, how it’s treated, and what you’re actually paying for.
Filtered Water
Filtered water begins as municipal tap water supplied by your local water authority.
Instead of drinking it directly, the water passes through one or more filtration stages that may remove:
- Chlorine
- Sediment
- Rust particles
- Lead from household plumbing
- Certain chemicals
- Microplastics
- Some PFAS compounds (depending on the filter)
The exact contaminants removed depend entirely on the quality and certification of the filtration system.
High-quality under-sink systems generally provide significantly greater filtration performance than simple water filter jugs.
The biggest advantage is that filtered water retains the convenience of tap water while improving taste and reducing unwanted impurities.
Bottled Water
Bottled water may sound completely different—but surprisingly, it often isn’t.
Many Australians are surprised to learn that a significant proportion of bottled water originates from municipal water supplies before undergoing additional treatment and being packaged for sale.
Depending on the brand, bottled water may be:
- Spring water
- Mineral water
- Purified water
- Filtered municipal water
- Artesian water
Some brands naturally contain minerals, while others remove minerals through purification before adding selected minerals back to improve flavour.
Despite premium branding, bottled water doesn’t automatically offer superior health benefits compared to filtered tap water.
Which Tastes Better?
Taste is one of the biggest reasons Australians buy bottled water.
However, taste doesn’t necessarily reflect water quality.
Tap water can taste different because of:
- Chlorine used during disinfection
- Naturally occurring minerals
- Water hardness
- Household plumbing
A quality home filtration system removes much of the chlorine responsible for unpleasant taste and odour, allowing many people to enjoy water that tastes similar to premium bottled brands—without continually purchasing plastic bottles.
Why Many Australians Are Switching to Home Water Filters
Over the past decade, more households have begun moving away from bottled water in favour of permanent home filtration systems.
The reasons are straightforward:
- Better tasting water every day
- Lower ongoing costs
- Less plastic waste
- Greater convenience
- Confidence in what they’re drinking
- No need to transport heavy cartons of bottled water
For South Australian households in particular, filtration also helps improve the taste profile of naturally mineral-rich water while reducing the chlorine taste that many residents notice.
Unlike bottled water, filtered tap water remains available straight from your own kitchen tap whenever you need it.
Is Filtered Water Healthier Than Bottled Water?
One of the most common questions Australians ask is whether filtered water is actually healthier than bottled water.
The short answer is that both bottled water and filtered tap water can be safe to drink, but they offer different advantages. Australia’s public drinking water already meets strict national safety standards, so the decision usually comes down to water quality preferences, long-term value, convenience, and the type of filtration used.
For most households, a high-quality home filtration system provides the best balance of safety, taste and sustainability.
Australia’s Tap Water Is Already Among the Safest in the World
Before comparing filtered and bottled water, it’s important to understand the quality of Australia’s drinking water.
Australian drinking water suppliers operate under the Australian Drinking Water Guidelines (ADWG) developed by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Water authorities continually test for microbiological contaminants, chemicals and other health-related parameters to ensure water supplied to homes is safe.
This means that for the vast majority of Australians:
- Tap water is safe to drink.
- Water quality is continually monitored.
- Fluoride is added in many areas to help reduce tooth decay.
- Strict standards apply before water reaches your property.
However, once water enters household plumbing, other factors may affect quality and taste, including:
- ageing pipes
- sediment
- rust
- plumbing materials
- chlorine taste and odour
- naturally occurring minerals.
This is where home filtration becomes valuable.
What Does a Water Filter Remove?
Not every water filter performs the same.
Some inexpensive jug filters mainly improve taste, while premium under-sink filtration systems are designed to remove a much broader range of contaminants.
Depending on the technology used, quality filtration systems may help reduce:
- Chlorine
- Sediment
- Rust particles
- Lead from ageing household plumbing
- Certain heavy metals
- Pesticides and herbicides
- Some PFAS (“forever chemicals”)
- Microplastics
- Unpleasant tastes and odours
Many filtration systems also improve the clarity of water, making it more enjoyable to drink without removing beneficial naturally occurring minerals.
This is one of the biggest differences between filtered tap water and bottled water—you have greater transparency over the filtration system protecting your family’s drinking water.
Does Bottled Water Contain Fewer Contaminants?
Many people assume bottled water is “purer.”
In reality, that’s not always true.
Depending on the brand:
- some bottled water is natural spring water
- some is purified water
- some is simply municipal tap water that has undergone additional filtration before bottling.
Several studies have also found that bottled water can contain microplastics originating from the plastic packaging itself. While research into the long-term health effects continues, many Australians prefer reducing unnecessary exposure wherever practical.
This doesn’t mean bottled water is unsafe.
Rather, it challenges the common assumption that bottled water is automatically cleaner than filtered tap water.
Filtered Water vs Bottled Water for Chemical Exposure
One reason homeowners invest in filtration is to reduce exposure to substances that may still be present in drinking water, even though they remain within Australian safety guidelines.
Depending on the filtration technology, certified systems may help reduce:
- chlorine
- lead
- sediment
- volatile organic compounds (VOCs)
- PFAS
- microplastics
- some agricultural contaminants
Not every household requires this level of filtration.
However, many families prefer the additional reassurance that comes from treating water immediately before it reaches the glass.
For households with older plumbing, this can be particularly beneficial, as contaminants introduced after water leaves the treatment plant may not be removed without point-of-use filtration.
What About PFAS?
PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) have become an important topic in Australian water quality discussions.
Often called “forever chemicals,” PFAS are man-made compounds that persist in the environment for long periods and have prompted updates to Australian drinking water guidelines.
While Australian water authorities continually monitor water supplies and maintain compliance with national standards, some homeowners choose certified filtration systems capable of reducing PFAS as an additional precaution.
When comparing water filters, look for independently tested systems certified for PFAS reduction rather than relying on marketing claims alone.
Can Water Filters Remove Microplastics?
Microplastics have been detected worldwide—in oceans, rivers, food and both bottled and tap water.
The amount present varies considerably depending on the source and testing methods.
High-performance filtration systems designed with fine carbon block or advanced membrane technology may reduce many microplastic particles before water reaches your glass.
By comparison, bottled water introduces an additional potential source of microplastics through plastic packaging and bottling processes.
For households wanting to minimise plastic exposure, filtering tap water and using reusable drink bottles is generally the more practical long-term solution.
Does Filtered Water Still Contain Fluoride?
One concern many Australians have is whether installing a water filter removes fluoride.
The answer depends on the type of filtration.
Most standard carbon filtration systems—including many under-sink systems—retain fluoride while removing chlorine and improving taste.
Reverse osmosis systems, however, often remove fluoride along with many dissolved minerals.
For many Australian households, retaining fluoride is considered beneficial because fluoride supports dental health and is intentionally added to many public water supplies under national health guidelines.
If fluoride retention is important to your family, it’s worth checking the specifications of any filtration system before purchasing.
Is Bottled Water Better for Children?
For healthy children, both bottled water and filtered tap water are generally safe when sourced appropriately.
However, filtered tap water offers several practical advantages for families:
- fresh drinking water available anytime
- lower long-term costs
- reduced plastic waste
- no need to store heavy cartons
- improved taste that encourages regular hydration
For preparing infant formula, parents should continue following Australian health advice regarding boiling water where required, regardless of whether the water is filtered.
Health Comparison: Filtered Water vs Bottled Water
| Feature | Filtered Water | Bottled Water |
| Removes chlorine | ✔ Yes (quality systems) | Varies |
| Reduces sediment | ✔ Yes | Usually |
| Helps reduce lead | ✔ Certified systems | Varies |
| Helps reduce PFAS | ✔ Some certified filters | Not guaranteed |
| May reduce microplastics | ✔ Yes (advanced filters) | Plastic packaging may introduce microplastics |
| Fluoride | Usually retained (depends on filter) | Often absent |
| Fresh from tap | ✔ Yes | No |
| Plastic exposure | Minimal | Higher |
| Daily convenience | Excellent | Moderate |
Expert Verdict
For most Australian households, filtered tap water provides the best combination of health, convenience and confidence.
Australia’s tap water is already highly regulated and safe to drink, but quality filtration can further improve taste while helping reduce chlorine, sediment and selected contaminants depending on the filtration technology used.
Bottled water remains useful for travel, emergencies and situations where safe tap water isn’t available, but it generally offers no proven health advantage over a well-maintained home filtration system for everyday drinking.
Bottled Water vs Filtered Water: Which Costs More?
If you’re buying bottled water every week, you may be spending far more than you realise.
While a single bottle might seem inexpensive, the annual cost for a household can quickly add up to hundreds or even thousands of dollars.
In the next section, we’ll compare the true cost of bottled water vs filtered water, including purchase price, ongoing maintenance, and the long-term savings many South Australian households achieve by switching to a home filtration system.
Make the Switch to Better-Tasting Water with Puratap
Whether you’re looking to reduce your reliance on bottled water or simply enjoy cleaner, better-tasting water straight from the tap, a Puratap under-sink water filtration system is a smart investment for your home.
Designed for Australian households and backed by decades of experience, Puratap systems filter your drinking water at the point of use, helping to reduce chlorine, sediment and other unwanted impurities while delivering fresh, great-tasting water whenever you need it. It’s a convenient, cost-effective alternative to buying bottled water, helping you save money while reducing single-use plastic waste.
Already have a Puratap system installed? Don’t forget that your filter cartridges need to be replaced regularly to maintain optimal performance and water quality. Over time, filters become saturated and less effective, so routine servicing helps ensure your system continues to provide the clean, refreshing water you expect.
Whether you’re installing a new under-sink filtration system or booking your next filter replacement, Puratap makes it easy to enjoy high-quality filtered water every day.
Ready to enjoy fresher, better-tasting water? Contact Puratap today to arrange a new under-sink water filter installation or schedule your next filter replacement service and keep your system performing at its best.
