If you want the total, honest picture: for a standard home, budget $1,000 for the system (a decent mid-range unit) and $500 for professional installation. That puts you at a comfortable $1,500 total. If you live in a small apartment with a simple setup, you might squeak by for $700.
But if you have a massive house with a well system and three bathrooms? You could easily hit $2,500 or more. (Sorry, mansion owners. Water tastes better when you’re rich, I guess?)
Sarah ended up buying a $400 unit and installed it herself with her dad. It took them six hours, there was a small flood in the garage, and she now has a permanent ban from using her father’s pipe wrench. But her white shirts are spotless. So, maybe it was worth the chaos.
Just remember: the average cost is a suggestion, not a rule. Get three quotes. Ask if the price includes the bypass valve. And for the love of soft water, don’t flood your garage.
