RO Filter and Membrane Price in India: What You Pay and When

In a typical Indian RO purifier, a sediment pre-filter costs about ₹300 to ₹500 per change, a carbon filter about ₹400 to ₹600, and the RO membrane, the most expensive part, about ₹1,500 to ₹3,500. How often you pay depends on your water: sediment filters may need changing every few months on borewell water, while a membrane typically lasts about 2 years. Change parts on their condition, not just the calendar.

What Each Filter Does

An RO purifier is a chain. Each part protects the next, which is why skipping a cheap filter often ends up costing you an expensive one.

• Sediment pre-filter: catches sand, silt and rust particles before they reach anything delicate.
• Pre-carbon filter: removes chlorine, organic compounds and odour. Chlorine left in the water chemically damages the RO membrane, so this filter is the membrane’s guard.
• RO membrane: the stage that reduces dissolved solids (TDS), hardness salts and dissolved contaminants. This is where purification really happens.
• UV lamp: inactivates bacteria and viruses. A failing lamp may still glow, so you cannot judge it by eye.
• Post-carbon or mineral cartridge: polishes taste, or adds selected minerals back after RO.

Typical Price and Replacement Interval

These are the general figures from our RO filter replacement schedule and our 5-year maintenance cost breakdown. They describe typical home RO purifiers in Indian conditions, not any single product.

Part	Typical cost per change	Typical interval
Sediment pre-filter	₹300 to ₹500	Every 3 to 6 months on high-sediment borewell water; 6 to 12 months on treated municipal water
Pre-carbon filter	₹400 to ₹600	Every 6 to 12 months, depending on chlorine in the supply
RO membrane	₹1,500 to ₹3,500	About 2 years; sooner with high TDS, hard water or heavy use
UV lamp (mercury)	₹800 to ₹1,200	Every 12 to 18 months
UV lamp (LED)	₹1,000 to ₹1,500	Every 24 to 36 months
Post-carbon or mineral cartridge	₹400 to ₹800	Every 6 to 12 months
Service visit (labour)	₹300 to ₹500	2 to 3 times a year

The membrane intervals are a starting point, not a promise. As our guide to RO membrane life and replacement explains, high TDS, hard water, heavy sediment and weak pre-filtration all shorten it, while clean, well pre-filtered water stretches it.

What Drives the Price of a Filter

• Genuine vs compatible. Parts from the purifier’s own brand cost more than generic “compatible” cartridges. The genuine part is made to fit that housing and is covered by the warranty.
• Membrane GPD rating. Membranes are rated in gallons per day (GPD), a measure of how much water they can produce. A higher-output membrane usually costs more, and it must suit the purifier’s pump and flow restrictor to work as intended.
• Membrane type. Longer-life membranes cost more per piece but are replaced less often, so the yearly cost can be lower.
• Warranty. A part sold with a stated warranty and fitted by the brand costs more than a loose cartridge with none.
• Installation. A membrane change should include fitting, flushing and an output TDS check. Some quotes include the visit, some do not, so compare like with like.

Signs a Filter Is Due

Part	What you notice
Sediment filter	Reduced flow; the filter looks brown or clogged; the pump sounds louder
Carbon filter	Chlorine taste or smell returns; a musty or earthy taste
RO membrane	Output TDS rising over weeks; salty or metallic taste; slower flow
UV lamp	Usually nothing you can see or taste, which is why it is easy to neglect

Rising Output TDS Means a Membrane Check

A healthy membrane keeps output TDS low and steady. As it wears or scales, more dissolved solids slip through, so the output reading creeps up over weeks. That is the clearest single sign to watch.

Before blaming the membrane, check the input. A membrane rejects a proportion of what comes in, so if your input TDS has risen (a new borewell season, a switch to tanker water), output rises too even with a healthy membrane. If input is steady and output keeps climbing, or the taste changes and flow slows at the same time, ask a technician to check the membrane and the pre-filters that protect it.

The Risk of Cheap Compatible Membranes

A cheap compatible membrane can look identical to the genuine one. The risks are not visible until later:

• Fit. A membrane that sits loosely in its housing can let water bypass it, so some water is not purified at all.
• Rejection rate. A poorer membrane lets more dissolved solids through, so output TDS is higher from day one and rises faster.
• Wrong rating. A membrane not matched to your pump and flow restrictor can change how much water goes to the drain and how well it purifies.
• Voided warranty. Many purifier warranties exclude damage from non-genuine parts. Check your terms before saving a few hundred rupees.

If someone offers to fit a membrane at a price well below the typical range, ask what it is, ask to see the output TDS before and after, and keep the old one until you are satisfied.

Change on Condition, Not Guesswork

A calendar tells you how much time has passed, not how worn a filter is. Two homes with the same purifier can need very different schedules: one on soft municipal water with light use, another on hard borewell water with a large family. Changing strictly by date means either paying for parts that still had life left or running worn parts too long.

That is the case for monitoring. Boon’s WaterAI monitoring on Boon Homie and Boon Tap shows input TDS, output TDS and filter health, so you can see the output trend and change parts when the data says so. Both are installed and serviced by Boon’s own team, not a third-party agency, so the person changing your membrane is fitting a genuine part and checking the output before leaving.

Where this does not help: if you already own another brand’s purifier, follow that brand’s schedule and use a handheld TDS meter monthly to catch a rising output yourself.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the price of an RO filter in India?

In typical home RO purifiers, a sediment pre-filter costs about ₹300 to ₹500 per change, a carbon filter about ₹400 to ₹600, a post-carbon or mineral cartridge about ₹400 to ₹800, and the RO membrane about ₹1,500 to ₹3,500. A service visit for labour is typically ₹300 to ₹500. Exact prices depend on the brand and whether parts are genuine.

How often should an RO membrane be replaced?

A household RO membrane typically lasts about 2 years, but your water decides the real figure. High TDS, hard water, heavy sediment and late pre-filter changes all shorten it. The best signal is output TDS rising over several weeks while input TDS stays the same.

Why is my RO output TDS increasing?

Output TDS rises when the membrane wears or scales, but also when input TDS goes up, because a membrane rejects a proportion of what comes in. Check your input first. If input is steady and output keeps climbing over weeks, or the taste turns salty and flow slows, have a technician check the membrane and the pre-filters.

Are compatible RO filters safe to use?

Some are, but the risks are real. A compatible membrane may fit loosely and let water bypass it, reject fewer dissolved solids, or be mismatched to your pump and flow restrictor. Many warranties also exclude damage from non-genuine parts. If you use one, check output TDS before and after fitting and confirm your warranty terms first.

Which RO filter needs changing most often?

The sediment pre-filter, because it catches sand, silt and rust first. On high-sediment borewell water it typically needs changing every 3 to 6 months, and every 6 to 12 months on treated municipal water. Reduced flow and a brown, clogged cartridge are the usual signs. Changing it on time protects the more expensive parts after it.

Can I change RO filters myself?

Simple pre-filter cartridges can sometimes be changed at home if the brand allows it, but the RO membrane is best left to a trained technician. It must be the correct part, seated properly, and the system should be flushed and output TDS checked afterwards. A wrong or loose membrane can leak or pass dissolved solids without you noticing.