India, Feb. 13 -- When buyers walk into any appliance store or browse online listings, they find dozens of RO water purifiers priced around Rs.15,000. On paper, they look reassuringly similar. They have multi-stage filtration, decent storage, familiar brand names, and promises of pure water. But the purchase price tells only part of the story.

For most households, the real cost of an RO water purifier is not what is paid on day one. It is what adds up quietly over the next few years through filter replacements, service visits, AMCs, and warranty exclusions that buyers often discover only after they are locked in.

This article examines where these costs come from and what long-term ownership actually looks like across leading models in t...