First, the easy part: a liter of tap water costs you practically nothing. In most places, a full gallon (about 3.8 liters) runs you less than a penny from your kitchen sink. It’s almost free. Compare that to a liter of premium bottled water, which can cost anywhere from 50 cents to three dollars. That’s a markup of, like, a thousand percent or more!
My neighbor Sarah once joked that she pays more for a single bottle of fancy spring water than she does for her morning coffee. And she’s not wrong. Think about it: you can buy a whole liter of gas for your car for about the same price as a liter of designer H₂O. Suddenly, that “pure glacier” taste feels a little less magical, doesn’t it?