Buy or Rent a Water Cooler? How to Decide for Your Office

Every office asks this at some point, and the honest answer is that neither option is universally better. It comes down to how you would rather handle ongoing maintenance, and how long you expect to keep the unit.

Buying: Lower Long-Term Cost, More Responsibility

Buying a cooler outright, typically $990 for a plumbed or benchtop unit, $1,490 for a bubbler, is the cheaper option over several years of use. What buying does not include is ongoing servicing. Filter cartridges still need replacing on schedule, and if something goes wrong with the unit, arranging a repair is on you rather than built into an existing plan. Buying suits an office with someone willing to own that maintenance, or a household use case where the stakes of a missed filter change are lower.

Renting: Predictable Cost, Maintenance Included

Renting bundles installation, servicing and filter replacement into one weekly cost, from around $11 a week for coolers and $17 a week for bubblers. Nobody has to remember a filter schedule, and if the unit needs attention, that is part of what you are paying for. The trade-off is that over a long enough period, cumulative rental payments exceed the purchase price of the equivalent unit.

The Practical Test

Ask two questions. First, is there someone in the business who will reliably track servicing and filter changes on owned equipment? If not, renting removes that risk entirely. Second, how long do you expect to keep the unit at this site? Short-term or uncertain-tenure offices generally do better renting, or using casual hire for genuinely short placements. Established, long-term sites with reliable facilities management often come out ahead buying.

A Middle Path

Some businesses buy the unit and separately arrange servicing, which is a reasonable middle ground if you want ownership without wanting to manage filter changes yourself. If that sounds like your situation, it is worth asking about service-only arrangements when you enquire.

Compare Both Options

Browse the full range to see purchase pricing, or see our rental plans for the weekly cost including servicing.