SodaStream vs. Canned Sparkling Water: Payoff in 3.2 Months
Store-bought sparkling water costs about $0.54 per can — or $32/month if you drink two a day. SodaStream brings that to $0.13 per serving. The math pays off in just over 3 months. Every fizzy drink after that is essentially free.
Payoff Time
3.2 mo
SodaStream Fizzi vs Canned Sparkling Water
Product cost
$80
one-time
Annual savings
$300
vs Canned Sparkling Water
The Setup: The Sparkling Water Habit
Sparkling water went from a specialty item to a refrigerator staple. LaCroix, Spindrift, Bubly, Waterloo — the canned sparkling water market has tripled in the last decade as people moved away from soda. Good trade. But the economics haven't changed: you're still buying something, drinking it, and throwing away the container.
Two cans a day is a modest sparkling water habit. At $6.50 for a 12-pack, that's 60 cans per month, or 5 cases. That comes to $32.50/month, or $390/year, for the privilege of carbonated tap water in a can.
A SodaStream uses a 60-liter CO2 cylinder to carbonate tap water on demand. A cylinder costs about $15 to exchange and covers approximately 120 12-oz servings. At 60 servings per month, that's half a cylinder — $7.50/month for the exact same drinking experience.
The Per-Can Math
This is the cleanest way to see it. Canned sparkling water: $0.54/can. SodaStream: $0.125/can. You're paying 4.3× more for the can. Over two years, that premium adds up to over $600.
| SodaStream (per month) | Canned Sparkling Water | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per serving | $0.13 | $0.54 |
| Upfront cost | $80 | $0 |
| Monthly ongoing | $7.50 | $32.50 |
| Month 1 total | $87.50 | $32.50 |
| Month 2 total | $95.00 | $65.00 |
| ★ Breakeven (~3.2 months) | ~$104 | ~$104 |
| Year 1 total | $170 | $390 |
| Year 2 total | $260 | $780 |
| 5-year total | $530 | $1,950 |
* All figures are estimates. See methodology for assumptions.
Cumulative Cost Over Time
The lines cross at the breakeven point — that's when the savings zone begins.
The Flavor Question
Plain SodaStream water tastes exactly like plain sparkling water — which is to say, it tastes like the tap water you started with, just fizzy. If your tap water is good, you're set. If it's chlorinated or mineral-heavy, add a simple Brita filter upstream (adds ~$2/month, barely affects the math).
If you drink flavored sparkling water (Spindrift, flavored LaCroix), you can add SodaStream syrups (~$6-8 per bottle, covers 9 liters) or use a small splash of juice. The math gets slightly less favorable but still pays off in under 5 months.
Carbonation level: SodaStream goes higher than most canned sparkling water if you push the button twice or three times. You actually have more control than with cans.
The Plastic and Aluminum Case
A 2-can-per-day habit generates 730 aluminum cans per year. Even if you recycle perfectly, recycling aluminum requires 5% of the energy of primary production — it's not free. A SodaStream produces one plastic bottle that lasts 3-4 years. The environmental case is as strong as the financial one.
Sensitivity Analysis: Your Results May Vary
Payoff time changes based on how much you currently spend.
Heavy drinker (3+ cans/day or household)
You or your household goes through 90+ cans/month.
2.1mo
$450/yr
Regular drinker (2 cans/day) (our base case)
Two cans per day — our base case.
3.2mo
$300/yr
Light drinker (1 can/day)
One can equivalent per day — 30 servings/month.
6.3mo
$152/yr
"SodaStream costs $0.13/can to make. Store-bought sparkling water costs $0.54/can. At 2 cans/day, that's $300/year saved."
What We Recommend
The main differences between SodaStream models are whether carbonation is manual (push-button) or one-touch automatic, and bottle capacity. All produce identical sparkling water.
SodaStream Terra Sparkling Water Maker
$60
upfront
2.4mo
payoff
$300
/ year
Manual button press — hold to carbonate, release to stop. Comes with a 60L CO2 cylinder and one 1L bottle. Solid starter kit. Fastest payoff of the three.
See on Amazon →Prices updated automatically. Affiliate link.
SodaStream Fizzi One Touch
$80
upfront
3.2mo
payoff
$300
/ year
One-touch automatic carbonation with three fizz levels. Cleaner design, easier to use. The $20 premium over Terra pays off in about a month of savings. Our pick.
See on Amazon →Prices updated automatically. Affiliate link.
SodaStream Art Sparkling Water Maker
$130
upfront
5.2mo
payoff
$300
/ year
The design showpiece. Glass carafe instead of plastic bottle. Manual lever carbonation with satisfying haptics. Works if you want it on the counter and care about aesthetics.
See on Amazon →Prices updated automatically. Affiliate link.
What we didn't account for
- → CO2 cylinder exchange availability. You need a nearby Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, or specialty kitchen store to exchange cylinders. Check before buying. Mail exchange is also available but adds ~$5/cylinder.
- → The plastic bottle. SodaStream bottles have a 3-4 year lifespan. Replacements are $10-15 each. We didn't include this — it adds about $3-4/year to the ongoing cost.
- → Flavored sparkling water gap. If you mainly drink Spindrift (with real juice) or Liquid Death (sparkling), the taste comparison to plain SodaStream + syrup isn't exact. Adjust the math if you'd use syrups.