Mineral water in Thai is น้ำแร่ (náam râe). Under Thai food law, natural mineral water (น้ำแร่ธรรมชาติ) is water taken directly from an underground source that already contains minerals, bottled with only limited treatment; purified drinking water (น้ำดื่ม) and drinking water with minerals added (น้ำดื่มเติมแร่ธาตุ) are different products. In October 2026, mainstream Thai mineral water brands sold online for about 13 baht per 0.5 L bottle and 23 baht per 1.5 L bottle. Minairal does not sell mineral water: its systems make filtered drinking water with minerals added, on site, without bottles.
What is mineral water called in Thai, and what does the word mean?
The Thai word is น้ำแร่, pronounced náam râe, literally "mineral water". On a label, the regulated name is น้ำแร่ธรรมชาติ, natural mineral water. The Ministry of Public Health defines it in its notification on natural mineral waters (No. 454, B.E. 2567, which replaced No. 199 of B.E. 2543): water obtained directly from underground water, containing certain minerals or trace elements according to its source, and not subjected to any treatment other than those the notification permits. The label must name the source and the minerals that characterise it, and may not carry any statement or picture that misleads the public about the nature, origin or composition of the water.
Three products sit side by side in a Thai shop, and they are not the same thing.
| Product | Thai name | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| Natural mineral water | น้ำแร่ธรรมชาติ | Water from an underground source, bottled near the source with its natural mineral content. A regulated category. |
| Purified drinking water | น้ำดื่ม | Water from any source, treated by filtration or reverse osmosis, often with very few minerals left. |
| Drinking water with minerals added | น้ำดื่มเติมแร่ธาตุ | Purified water to which minerals such as calcium and magnesium are added after filtration. This is what Minairal systems make. |
The difference matters for the price, for the taste and for what a seller is allowed to say. A company that filters water and adds minerals cannot call the result mineral water in Thailand, and Minairal does not.
Which mineral water brands are sold in Thailand?
Thai brands of natural mineral water found in supermarkets and convenience stores in October 2026 include Minere, Aura, Mont Fleur, Purra, 7 Select, Royal Project, Sixty Degree and the Lotus's own brand. Purified drinking water brands such as Crystal, Singha, Nestlé Pure Life and Chang are a different category and were not included in the survey below.
Imported natural mineral waters sold in Thailand include Evian, Volvic, Vittel, Fiji, Acqua Panna, San Benedetto, Sant'Anna, Lauretana, Solan de Cabras and Voss. Each brand has its own source and its own mineral profile, so taste varies from one to the next. Which one a person prefers is a matter of taste; this article does not rank them.
How much does mineral water cost in Thailand?
Minairal surveyed public online prices on 5 October 2026 at Lotus's Shop Online, Tops Online, Makro PRO and OfficeMate (through the price aggregator Priceza) and at ALL ONLINE, the 7-Eleven delivery shop. Pack prices were divided by the number of bottles, free bottles included. Only natural mineral water was counted. Imported brands are shown on a separate line because they would triple the average.
| Format | Brands | Prices found | Average per bottle | Median per bottle | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 L (330 to 600 ml) | Thai mainstream brands | 19 | 12.75 baht | 12.00 baht | 5.93 to 21.50 baht |
| 0.5 L | Imported brands | 15 | 44.38 baht | 42.00 baht | 35 to 63 baht |
| 1.5 L (1.25 to 1.6 L) | Thai mainstream brands | 16 | 22.57 baht | 19.58 baht | 11.13 to 46.00 baht |
| 1.5 L | Imported brands | 7 | 76.90 baht | 79.00 baht | 58 to 89 baht |
A single 0.5 L bottle of a Thai brand on a supermarket shelf costs 10 to 12 baht; a single 1.5 L bottle, 19 to 22 baht. Delivered packs from the convenience store shop are dearer, which lifts the averages. The two figures Minairal uses in its calculators are rounded from these averages: 13 baht per 0.5 L bottle and 23 baht per 1.5 L bottle.
What does a year of bottled mineral water cost a home or a hotel?
At two litres per person per day, a home of four people drinks 2,920 litres a year and a hotel serving 150 people, guests and staff together, 109,500 litres. The table applies the two default prices above. Change the people, the format or the price and the figures update on the quiz: a home of four on 0.5 L bottles or a hotel of 150 on 0.5 L bottles.
| Site | Litres a year | 0.5 L bottles at 13 baht | 1.5 L bottles at 23 baht |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home, 4 people | 2,920 | 5,840 bottles, 75,920 baht | 1,947 bottles, 44,773 baht |
| Hotel, 150 people | 109,500 | 219,000 bottles, 2,847,000 baht | 73,000 bottles, 1,679,000 baht |
The money is only part of it. One person drinking two litres a day from half-litre bottles throws away 1,460 bottles a year. On an island such as Koh Samui or Phuket, every one of those litres arrives by truck and boat and leaves the same way as waste, and the empty bottles have to be stored, collected and shipped off again.
The bottle-free alternative: drinking water with minerals added, made on site.
Minairal replaces bottled mineral water with a machine at the point of use. There are two ranges, and the choice between them depends on the site. The Air range (Air Top, Air Stand, Air Stand Pro) condenses drinking water from the humidity in the air and needs only a power socket, with 13, 16 or 22 L a day on average depending on the model. The Pure range (Pure Countertop, Pure Floor) connects to the existing water line and treats it by five-stage reverse osmosis.
In both ranges the water is filtered, protected by UV and then remineralised with calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium, at an alkaline pH. It is served hot and cold (cold only on the Air Stand Pro). The result is drinking water with minerals added, น้ำดื่มเติมแร่ธาตุ, not natural mineral water: there is no underground source, and the minerals are added after filtration. What the systems remove and what they put back is set out on our water quality page.
What changes for the site is simple. No bottles to order, store or lift. No delivery that is late in high season. No plastic in the bin. The filters are changed by a Minairal technician on a fixed schedule, from service centres in Koh Samui, Phuket and Hua Hin, with support in English and Thai. More than 700 systems already run this way in Thailand.
Frequently asked questions.
Is Minairal water mineral water?
No. In Thailand, mineral water (น้ำแร่ธรรมชาติ) is a regulated product drawn from an underground source. Minairal water is drinking water filtered on site and remineralised with calcium, magnesium, potassium and sodium: drinking water with minerals added, offered as an alternative to bottled mineral water.
Why does mineral water cost more than purified drinking water?
Natural mineral water must come from a named underground source and be bottled near it, which limits where it can be made and how far it travels. Purified drinking water can be produced anywhere from any safe source, so it is cheaper to make and to move.
Is mineral water in Thailand safe to drink?
Natural mineral water sold in sealed containers must meet the quality and contaminant limits set by the Ministry of Public Health. As with any bottled water, how the bottles were stored and for how long also matters.
Can a hotel or a villa in Thailand stop buying bottled mineral water?
Yes. A site assessment sizes the number of Air or Pure units for the daily volume, and the machines are installed in under an hour where a water line exists. Ask for a free one-week trial and a technician from the nearest service centre will come and look at the site.
