What is the cheapest watermaker under $6,000?

Rainman Portable AC 75L at $4,402 indicative, making 55–82 litres an hour at 18.2 Wh per litre. Cheapest to buy and cheapest to own are different questions — the Rainman Portable AC 140L in this same band runs at 9.8 Wh/L.

Is a more expensive watermaker cheaper to run?

Not reliably, and that is the point of ranking by energy. Within this band the spread is 9.8 to 19.7 Wh per litre, and it tracks pump technology rather than price: energy recovery reuses the pressure in the brine, conventional pumps throw it overboard. Compare the Wh/L column, not the invoice.

What is not included in these prices?

Freight, installation, and any dealer margin or currency movement since the dataset was checked on 5 September 2026. Installation in particular can be a substantial fraction of the unit price and depends entirely on the boat, so we do not publish a figure for it — ask for the unit and the install quoted separately.

By budget · updated 5 September 2026

Watermakers under $6,000.

The entry to the market, and almost entirely conventional high-pressure pumps. Plenty of litres per hour for the money; the energy to make them is where you pay.

Systems in this band1110 with a rated draw

Cheapest here$4,402Rainman Portable AC 75L

Most efficient here9.8 Wh/LRainman Portable AC 140L

What this budget really buys. At this level you are buying output, not efficiency. Every energy-recovery system in the table sits above this band, so a system here will cost you two to five times the watt-hours per litre of one that does not.

Every system under $6,000

Ordered by watt-hours per litre, not by price — the cheapest row is rarely the top one.

System	Power	Output L/hr	Draw W	Wh per litre	Price
Portable AC 140L Rainman	AC 240V	100–154	1,250	9.8	$5,329
Modular AC 140L Rainman	AC 240V	100–154	1,250	9.8	$5,460
Portable 24VDC 55L Rainman	24V DC	45–61	600	11.3	$4,898
Modular 24VDC 55L Rainman	24V DC	45–61	600	11.3	$5,053
Portable 12VDC 34L Rainman	12V DC	26–37	400	12.7	$4,898
Modular 12VDC 34L Rainman	12V DC	26–37	400	12.7	$5,053
Portable AC 75L Rainman	AC 240V	55–82	1,250	18.2	$4,402
Modular AC 75L Rainman	AC 240V	55–82	1,250	18.2	$4,522
Portable AC 70L Rainman	AC 240V	50–77	1,250	19.7	$5,296
Modular AC 70L Rainman	AC 240V	50–77	1,250	19.7	$5,299
Portable Petrol 75L Rainman	Petrol	55–82	—	petrol	$5,804

Under 6 Wh/L · energy recovery

6–12 Wh/L

Over 12 Wh/L

Common questions

What is the cheapest watermaker under $6,000?: Rainman Portable AC 75L at $4,402 indicative, making 55–82 litres an hour at 18.2 Wh per litre. Cheapest to buy and cheapest to own are different questions — the Rainman Portable AC 140L in this same band runs at 9.8 Wh/L.
Is a more expensive watermaker cheaper to run?: Not reliably, and that is the point of ranking by energy. Within this band the spread is 9.8 to 19.7 Wh per litre, and it tracks pump technology rather than price: energy recovery reuses the pressure in the brine, conventional pumps throw it overboard. Compare the Wh/L column, not the invoice.
What is not included in these prices?: Freight, installation, and any dealer margin or currency movement since the dataset was checked on 5 September 2026. Installation in particular can be a substantial fraction of the unit price and depends entirely on the boat, so we do not publish a figure for it — ask for the unit and the install quoted separately.

Other budgets

Spend more, or less

All prices →

$6,000 – $10,00013 Over $10,0006 Cheapest to run Full comparison table

Indicative, not quoted. Prices are manufacturer list or dealer figures recorded at the last dataset check (5 September 2026) and converted to Australian dollars where published elsewhere. They exclude freight and installation and they move. Watt-hours per litre is the rated draw divided by the rated output and does not move — which is why the ordering on this page is by energy rather than by price. Methodology.