You can’t drink the tap water in Oaxaca. Here’s how to buy your drinking water.
Do what the locals do, that’s what I say! If they’re not drinking the tap water, there’s no way I’m going to drink it!!
It all comes down to poor filtering systems which makes it unsafe to drink. No one in Oaxaca, or Mexico drinks the tap water.
I brush my teeth with the tap water no worries, as do the locals. Some foreigners opt to use filtered water for brushing their teeth which is the safer option.
Also, you CAN drink/eat the ice in Oaxaca without any problems in any restaurant or cafe as its always made from filtered water.
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How to buy filtered water in Oaxaca
So, you’re not going to have any trouble finding filtered water to buy in Oaxaca, as everybody needs to buy it all the time. It’s everywhere. Water is quite the business!! It just comes down to what water you prefer or what’s more convenient depending on your location or the length of your stay.
Longer stays or living here, you’re going to be buying the 20 litre bottles called a ‘Garrafón’. You will first purchase the bottle with water, and from then on, each time will just be a change over ‘refill’ with your garrafón.
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Name brand Garrafón
The bigger brand names are the likes of Bonafont, Ceil, Epura and Agua Cristal. They can be purchased at some shops (tiendas), Oxxo’s, supermarkets etc… each place you go will stock either 1 of the brands. If you buy one brand, Bonafont for example, you can only exchange your next bottle with Bonafont as the bottles are like for like. Brand tucks also pass through some neighbourhoods and you can change them over at your door. You will either hear the music from the truck, or their voice yelling out the type of water.
First up cost is around $100 pesos (US$5) for the bottle and water. Each changeover from there on is around $40 pesos.
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Filtered Garrafón
This is the most common. These are the non brand garrafónes which are usually filtered from a neighbourhood shop with a large filtering system. They are therefore cheaper than the bigger names. Same applies here, you purchase your first bottle with water, then the changeover refill from there on. In most cases, people will walk or ride the streets with loads full of garrafónes and you just change it over with them. You’ll hear the yelling of ‘agua’ from a couple blocks away. Very convenient and saves a trip to exchange and the walk back with the 20kg bottle 
Lots of the smaller ‘corner shops’ stock these. Non brand garrafónes are around $15-20 pesos per changeover.
Buy smaller bottles from any shop or supermarket
This is the most expensive option (it’s still cheap) but perfect for shorter stays and super convenient. Every supermarket and small shop (tienda) will sell larger water bottles from 4 to 10 litres.
So with all this, you should be sorted with all your drinking water needs in Oaxaca
