Words of a tried-and-true city person.
Admittedly the cost of drilling a well can be high, but 1000 ft or so of water line (crossing 2 creeks) installed and what the water company charges for a meter isn't cheap - would bet that the cost is similar. The cost of replacement for pump and pressure tank is minimal when spread over the lifetime of the item, probably similar or less than monthly water bill. The only cost I can see that might run the cost of having your own water up much above city water is treatment and that is depenent on what you want to attain.
Now, consider where the city water comes from - most water companies get their water from surface water (rivers/lakes) where everyone upstream has dumped their sewage. I'd much rather drink from a well than from the end of somebody else's $#!+ pipe. All the water company does is filter out the lumps and add all sorts of chemicals to try to kill the pathogens. Don't give me that crap about "if it wasn't safe, the government wouldn't let them do it" - find out where your water comes from and what's being put into it, then read up on the chemicals and consider how much sewage is in it. Might not be so happy with your city water after all. Remember, what's toxic to bacteria and such is also toxic to the cells that it comes in contact with in your body . What damage is it doing over time?
The supposed excessive cost of a backup generator to have well water during an outage, mentioned in another post, is just silly. A generator provides other uses beside just pumping water. You can have power well away from the house if needed (mine has gotten the most usage in this way), and during outages, run your (gas) furnace to keep warm in winter, use lights, run the water heater for hot showers and keep the stuff in the fridge and freezer from spoiling. Probably would be a 10 year payback if you just consider pumping water, but the other things (particularly preventing food spoilage and convenience) can cut deep into that payback time - particularly if you had to rent a generator to do some work (like constructing an outbuilding) away from the house.
As for sewer being the best alternative, proper care of a septic system drastically increases the length of time that a drainfield lasts so that replacement cost is spread over 20-30 years, possibly even more depending on soil type. The amount of time between pumpouts can be increased with proper care and by installing a larger tank than the local authorities require - they base their calculations on the number of bathrooms and, to my knowledge, have no allowance for other water-using appliances. Tanks come in standard sizes, just go up one or more sizes from what's recommended. When I had my tank pumped after 7 years (new system and had it pumped to help figure timeframe for pumpouts), splitting the cost over the time period gives $2.38 per month and the fella told me to wait 10-12 years to call again. Never had a sewer bill, but I bet the monthly bill is somewhat more.
All in all, I see the cost of city water/sewer quite comparable to well/septic moneywise in the case that the OP proposed. Being on a well and in control of your water supply so that YOU and ONLY YOU determine what, if any, chemicals are added is a great benefit.
Later, Mike (substitute strickland in the obvious location to reply directly)
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