How much is a Culligan franchise? $130,000 – $812,276 to open, per its disclosure filings
$130,000 – $812,276
Opening a Culligan franchise takes $130,000 – $812,276 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $52,276 – $112,276. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 2% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 1%. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Culligan cost table
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $52,276 | $112,276 | $52,276 to $112,276 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $130,000 | $812,276 | $130,000 to $812,276 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | Not disclosed1 | Not disclosed1 | ||
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $130,000 | $812,276 | $130,000 to $812,276 | |
- 1 "Not disclosed" means Culligan's filings do not state this figure. We publish the gap instead of estimating it.
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 2% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 1% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 20 years |
What's in that number — and what isn't
The $130,000 – $812,276 range is derived from Culligan's filed initial-investment disclosure (FDD Item 7 class): build-out, equipment, and opening costs as the franchisor stated them. Your market's real estate, labor, and build-out prices can land you outside it.
Not in the opening number: the ongoing royalty of 2% on sales, the ad-fund contribution of up to 1%, and your operating losses while the unit ramps. Every figure marked "Not disclosed" above is a gap in the filings, not a zero.
How Culligan's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Culligan's disclosed cost sits against the Professional Services category:
- Minimum startup cost of $130,000 — about 1.5× the Professional Services median of $84,700.
- Initial franchise fee of $52,276 — about 1.3× the Professional Services median of $39,700.
Category medians are computed from the Professional Services brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Professional Services franchises
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Culligan or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Culligan for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What is the Culligan franchise fee?
$52,276 – $112,276, one-time, per disclosure filings as of 2026-05.
What ongoing fees does Culligan charge?
A royalty of 2% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 1%, per disclosure filings as of 2026-05.