How much salt does a water softener use in Utah?

A modern demand-initiated regeneration softener, properly sized for a typical 4-person Utah home on 20 gpg water, uses about 40-80 lbs of salt per month. That's one to two bags, at roughly $6-$8 per 40-lb bag, or $10-$15/month in salt.

Older time-clock softeners (common in 1990s-2000s installs) use 2-3x that much because they regenerate on a schedule instead of when needed. If you're buying 4+ bags a month, your softener is probably a time-clock model and you'd save money with a modern replacement within 2-3 years.

We use pellet or solar salt — avoid rock salt, which leaves mineral sediment in the brine tank.