It’s common knowledge that smoking cigarettes can be addictive and has harmful effects on your body, but what many often forget is that it is an expensive habit to keep up.
In recent years, many professionals, including the NHS, have encouraged smokers to use e-cigarettes as a form of nicotine replacement therapy to reduce the harmful effects of smoking cigarettes.
And with money tighter than ever, now could be the perfect time to quit smoking, to benefit both your health and your wallet.
But how does the cost of smoking differ around the world? Here at Vape Superstore, we crunched the numbers to find out.
What is the most expensive country for smokers?
We compared the cost of a pack of cigarettes in 94 different countries around the world. According to our research, Australia is the most expensive country for smokers, with the average cost for a pack of 20 cigarettes coming in at a whopping £22.29. For someone who smoked 10 cigarettes per day, their habit would cost them £4,057 a year.
This means Australian smokers are spending approximately 12% of an average monthly salary on cigarettes.
New Zealand is the second most expensive country for smokers, with a pack of 20 cigarettes costing £18.42, coming in at £3,352 a year.
Ireland comes in third, where smokers can expect to spend £13.26 per pack, or £2,413 a year.
Is the UK expensive for smokers?
With 6.4 million smokers in the UK, there’s undoubtedly huge sums of money being spent on fuelling this addiction. The UK is the fourth most expensive country for smokers, with £2,366 being spent every year. 8% of a Brits annual salary is spent on cigarettes alone.
| Rank | Country | Average Cost Of 20 Cigarettes | Annual Cost Of Cigarettes | % Of Average Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australia | £22 | £4,057 | 12% |
| 2 | New Zealand | £18 | £3,352 | 12% |
| 3 | Ireland | £13 | £2,413 | 8% |
| 4 | United Kingdom | £13 | £2,366 | 8% |
| 5 | Norway | £11 | £2,058 | 6% |
| 6 | Canada | £11 | £1,998 | 7% |
| 7 | Singapore | £9 | £1,720 | 4% |
| 8 | France | £9 | £1,713 | 7% |
| 9 | Finland | £9 | £1,556 | 6% |
| 10 | Switzerland | £8 | £1,478 | 2% |
| 11 | United States | £8 | £1,447 | 3% |
| 12 | Hong Kong | £8 | £1,441 | 4% |
| 13 | Israel | £8 | £1,396 | 6% |
| 14 | Jamaica | £7 | £1,294 | 22% |
| 15 | Germany | £7 | £1,276 | 4% |
| 16 | Netherlands | £7 | £1,276 | 4% |
| 17 | Denmark | £7 | £1,252 | 4% |
| 18 | Belgium | £7 | £1,245 | 5% |
| 19 | Saudi Arabia | £6 | £1,079 | 5% |
| 20 | Palestine | £6 | £1,077 | 17% |
| 21 | Sweden | £5 | £966 | 4% |
| 22 | Qatar | £5 | £954 | 2% |
| 23 | Austria | £5 | £934 | 4% |
| 24 | Italy | £5 | £934 | 6% |
| 25 | Sri Lanka | £5 | £926 | 51% |
| 26 | United Arab Emirates | £5 | £906 | 3% |
| 27 | Malta | £5 | £888 | 6% |
| 28 | Czech Republic | £5 | £885 | 6% |
| 29 | Ecuador | £5 | £868 | 17% |
| 30 | Mauritius | £5 | £855 | 16% |
| 31 | Luxembourg | £5 | £844 | 2% |
| 32 | Oman | £5 | £844 | 4% |
| 33 | Panama | £5 | £832 | 11% |
| 34 | Portugal | £4 | £817 | 8% |
| 35 | Estonia | £5 | £824 | 5% |
| 36 | Hungary | £4 | £815 | 9% |
| 37 | Spain | £4 | £801 | 4% |
| 38 | Romania | £4 | £783 | 10% |
| 39 | Cyprus | £4 | £779 | 5% |
| 40 | Slovakia | £4 | £779 | 7% |
| 41 | Peru | £4 | £748 | 21% |
| 42 | Lithuania | £4 | £748 | 6% |
| 43 | Uruguay | £4 | £737 | 7% |
| 44 | Slovenia | £4 | £724 | 5% |
| 45 | Croatia | £4 | £724 | 6% |
| 46 | Chile | £4 | £717 | 12% |
| 47 | Greece | £4 | £715 | 8% |
| 48 | Latvia | £4 | £701 | 7% |
| 49 | Costa Rica | £4 | £672 | 8% |
| 50 | Poland | £4 | £662 | 5% |
| 51 | Mexico | £4 | £637 | 9% |
| 52 | India | £3 | £610 | 11% |
| 53 | Japan | £3 | £577 | 3% |
| 54 | Thailand | £3 | £570 | 11% |
| 55 | Taiwan | £3 | £553 | 3% |
| 56 | Malaysia | £3 | £548 | 7% |
| 57 | Morocco | £3 | £544 | 15% |
| 58 | Venezuela | £3 | £533 | 29% |
| 59 | Serbia | £3 | £531 | 8% |
| 60 | Albania | £3 | £524 | 10% |
| 61 | Jordan | £3 | £510 | 9% |
| 62 | Azerbaijan | £3 | £510 | 14% |
| 63 | China | £3 | £508 | 5% |
| 64 | South Korea | £3 | £488 | 2% |
| 65 | Bosnia And Herzegovina | £3 | £477 | 8% |
| 66 | Bulgaria | £3 | £477 | 6% |
| 67 | Kuwait | £3 | £470 | 2% |
| 68 | Tunisia | £3 | £462 | 16% |
| 69 | Georgia | £2 | £437 | 9% |
| 70 | Nepal | £2 | £437 | 21% |
| 71 | Bolivia | £2 | £420 | 11% |
| 72 | North Macedonia | £2 | £404 | 8% |
| 73 | Bangladesh | £2 | £397 | 17% |
| 74 | Philippines | £2 | £388 | 11% |
| 75 | South Africa | £2 | £382 | 3% |
| 76 | Algeria | £2 | £377 | 14% |
| 77 | Armenia | £2 | £357 | 6% |
| 78 | Egypt | £2 | £351 | 21% |
| 79 | Brazil | £2 | £349 | 8% |
| 80 | Colombia | £2 | £337 | 9% |
| 81 | Kenya | £2 | £337 | 10% |
| 82 | Indonesia | £2 | £326 | 11% |
| 83 | Ukraine | £2 | £324 | 8% |
| 84 | Russia | £2 | £313 | 6% |
| 85 | Libya | £2 | £298 | 11% |
| 86 | Iran | £2 | £289 | 14% |
| 87 | Iraq | £2 | £289 | 6% |
| 88 | Argentina | £2 | £289 | 7% |
| 89 | Uzbekistan | £2 | £289 | 8% |
| 90 | Turkey | £1 | £260 | 4% |
| 91 | Pakistan | £1 | £258 | 15% |
| 92 | Kazakhstan | £1 | £255 | 5% |
| 93 | Belarus | £1 | £222 | 5% |
| 94 | Vietnam | £1 | £184 | 4% |
Vaping vs. Smoking: What’s Cheaper?
Vaping is a proven deterrent from smoking, but we set out to find out if it is also the cheaper alternative.
How much more expensive is smoking than vaping?
We found that UK smokers spend £2,366 a year on cigarettes, over three times as much as those who use a vaping kit.
Those who opt for vaping kits are able to save £1,699 compared to those who continue to use cigarettes.
With 31% of vape users using disposable vapes, and the number of users are on the rise, they can expect to save £1,326 on using disposable vapes rather than cigarettes.
Vape kits have been found to be 36% cheaper than disposables, saving you £373 during the course of a year.
| Smoking vs. Vaping Savings | |
|---|---|
| Annual cost of cigarettes | £2,366 |
| Annual cost of vaping kits | £667 |
| Savings | £1,699 |
| Annual cost of disposable vapes | £1,040 |
| Savings | £1,326 |
Summary
Our research shows that vaping is the proven cheaper, and less harmful alternative, to smoking. If you’re thinking of making the switch, check out our blog on which vapes are the best options for those wanting to quit smoking.
Methodology
Numbeo was used to identify the cost of a packet of 20 Marlboro cigarettes in each country, in which the countries were ranked according to its descending cost. The yearly cost is under the assumption that ½ of a packet of cigarettes lasts one day - http://healthsurvey.hscic.gov.uk/data-visualisation/data-visualisation/explore-the-trends/smoking.aspx
Numbeo was used to compare each country’s monthly cost of cigarettes with the country’s average monthly salary.
Internal data from Vape Superstore was used to identify the average cost of using a starter vape kit and using disposable vapes in the UK.
www.vapesuperstore.co.uk contains general information about vaping and vapour products. The information provided is not medical advice, and should not be relied upon unless explicitly cited. We do not make any warranties surrounding the health benefits, reliability and accuracy of written copy across all pages on our website, including blog content and content posted on social media.
