For many smokers, one of the first questions they have when they’re considering quitting smoking with an e-cig is how much vaping costs. After all, while vaping is clearly the healthier choice, for most people cost is still an important consideration.
The good news is that as well as being better for your health, vaping is also significantly cheaper than smoking, with decent savings to be made even for light smokers. If you’re a heavy smoker then the money you could save by ditching your cigarettes in favour of a vape could be huge!
If you’re considering switching to vapes but you have questions like “how much is a vape?” or “is vaping cheaper than cigarettes?”, we’ve put together this guide that should provide all the answers you’re looking for.
Cost Of Smoking In The UK
Smoking in the United Kingdom is not just hazardous to your health – the high cost means it’s also detrimental to the health of your finances too! With the cost of smoking in the UK increasing every year, the country now ranks among the most expensive in the world to be a smoker.
The high price of cigarettes and other tobacco products is due to the British government’s taxation policies which many believe are aimed at discouraging this harmful habit and reducing the strain on the healthcare system.
These days, the average cost of a packet of 20 cigarettes costs over £14 (2023). So with the average smoker lighting up around ten cigarettes a day, this costs around £70 a week!
However, despite the eye-watering costs, this still fails to deter some, who would prefer to pay the high prices than give up their nicotine. Thankfully, due to the existence of vape devices, there’s now an alternative that not only shields users from many of the health risks of smoking but also costs a lot less!
In fact, a study carried out by University College London a few years ago found that the average smoker reported spending almost three times as much on their habit as the average vaper! So let’s take an in-depth look at the cost of vaping to see how much you could save…
Cost Of Vaping
So we’ve now got an idea of how much vaping costs compared to smoking, but let’s break this down further to see how much can be saved when you make the switch. We’ll also go over the different types of devices—disposables, pod kits, pen devices, and box mods—to see how these compare in terms of cost.
Disposables
Many people prefer the convenience of disposables as they’re quick, easy, and arrive in a wide range of delicious flavours. There’s also no need to recharge or refill these devices, and you won’t need to change any coils.
However, the convenience of disposables comes at a cost. The average 600-puff disposable lasts one to two days (let’s call it 1.5). And with most disposables costing around £5, this means a single-use vape will cost around £3.33 a day.
Encouragingly, this is around half the price of cigarettes, so even if you switch to the most expensive type of vape you’ll save an average of £25 a week. Over the course of a year this would see you save over £1300 which is probably enough for a holiday!
Average annual savings (approx): £1,208.45*
Pod/Pen Devices
When it comes to refillable devices, there are seven bigger savings to be made! If you opt for a pod kit or pen device, which are both user-friendly and perfect for beginners, you’ll need to refill the tank with e-liquid. This is where the serious savings are to be had!
Unlike tobacco products, e-liquid isn’t heavily taxed, with many 100ml bottles + nicotine costing around £10. And with these bottles likely to last around two-four weeks, the cost could be less than £1 a day.
On top of this you’ll need to factor in the cost of your coils or pods, but even then a moderate vaper shouldn’t expect to spend much more than a pound a day on their vaping products.
Average annual savings (approx): £2,007.50*
Box Mod Device
A box mod is typically more powerful than a pen device or pod kit, with some of these more advanced units reaching outputs of over 200w. As a result of all that power, box mods tend to go through e-liquid at a much faster rate.
Whereas a 100ml bottle of e-liquid may last a few weeks with a less powerful MTL device, you might only get a week’s worth of use when using a direct-to-lung (DTL) box mod. The coils used in these devices are also thinner and expire quicker due to the high temperatures, so they’ll need to be replaced more often which will add to the cost.
All things considered, you can expect a DTL device to cost around double an MTL kit, with the average box mod vaper spending around £2 a day on their vape products.
Average annual savings (approx): £1,825*
Keep in mind these are estimated averages. It’s impossible to calculate exactly what you’ll save as much depends on the type of device you’re using, how many puffs you have and how hard you hit the vape.
Is It Worth Swapping to Vapes?
Hopefully, you now have all the info you need to help you decide if vaping is for you or not. As you can see, as well as the undeniable health benefits that make vaping so attractive, you can potentially save thousands of pounds by making the switch. This could help you afford that new car you’ve had your eye on or pay for a holiday for you and your family!
If budget is a top priority then by far the best choice would be a mouth-to-lung pod kit or pen device.
