IS VAPING CHEAPER THAN SMOKING?

As economic pressures grow, smokers are seeking ways to cut costs without quitting nicotine altogether. While vaping offers an alternative to smoking, is it cheaper than smoking?

This article will explore the costs involved in financial, environmental and health-related habits to help you make an informed choice.

Initial Cost:

Cigarettes
There is no upfront investment in buying cigarettes other than purchasing a lighter and a pack of cigarettes. Depending on the brand, a pack of 20 cigarettes costs around £13-£15. Due to their addictive nature, cigarettes begin to incur costs immediately and escalate quickly, making them one of the priciest consumer habits in the UK.

Vapes
Vaping, on the other hand, has an upfront cost. In the UK, a starter vape kit costs between £15 and £40. Knowing which vape suits your needs will require a learning curve. For instance, you can select the appropriate nicotine strength, battery life, the correct device for your grip style, and convenient options for use on the go.

Gourmet e-liquids can range from £2.00 to £24.00 per bottle, depending on size and brand. While the initial investment may seem daunting, it is typically cheaper than smoking cigarettes and can pay for itself within the first couple of weeks.

Long-Term Costs:

Cigarettes
The long-term financial burden of smoking traditional cigarettes is substantial. A heavy smoker may go through a £15 pack each day, totalling at least £450 a month and more than £5,000 a year. That’s enough to fund a new car, go on a well-deserved holiday, get medical and dental insurance or save money for retirement.

Vapes
After the initial setup, ongoing costs include refillable devices, e-liquid refills, coils and occasional replacement parts. Depending on usage and device type, monthly expenses typically range between £30 and £60, making it far less expensive than smoking traditional tobacco cigarettes.

Many find that when they have become more accustomed to needs, like reducing nicotine levels, their costs lower further. Overall, vaping can cost under £1,000 a year.

Hidden Costs:

Hygiene Products

Smoking
Smoking has hidden costs you may not have thought were associated with it. For instance, you may try to hide the smell of smoke that lingers on clothes, breath, car, and home, encouraging you to frequently purchase breath mints, chewing gum, air fresheners, fabric sprays, and wall and ceiling paint to cover interior stains. Over time, these small but regular expenses can add up.

Vaping
In contrast, depending on the flavour of the e-liquid, vaping generally produces a more pleasant aroma that does not linger, reducing the need for such hygiene products. While you may occasionally need to clean your vape device, it doesn’t typically result in expensive products to clean, making vaping more discreet and less costly regarding personal hygiene.

Impact on Health

Smoking
As tobacco cigarettes contain thousands of harmful chemicals that are carcinogenic, long-term smoking is linked to cancer, heart disease, stroke and lung diseases, killing two-thirds of long-term users and causing 80,000 deaths every year.

Vaping
While not harmless, England’s public health estimates that vaping is 95% less damaging than smoking. While some risks remain, especially with unregulated products, health improvements often follow quitting smoking for vaping. This results in fewer hospital visits and a reduction in absenteeism in the work environment, which translates into significant savings in healthcare and economics.

Economic Financial Impact

Smoking
According to ASH, with calculations by Landman Economics, the estimated cost of smoking in England is £21.8 billion. On top of that, smoking is associated with treatment costs to the NHS of over £2.6 billion.

These figures do not include wider economic impacts such as reduced productivity, early retirement due to ill health and the long-term burden of treating smoking-related diseases.

Vaping
New regulations aiming to address the rise in youth vaping may impact certain market segments, particularly those selling sweet-flavoured e-liquids. Restrictions on flavours or packaging could reduce sales for some retailers and manufacturers, potentially resulting in job losses, lower tax revenue and decreased investment in the sector.

Environmental Costs

Smoking
Smoking tobacco creates significant environmental harm. Research findings report that tobacco’s total annual carbon footprint is 84 million tonnes. Cigarette production results in the loss of around 22,200 million tonnes of water each year, contributing to deforestation and soil degradation.

Cigarette butts, the most littered item cost local councils in the UK millions in street cleaning and waste management. The environmental burden is further increased by the resources used in manufacturing and packaging tobacco products.

In response to these issues, the UK government and organisations such as Action on Smoking and Health (ASH) are working to reduce tobacco consumption through stricter regulations, environmental accountability measures for tobacco companies and public awareness campaigns.

Vaping
The UK government has announced a ban on disposable vapes that will take effect on June 1, 2025. This regulatory change aims to address environmental issues related to waste. 8.2 million vapes are thrown away or recycled incorrectly per week, contributing to electronic waste, pollution and fire risks from lithium batteries.

These products are difficult to recycle and often end up in landfills. The ban aims to reduce non-recyclable waste and promote more sustainable alternatives. However, new designs like the ‘big puff’ that can hold up to 6,000 puffs per vape, compared to single-use vapes averaging 600, are being produced to avoid the new regulations.

Material Focus believes it will have a growing effect on the landfills, for ‘big puff style vapes have already surged into the UK market in just six months, with 3 million of these types of vapes now being bought a week.’

Summary – Is Vaping Cheaper Than Smoking?
In the UK, vaping is generally cheaper than smoking when considering both immediate and long-term financial implications. While vaping has higher initial costs, the ongoing expenses are significantly lower.

Hidden costs and health benefits associated with vaping are also far less severe than those associated with smoking tobacco cigarettes. Though not entirely free from risks or costs, vaping emerges as a more financially sustainable alternative to smoking, offering smokers a way to save money while improving their health and lifestyle.