Is Vaping Cheaper Than Smoking?

If you’re wondering whether it’s cheaper to vape than it is to smoke, you’re in the right place. In this guide, we’re going to explain to you the economics of vaping as it pertains to smoking. So if you’re interested in finding which one is cheaper, continue reading.

Is Vaping Really Cheaper Than Smoking?

In short, our answer is yes – vaping is generally less expensive than smoking. And not for just one reason, but a multitude. For starters and perhaps most importantly, there’s the potential consequence to one’s own health and the potentially astronomical costs associated with them, at least for those who have to pay their own medical bills or at least some portion of. But even then, there’s still a cost, regardless of whether or not it’s incurred directly by the individual.

And then there’s the real breakdown, which is what you likely claim here to find. So here it is – the cost analysis.

Looking at our own past smoking habits and current vaping habits and the costs associated for the sake of real world references to anchor our analysis to, we find that vaping, depending on how you go about it, is typically less expensive than smoking.

Cigarette Numbers

Assuming, for the sake of numbers, that a pack of cigarettes costs around $7.50 and that a single pack lasts just one day, we’re able to come up with a monthly cost of smoking totaling $225, assuming 30 days in a month. So it costs roughly $225 a month to smoke a pack a day. Obviously it goes without saying, but we’ll say it anyways: the cost of a pack varies greatly depending on the locale and people’s smoking habits, just how much they smoke, differs from one individual to the next. But for the sake of this analysis, we’re going to stick to these numbers because these were OUR numbers before we quit smoking.

Vaporizer Numbers

A typical Blu brand reusable e-cig costs roughly $12 right now. One e-cig is enough if you keep it charged, but two is better than one so you can keep a constant rotation flowing. So realistically, the initial cost is $24. What you’re buying is basically a battery when you buy the kit. The battery is 510 threaded so that it works with a variety of different atomizers and accessories as 510 threading is essentially universal, but mainly it’s intended for use with the company’s one-time use cartridges, which are pre-filled with liquid e-juice. So you’re in it for $24 right off the bat. While each one comes with one cartridge, which is supposedly the equivalent to one pack of ordinary cigarettes in terms of nicotine. Based on this, a single cartridge is equivalent to one pack so a single cartridge should, when vaped, be the equivalent to smoking an entire pack of cigarettes, of which there are typically 20 to a pack.

A pack of three cartridges costs approximately $15. This means that at a usage rate of one cartridge a day — which, again, is allegedly the equivalent to one pack of cigarettes a day in terms of nicotine dispensed to the user — it costs roughly $5 a day. This translates to $150 a month.

Based on these numbers and the assumption that two Blu brand reusable e-cigarettes are purchased upfront, two Blu Plus+ Xpress Kit to be specific, then the cost of vaping each month is $174. However, the vape themselves, the e-cigs, don’t need to be replaced each month as the batteries are good for an extended period of time so long as they’re properly taken care of and not any in any way defective. Subsequently, most months will only cost $150.

When we extrapolate these numbers over the course of a year, the costs of smoking and vaping are as such:

Annual Smoking Cost = $2,700+
Annual Vaping Cost = $1,800+

Conclusion

While the difference in cost between the two is made quite obvious over the course of a year, imagine the difference over many years and tax on the increased cost of healthcare and the difference is that much more significant. But for many former smokers that now vape, the cost differences can be even more substantial, especially considering the lower costs associated with using refillable cartridges and atomizers. With refillable systems, which the Blu Plus+ is not unless you attach your own third-party atomizer, you can refill with vape juices that you purchase online or over the counter. These juices, in comparison to the prefilled cartridges that Blu sells for their Plus+, are often noticeably less expensive. But in many of these scenarios, the initial startup cost of the vaporizer kit is higher than the two Blu e-cigs setup we outlined above. While both are adequate, many prefer the more customizable and reusable approach offered by vape mods and other portable vaporizers such as liquid vape pens. Whatever the case, the end result is often the same based on our analysis.

In other words, vaping is cheaper.