When people talk about the cost of smoking cigarettes, theyâre often talking metaphorically. Smoking can cost you your life â it can lead to serious illnesses such as lung cancer or heart disease and is responsible for an estimated 439,000 premature deaths in the US each year.
Thatâs the human cost, but thereâs also economics to consider in this day and age. The CDC considers the cost of smoking-related illnesses to be around $300 billion per year, a huge drain on resources and tax dollars. Thatâs $225 billion for direct medical care and a further $156 billion in lost productivity. Hereâs the kicker â that figure includes $5.6 billion for illnesses caused by secondhand smoke.
If we drill down even further, the financial cost to an individual can be significant. If youâre not motivated to give up for health reasons, perhaps the financial benefits of stubbing out for one last time will tempt you to investigate cessation methods. Here, we break down exactly how much you could save extra Benjamins if you give up smoking.

Savings for Individuals
If youâre focused on Stacking Benjamins, then giving up smoking is a great place to help you build up a nest egg. Data from Statista suggests that the average cost of a packet of 20 cigarettes in the United States is currently $9. Thatâs at a midway point between the cheapest in the world, $1.42 in Turkey, and the most expensive, which is around $25 in Australia. Itâs clear some countries are more focused on eliminating the habit than others!
The number of cigarettes a smoker consumes varies. Very few are smoking more than 30 per day â only 4% of US smokers are thought to be that heavy. The average is between six and ten, with 85% smoking 20 or fewer daily. However, even working on an average of 10 per day, the numbers add up.
If you are one of the 61% of smokers that smoke up to ten per day, thatâs a pack every two days. That would work out to $31.50 per week (or $1642.50 per year). Thatâs right, more than $1600 per year! If youâre an âoverachieverâ, smoking 20 cigarettes per day, you could be spending upwards of $3285 per year on cigarettes. With the average US salary sitting at $74,738, that means some smokers are spending 4% of their income on tobacco products.
This is surely a good reason to put the lighter or matches down and place the last packet of cigarettes you purchased in a drawer. Imagine this: a smoker of 25 years could have spent more than $80,000 on their habit. Thatâs enough for a starter home.
How You Can Stop
If the health implications didnât have you stubbing out for the last time, surely the financial ones will. However, giving up is not easy, and it, too, has a cost implication. Simply stopping is a huge challenge due to the physical effects of nicotine. One way to kick the habit is by employing a nicotine alternative, which you can placate the urge to smoke and eventually not have to spend on a product to feed your urge.
There are a number of nicotine alternatives on the market, with nicotine pouches amongst the most popular. Coming from brands such as ZYN, On!, and LUCY, these are small pouches that fit between the gum and lip, slowly dispersing nicotine orally. They usually last for around 30 minutes and are designed to deliver nicotine in smaller doses. As demonstrated by the nicotine pouches on Prilla, they come in different strengths, from 2mg through to 22mg, which helps a heavy smoker slowly reduce their intake over time. They also come in multiple flavors, from traditional mints to citrus or cinnamon, to make the experience of cessation more pleasurable.
Another product that has been popular over the years is nicotine patches. Information on nicotine patches from Daily Med explains how they also have varying strengths, from 7 mg to 21 mg, for the same reduction-based approach to cessation. Theyâre much like a band-aid; they fix to the upper arm and deliver their âhitâ through the skin. They often last longer, up to 24 hours, and theyâre discreet, with modern products often coming as a clear patch for decreased visibility.
There are other options for cessation, products such as lozenges, and approaches such as hypnosis or counseling. You may wish to go cold turkey, which is fine if you have the strength. Whatever method you choose, the goal is the same â complete cessation. If you manage it, you could be saving yourself several thousand dollars a year, plus potentially adding years to your life.
Leave a Reply