HOW MUCH DOES VAPING COST UK?

Of all the countless reasons to ditch smoking, one notable reason is that traditional cigarettes are getting more expensive by the day. And that’s especially if you are in the UK

How Much Does Vaping Cost UK?

How much does vaping cost UK? Of all the countless reasons to ditch smoking, one notable reason is that traditional cigarettes are getting more expensive by the day. And that’s especially if you are in the UK which happens to be one of the most expensive countries in Europe for smokers. If you are not ready to make the switch for the health of your body, perhaps the health of your wallet might convince you to. Chances are you have heard claims of vaping being cheaper than smoking, but perhaps you are a bit sceptical about the whole narrative. After all, vaping involves a lot of paraphernalia and e-juice refills every couple of days. Surely, that’s bound to be more costly than cigarettes? In this post, we look at the costs of smoking vs. vaping in the UK, laying bare the actual figures involved.

How much does Smoking Cost?

Obviously, the much you shell out for cigarettes will depend on the number and brand of cigarettes. For this article, though, we will use the averages. The average cost of a pack of cigarettes before Philip Hammond’s 2018 speech was £9.91. But smokers will now have to fork out 33p more, pushing the cost of a pack past the £10 mark (£10.24). For smokers who do a pack a day, the maths is pretty straightforward (we’ve rounded off to £10.20):

£10.20 x 365 days a year = £3,723

That’s a tidy sum we are talking about when you consider it goes to cigarettes alone. However, there are other added costs associated with smoking. If you smoke in the car, air freshener is an essential to avoid drenching your car seats in smoke. You will need gum to kill the odour on your breathe, and let’s not even throw in added auxiliary expenses like dental hygiene, increased cleaning costs of clothing, home and car, as well as health-related costs.

How much does Vaping Cost UK?

Unlike smoking, it is true that vaping has many bits and pieces to contend with. These can be broken down as follows:

• The e-cig itself
• Tanks
• E-juice (PG or VG)
• Coils
• Batteries

Let’s look at the cost of each, shall we?

• The E-Cigarette

The price of an e-cig kit can vary wildly depending on the name, quality of the vape, and what is included in the starter kit. As well, you also have the choice to opt for a ready-to-use vape pen or purchase components to build your own box mod (the former allows for little or no customisation but is relatively cheaper to buy and maintain). A good e-cig kit, like this Aqua Vape Sub-Ohm Vaping Kit, fetches at £24.99. Once you have this kind of starter kit, you are pretty much sorted and will only need to replenish your liquids and change your coils.

• Tanks

Vaping requires you to buy a tank for your e-liquid. A starter kit like the aforementioned comes with a tank, but should you need to replace it, a new tank will cost you around £20. Let’s say you’ll need two more a year. £20 x 2 = £40

• E-Juice

Next comes the e-juice, where most of the recurrent expenses will be. E-liquids come in a million-and-one flavours, differing in quality and type. VG liquid costs more than PG liquid and produces a higher volume of clouds while burning more liquid than its PG counterpart. Let’s say you opt for e-liquids from Aqua Vape which are 50VG/50PG and cost £3.99 per bottle. Of course, you can always opt for liquids from China which go for less than 99p per bottle. However, unlike UK-sourced bottles which not only use locally sourced ingredients but are healthier due to more stringent laws, regulations in China are known for being very relaxed. This means they could be made using harmful chemicals and still be sold legally in the UK. But why sacrifice the liquid quality and, by extension, your vaping experience by using low quality e-juice, right? Let’s say, on average, you will be downing a 10ml bottle each week. This should bring your annual e-juice consumption to: £3.99 x 52 weeks = £208 (£207.48) Not to mention you are going to come across the great occasional deal to buy the liquids in multipacks for a fraction of the cost. For example, this deal of e-cig liquids includes 10 bottles for £10. That translates to £57.98! (£50 for 5 multipacks + 2 additional bottles @£3.99)

• Coils

A regular change of e-cigarette coils is essential. This is because the taste of the vape deteriorates as the coil gradually burns out. How often you change the coil depends on how often you vape and the kind of e-juice you are using. Let’s assume you will replace your coil every two weeks, bringing it to 26 coils a year. A pack of three 0.5ohm Aqua Lite coils will set you back £9.99 or £4.99 if you find a deal like this. That’s roughly 9 packs a year: £4.99 x 9 packs = £45 (£44.91)

• Batteries

An electronic cigarette has to be powered. Batteries don’t require replacing frequently, so let’s throw in a decent battery for around £10.

So, How much does Vaping Cost UK in Total?

Starter Kit – £24.99 Tanks – £40 E-juice – £208 on the higher side without deals or £58 on the lower side with deals (£57.98) Coils – £45 Batteries - £10 Total cost all year = £327.99 (or £177.99 if you purchase your e-juice in a clearance). Whichever the case, the total cost of vaping for the entire year on average pales in comparison to the cost of smoking which is £3,723 a year! So, whenever the issue of smoking vs. vaping comes up again, you now have an idea of the costs and savings involved. Spread the word.