Cost of Vaping vs Smoking

The price of cigarettes keeps climbing. With higher taxes and rising production costs, whether you buy pre-rolled cigarettes or loose tobacco, your wallet feels it. No surprise, then, that cost is a major reason people quit smoking. Vaping, by contrast, isn’t taxed like cigarettes—so the potential savings are huge.

Working out your personal savings can be tricky, which is why we built our Cost Comparison Calculator. Unlike basic tools, it shows not only how much you could save by quitting smoking, but also the ongoing costs of different vape kits—so you can see exactly how they stack up against cigarettes.

You’ll get a full breakdown, including essential extras like replacement coils and e-liquid, for a complete, realistic picture of what switching could save you.

Cigarettes / Roll-ups £5490 £0
Prefilled Pod Kit £1350 £4140
Refillable Pod Kit - built in coil £550 £4940
Refillable Pod Kit - replaceable coils £600 £4890
Tank Kit £550 £4940

 

Cost of Cigarettes

Whether you smoke roll-ups or ready-mades, you’ve felt the squeeze of rising prices. Beyond the financial hit, cigarettes generate tons of waste, are the leading cause of preventable death in the developed world—and, yes, they smell. Switching to vaping can do more than spare your bank balance, but let’s stick to the numbers: by making the switch, you could save a lot. The exact amount depends on the vape you choose, but the savings can run to hundreds—or even thousands—of pounds a year.

Average Costs Savings
Week £105 £0
Month £450 £0
Year £5480 £0

 

Cost of Prefilled Pod Kits

Prefilled pod kits pair a slim, disposable-style design with replaceable e-liquid pods, so upkeep is minimal: charge the battery, swap the pod when it’s empty—done. They’re also cheaper than disposables because you’re not binning the whole device each time, just the pod. Our calculator includes the weekly, monthly and yearly cost of replacement pods to give you a realistic running total. While prefilled pods are usually cheaper than smoking or using disposables, you’ll unlock the biggest savings with refillable kits that you fill yourself. They’re a touch less convenient, but far more cost-effective over time.

Average Cost
Week £22 £83
Month £90 £360
Year £1144 £4336

 

Cost Assumptions for Tobacco & Vapes

Wondering how we calculated the figures? Here’s the logic behind our averages for cigarettes, vape kits and the essentials. Prices do change over time—cigarettes tend to rise—so your potential savings from switching to vaping may grow.

For vape products, we’ve used the average prices on Zombie Vapes and factored in our multi-buy deals, as these offer the best value and are the most popular way customers purchase. Naturally, some items will be cheaper and others a bit more expensive, but the estimates below provide a solid guide to what you can expect to spend—and save.

  • Pack Of 20 Cigarettes: £15
  • Prefilled Pod Kit: £11

We used prefilled pod kits as our example, but you can save even more with refillable pod kits or refillable sub-ohm kits.