The cost of smoking

by Taryn Davies | 28 November 2012

It's time to stub out the smoking

Smokers will fork out more than £90,000 on cigarettes in their lifetime, a study by E-Lites electronic cigarettes reveals.

Researchers revealed the average smoker spends £27.54 a week on almost four packets of cigarettes.

That’s £1,432 every year – almost double what it would have cost a decade ago owing to the rise in the cost of cigarettes and tax increases taking a packet of 20 from £4.51 to £7.47.

And with the average Brits smoking from the age of 15 and a half, that means they will smoke £90,221 worth of cigarettes in their lifetime.

Dermot Ryan, Managing Director for electronic cigarettes E-Lites, which commissioned the research, said: “Smoking has always been an expensive habit, but it’s staggering to see the cost in black and white.

“And it’s only going to increase as more and more tax is added on over the next few years.

“For many, the cost is a big motivator when it comes to reconsidering your smoking habit, so a price or tax increase could actually be a good thing for those who need a little extra help to cut down.

“Thinking about what else you could spend that amount of money on can really give you the motivation to seek help – especially when electronic cigarettes provide such a good alternative that can reduce the harm to both your bank balance and your health.

The study of 2,000 smokers found that the huge cost of cigarettes means 61 per cent will try to cut down or give up if there is another price increase in the next budget.

And six in ten admit they always try to cut down or give up altogether whenever the cost goes up.

More than half of smokers said the rising cost was a big reason for trying to cut back, while another 54 per cent said they wanted to kick their bad habit due to health concerns.

Not wanting kids to see them smoking, no longer thinking it’s cool to have a cigarette and the smoking ban meaning they now have to go outside were other reasons to address their smoking habit.

But while 61 per cent of smokers admit they worry about the cost of their habit, 18 per cent admit they bury their head in the sand and try to ignore how much they spend on it each month.

Another 22 per cent claim they aren’t at all bothered about the amount of cash they have to part with to buy their cigarettes.

Due to the rising cost, 28 per cent also said they would be prepared to smoke electronic cigarettes as a cheaper and healthier alternative.

Top five reasons for wanting to cut down or quit