How much does vaping cost compared to smoking? A beginner's guide

"Vaping is cheaper than smoking" gets said a lot, but it is rarely explained in actual numbers. This guide sets out roughly what UK smokers typically spend, roughly what starting and running a vape kit costs, and a worked example so you can judge it for yourself rather than take a slogan on trust. None of the figures below are exact, since prices vary by brand, retailer and how much you actually smoke or vape, but the ranges give a realistic picture.

What smoking typically costs

Cigarette prices in the UK have climbed steadily due to regular tobacco duty increases, and a standard pack of 20 now commonly costs somewhere in the region of £13 to £18, depending on the brand and where you buy it. Budget brands sit towards the bottom of that range, premium brands towards the top.

Roughly translated into everyday spend, that works out something like this, though your own habits may differ a lot:

Broken down by day rather than week, a 10-a-day habit works out at roughly £6.50 to £9 a day, and a 20-a-day habit at roughly £13 to £18 a day, based on the same pack price range. Those figures assume you smoke a full pack's worth relative to your daily count, which will not match everyone exactly, but it gives a rough everyday sense of the spend rather than only a weekly total that can feel more abstract.

Treat that table as a rough steer, not an invoice. It does not account for roll-your-own tobacco, which is generally cheaper per cigarette, or for duty-free or cross-border purchases. Tobacco duty rates are set by HMRC and reviewed at each Budget, so prices tend to rise over time rather than stay still.

What starting to vape typically costs

Getting set up with a beginner pod kit is a one-off cost, followed by smaller ongoing costs. As covered in our first vape kit guide, a sensible beginner setup typically breaks down like this:

• A beginner pod kit: roughly £15 to £35, as a one-off purchase.
• Replacement coils: a pack of two or three usually costs around £8 to £12, and most people replace a coil every one to three weeks depending on how much they vape.
• E-liquid: a 10ml bottle of nic salt e-liquid typically costs around £3.50 to £5.50, and how many bottles you get through in a week depends heavily on how much you vape and your device's draw style, which our MTL vs DTL guide covers in more detail.

One cost worth flagging ahead of time: a new Vaping Products Duty comes into effect in the UK on 1 October 2026, charged at a flat rate of £2.20 per 10ml of vaping liquid, whether or not it contains nicotine, with VAT applied on top. That will push e-liquid prices up from that date, and it is worth checking current prices rather than relying on older figures once the duty is in place. HMRC has published guidance on Vaping Products Duty with the detail.

A worked example

Here is one honest, rough comparison rather than a single invented number. Say someone previously smoked around 15 cigarettes a day, spending roughly £75 to £95 a week on packs of 20. Switching to a simple MTL pod kit, using maybe three 10ml bottles of 10mg or 20mg nic salt e-liquid a week and one pack of coils a fortnight, could look something like this after the initial kit purchase:

On numbers like that, the pod kit itself is typically paid off within the first week or two, and the ongoing running cost is noticeably lower. That said, this is one illustrative example, not a promise of what you personally will spend. Heavier vaping, a habit of replacing devices often, or buying premium e-liquid can close the gap considerably.

Why the real difference varies so much

A few things can make actual vaping costs higher or lower than the example above:

• How much you vape. Someone using a DTL device with looser airflow tends to get through e-liquid noticeably faster than someone on a tight MTL draw.
• Coil habits. Changing coils earlier than needed, out of habit rather than necessity, adds unnecessary cost.
• Device choice. Cheaper kits cost less upfront but may need replacing sooner, while a slightly pricier kit can sometimes last longer.
• E-liquid brand. Prices for 10ml bottles vary across retailers and brands, and shopping around can make a real difference over a year.

A note on quitting altogether

This guide is about cost, not health advice, and it is not making any promise that vaping will help anyone quit nicotine altogether. According to the NHS, vaping is considered substantially less harmful than smoking and many smokers use it as a step to switch away from cigarettes, but individual results vary and vaping is not risk-free. If you want free, professional support with quitting or switching, the NHS Better Health: Quit Smoking service and NHS Smokefree offer local stop smoking services across the UK at nhs.uk/better-health/quit-smoking, as a support resource rather than a guaranteed outcome.

In plain terms: for most people who smoke a meaningful amount daily, vaping works out cheaper week to week once the initial kit is paid for, often considerably so. But the honest answer to "how much will I save" is that it depends on your own habits, so treat any of the figures here as a starting point for your own rough sums rather than a fixed number.