Smoking cost calculator
Enter what a pack costs and how much you smoke to see how much money goes up in smoke over the years.
Settings
Up in smoke
- Per month
- $0.00
- 1 year
- $0.00
- 5 years
- $0.00
How the cost of smoking is calculated
The price of one cigarette is the pack price divided by the number of cigarettes in a pack. That is multiplied by the cigarettes smoked a day and by 365 days for the yearly cost. The monthly cost is a twelfth of that, and the 5- and 10-year totals use today’s prices.
Half a pack a day at $9 a pack is about $1,640 a year and over $16,000 in ten years. Seeing the total can be a strong motivator: the same money could go to a trip, savings or paying off debt.
The calculator counts only the price of the cigarettes. Health costs, higher insurance premiums and sick days come on top. If you want help to quit, your doctor or a national quitline can help.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a pack a day cost per year?
A pack a day is 365 packs a year. At $9 a pack that is $3,285 a year and $32,850 in ten years.
How much money do I save if I quit smoking?
Everything this calculator shows. Enter what you smoke today: the monthly and yearly totals are what quitting saves you.
Does this work for rolling tobacco?
Yes. Enter the price of a pouch as the pack price, the number of cigarettes you roll from it as the pack size and how many you smoke a day.
What if I invested the money instead?
The “If you invested it instead” box shows what the money would grow to if you invested it every month instead of smoking, at a 4% yearly return compounded monthly. Half a pack a day at $9 a pack is about $137 a month, which grows to about $20,080 in 10 years – $16,425 of your own money and the rest returns. Taxes, fees and inflation are left out. It is an example, not investment advice.