The 6 Most Expensive Places to Vape
Imagine you’re a smoker who wants to switch to vaping for the sake of your health.
You head to your local vape shop eager to start your vaping journey… only to discover a vape device costs 75 TIMES as much as a pack of cigarettes!
Here in the UK, vaping will not only help your health but also save you money compared to smoking. You can get set up with a vape for as little as £10. Assuming you go through 1-2 bottles of e-liquid and 1 coil a week, you’ll probably only pay around £30 a month (or £1 per day) for your vaping habit. This amounts to the cost of just 2 packs of cigarettes – making vaping a much cheaper option!
However, in other countries vaping can be VERY costly.
Here are some of the world’s most expensive places to vape.
Australia
The land of Oz has it all – sun, sea, surf and… very high vaping costs! For those living in Australia, where the average hourly wage is around $55 (£25), the cost of vaping products is reasonable in line with average income.
However, if you’re a Brit visiting Australia you’ll likely be shocked at the cost of vaping products compared to what we pay at home. For hardware, expect to pay from $55 (£30) for a starter device and $95 (£52) for an average vape.
When it comes to e-liquid, you’ll spend around $10 (£5.50) for a standard quality 10ml vape juice – which will be nicotine free due to Australia’s ban. If you’re caught vaping nicotine in Australia you can be fined up to $45,000 (£25,000) – making for a very expensive nic hit!
Portugal
Portugal has the highest e-liquid taxes in all of Europe.
Vape juice containing nicotine is taxed at €0.32 per ml, adding €3.20 per standard bottle PLUS a 23% VAT added on top. All in all, a 10ml bottle of e-liquid in Portugal will cost around €7 and a nic shot costs approx €5.25(!).
These prices may seem steep enough but are even more outrageous considering that Portugal is one of the less well off European countries – below average in terms of GDP per Capita compared to the rest of the continent.
Finland
Described as ‘Europe’s Nanny State’ due to its various laws and regulations, Finland takes second place for the continent’s highest vaping tax.
A vape device will set you back at least 20 euros. However, it is the price of vape juice that makes Finland one of the most expensive places to vape.
We asked Vapers Finland about vape prices in the country. They explained that vape juice is restricted to only tobacco flavours and there is a €0.3 per ml tax added to both nicotine and non-nicotine containing varieties. This adds an extra €3 per standard 10ml bottle – raising the standard price to around €9.90.
These high prices, combined with marketing/selling restrictions and negative media coverage has, unfortunately, resulted in only 1-2% of Finns using e-cigarettes.
Minnesota, USA
If you head over to the midwest state of Minnesota, you’ll not only find yourself in ‘The land of 10,000 lakes’ but in the USA’s most expensive place to vape!
Vaping is widespread in the US with an estimated 9% of American adults ‘regularly or occasionally’ vaping. While there is no federal vaping tax, over half of the 50 states have imposed state-wide taxes on vaping products – with the tax rate and prices differing state by state.
Minnesota’s vaping tax is a whopping 95% of the product’s wholesale cost. This tax rate, introduced in 2013, hiked the tax from 35% all the way to 95% and meant retail prices soared. You can now expect to pay an eye watering $20 (£14.50) for a single 10ml bottle of e-liquid.
The impact has been devastating. A 2020 study found that the extra cost this tax added to products meant thousands of Minnesota’s residents either reverted back to smoking or were deterred from quitting in the first place.
Malawi
In Malawi, vaping is so expensive only the very richest can afford it.
Loaded question. Its also dependant on average income. Malawi for example has vape shops, but the cost is prohibitive to all but the richest, making vaping a status symbol of wealth.
— Brian Watts (@BrianWa04648289) March 30, 2021
A bit of digging proved this Twitter user correct. The (very) high price of vape products compared to cigarettes in Malawi means the less well off are restricted to smoking.
Kenya
Kenya may take the crown for the world’s highest vaping taxes. The vaping tax implemented in 2017 adds a shocking 3000 shillings (£19.95) to the cost of devices and an extra 2000 shillings (£13.30) to refill cartridges.
Like Malawi, Kenya is another East African country where the cost of vaping far outweighs the cost of smoking. The taxes mentioned are insanely high when compared to the meagre 50 shillings (34p) tax placed on packs of cigarettes.
