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How Much Does Vaping Cost?

Posted by Ryan G. on December 16, 2019

How Much Does Vaping Cost?

If you’ve been considering switching from cigarette smoking to vaping, there are a lot of factors that you have to take into consideration. First, you have to decide what kind of setup you want, and which flavors most appeal to your palate. You also have to carefully consider the quality of the vaping goods that you plan on investing in. But, if you’re budget-conscious like most of us, you also have to weigh the different expenses that are involved. Vapers sometimes seek vape subscriptions to keep their e juices in stock and costs low.

Vaping is a hobby that you have to maintain, as it’s important that you regularly purchase new e-liquids, coils and so on. Therefore, vaping can get costly over time. But, the good news is that the vaping market is extremely diverse, meaning that you can easily find a e cigarette that fits within your budget, or you can splurge on high-end goods if you so choose. If you are unsure of what vape mod to use, visit a local vape shop to see each starter kit in person. Be wary of the price as vape shops generally charge more than online vendors.

Today, we’ll be breaking down the cost of vaping, considering the wide variety of products that you can choose to use. This way, you’ll be able to figure out which vaping setup best fits within your budget.

Average costs of vaping depend heavily on nicotine consumption and setup

So, to answer the question regarding how much vaping costs, the answer is that it depends. However, to give you an idea, the average vaper spends between $20 and $100 per month. By shopping online or using a vape subscription, you can expect an average savings of 30% per month. As we said, you can choose from such a wide range of devices, liquid refills, and accessories these days that you can pretty much find a setup for every budget range.

Factors That Determine the Cost of Vaping

That being said, let’s break down the factors that determine the overall cost of maintaining a vaping hobby.

Your Unique Kit or Setup

First, let’s talk about the upfront cost of a setup or kit. A setup or kit is a vaping device plus a tank, and usually, coils and spare parts. Essentially, a kit or setup should provide everything you need to get started, minus the vape juice.

Now, an e cigarette or kit lasts, on average, for two years. Of course, how long it will last before it needs to be replaced largely depends on how often you use it and whether or not you store it properly when it’s not in use. 

The vape kit market is massive, which means that there are a lot of different products that you can choose from in a wide range of prices. The average electronic cigarette kit costs anywhere from $20 to $70, depending on how advanced it is and the type of materials from which it is made.

The Device You’re Using

Next, let’s talk about the device you’re using, and what that means for maintenance costs. For one thing, the type of kit you go with determines the type of coils you’ll need, and coils are a regular expense, with each one lasting approximately two weeks. The more advanced your kit, the more advanced the coils, and, therefore, the more your coils will cost.

Also, some types of electronic e cigarettes burn through your coils more quickly than others. For instance, the higher the wattage of your device, the more likely it is that you’ll go through your coils quickly, due to the way in which the wattage and the coil affect each other. Additionally, high-wattage devices burn through your vape juice more quickly. So, it’s safe to say that if you want a vape device that reaches extremely high wattage levels, you’ll be spending more money on coils and e juice each month.

The E-Liquid You’re Vaping

Next, there’s the vape juice that you go with, as that can vary in cost. For one thing, you have to decide whether or not you want to go for premium e-liquids. We always recommend going with premium e-liquids, despite the fact that they’re a bit more expensive, because the quality of ingredients is superior, which is important.

You also have to decide whether you wish to go with freebase nic or salt nic e-liquid. Freebase nic e-liquid is less expensive per milliliter than salt nic e-liquid, but salt nic e-liquid has a far greater nicotine strength and more nicotine per milliliter. If you’re vaping solely for the nicotine, you might end up spending less.

The average 30ml bottle of freebase nicotine e-liquid can cost between $10 and $20, while salt nic e-liquid varies much more in terms of price due to a number of factors.

Your Level of Experience

Your level of experience with vaping can determine how much you spend per month on your hobby. Typically, first-time vapers go with cheaper setups because they’re easier to maintain. As a vaper continues to finetune their experience to enjoy more customized satisfaction, they’ll likely begin to spend more on equipment that has more technological features, as well as vape juice that’s a bit more costly.

Your Preferred Vaping Style

The vaping style that you prefer will determine how much you spend, as each vaping style has its own equipment. For instance, if you wish to vape salt nic e-liquid using a pod system, you’ll likely spend less money as these devices are very easy to maintain, and you don’t go through a whole lot of e-liquid in one sitting. Sub-ohm kits are very powerful, and burn through more e-liquid, while burning through your coils at a faster pace. 

Quick Ways to Save Money as a Vaper

Now that you know the factors that determine the cost of vaping, it’s time to talk about ways to stick within a small budget while still enjoying your hobby to the fullest. 

· First, if you want to save on both e-liquid and coils, we recommend going with an open pod system, as this costs the least amount of money to maintain, and burns through vape juice at the slowest rate. 

· Additionally, whichever type of setup you choose, we suggest splurging on quality upfront so that you can spend less money maintaining it later on.

Is Vaping Cheaper Than Cigarette Smoking?

At the end of the day, vaping can be significantly cheaper than smoking cigarettes, as long as you commit to a vaping style that’s not extremely expensive. Therefore, even if you feel that vaping is an expensive hobby, you’ll still be spending less than you would if you were still a tobacco user. If you're interested in finding the cheapest vaping setup, consider our cheap vape kits guide.

Vaping Costs Money, and There’s No Getting Around That

However, most experienced vapers find that the cost is completely worth it, as their hobby brings them a lot of satisfaction as well as providing a way to stop smoking tobacco for good. Still, everyone has their own budget when it comes to maintaining their vaping hobby. Luckily, as you can see, it’s easy to stick within your budget as the vaping market is extremely diverse. We suggest shopping online as e juices are generally cheaper online than in vape shops. Remember, nicotine consumption should be done safely and responsibly. Check out our safe vaping guide for more tips as vaping is known to be a healthier alternative to tobacco cigarettes.

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Ryan G.
Ryan G.
Ryan is a writer at Vapebox. He fully converted to vaping in 2014 and has been educating new vapers ever since.
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