Does Vaping Save Money?

Smoking might give you a quick hit of satisfaction and make you feel good, but the chemicals in cigarettes can lead to some serious health problems, especially as your nicotine dependence grows.

That’s why the Australian government has bumped up cigarette taxes to try and get people to spend less on tobacco.

If you’re considering switching to nicotine vaping products (NVPs), you can find them at local pharmacies. 

Vaping might seem like a money saver because just 1 to 3 puffs can curb strong cravings. A pack of 6 cartridges costing $60 to $78 could last 2 to 3 weeks, which is much cheaper than buying a 20-pack of cigarettes daily.

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But does vaping actually save you money? This post breaks down whether pharmacy-sourced nicotine vaping products are more cost-effective than cigarettes. 

Note that the figures discusses are based on legal pharmacy products, not illicit vapes.

Illegal Vaping Products

As of October 2021 and May last year, Australian regulations say you can only buy NVPs from a pharmacy with a prescription from a GP.  By July 2024, you can only buy legal vapes from a pharmacy.

Have you seen those sketchy vapes in grocery stores or toy shops? They’re usually illegal and designed to cash in on your addiction, hooking a new generation of smokers.

Lab tests have found that illegal vaping products can contain harmful substances like nickel, lead, and traces of saliva. These products are made cheaply and sold at exorbitant markups, sometimes over 3,000% more than what they cost to make.

Pharmacy Vaping Products

The only legal NVPs you can get are the ones sold in pharmacies. 

They’re of higher quality (medical standards) and regulated for safety. It might be tempting to give in to those cheap, illegal vapes you see around, especially if you’re craving nicotine. 

But remember, taking care of your health is key to getting through your quit-smoking journey and increasing your chances of success.

There is also high-certainty evidence that NVPs are more effective than traditional NRT (like patches and gum) in helping people stop smoking.

The Cost of Buying Cigarettes in Australia Today

Cigarettes are a luxury – a dangerous one if you will. Currently, a pack of 20 sticks will set you back $57.50 for now.

Stressing the ‘for now’ aspect: a 20-pack will cost about 15% more than its current price by 2026. 

Any smoker still hooked on tobacco will have to spend an additional $8.70 for each pack, bringing the total cost of a 20-pack to $66.20 – a sum that could have bought you a nice dinner or shirt instead.

If you’re a heavy smoker, this is a financial nightmare that you can easily prevent by stopping smoking.

Looking at the bigger picture, the $66.20 a heavy smoker would spend for each day of the week could have helped you pay off your monthly utilities or some part of your mortgage.

Spending nearly $500 a week on cigarettes isn’t practical at all, and will end up severely decreasing your quality of life. 

Keep reading to see exactly how much you’ll be saving if you just decide to quit smoking and go through a GP to use pharmacy NVPs.

The Cost Benefit of Buying Vapes

How much is a vape worth?

Pharmacy vaping products are much more affordable than cigarettes. 

On average, a starter vape kit you can buy from a pharmacy may be around $85, but this will likely last you all week, compared to the $66.50 you’ll spend on the 20-pack just for today.

Then, depending on your usage, you’ll roughly be looking at around $40-60 per week on 4-6 cartridges. Compared to the $463.40 spent on cigarettes, that’s up to a 90% saving.

How Long Does Each Cartridge Typically Last?

A motivated smoker following their GP’s prescription of taking 1 to 3 puffs when they feel strong cravings can expect a cartridge to last anywhere between 1 and 3 days. 

Some GPs mention that patients who only take a few puffs per day often still have a cartridge left after two to three weeks of the treatment.

How Soon Does a Cartridge Expire?

On average, a cartridge is expected to last for two years if stored at room temperature. The vaping device that powers the cartridges lasts longer.

Cartridges for pharmacy NVPs have their expiry date clearly marked on the packaging.

How to Buy Pharmacy Vapes

Ready to get started on your quit journey with NVPs? Here’s how to go through it.

Go Through First-Line Solutions First

You need a nicotine prescription before you can purchase NVPs. As a second-line solution, one requirement is that you’ve already tried and failed to quit smoking with a first-line treatment, such as NRT products. 

NRT products (like patches and gums) are the most trusted quitting option available for motivated smokers. They might not imitate cigarettes, but they contain a small dose of nicotine that may be enough to alleviate your withdrawals.

While NRTs can be effective, they don’t work for everyone. If these haven’t done the trick for you, you may now be eligible for a nicotine prescription.

Chat to a GP

As mentioned, NRT products have worked for many successful ex-smokers. But, you might have ingrained behaviours and triggers that only something that mimics a cigarette can successfully address, such as the hand-to-mouth motion, and needing something to use while having a drink with friends. 

If your GP deems it necessary, they can write you a nicotine prescription for NVPs. 

You can chat to your usual GP more about this.

Visit Your Local Pharmacy

Once you have your nicotine prescription, you can pop down to your local pharmacy. Over 2,200 pharmacies across Australia hold these products in-store, but any pharmacy can order these in for you if they don’t currently stock them.

Both your pharmacist and GP can advise you on how best to use the product, such as the initial setup, and the number of puffs to take when you feel withdrawals.

Summary

If there was ever a time to save money, it would be now. The rising costs of cigarettes aren’t worth spending on, and you’ll also have to pay for the potential health costs brought on by prolonged smoking later on.

By quitting smoking today and starting on your smoking cessation journey, you can save well over $10,000 per year – a sum that’s easy to come by if you kick out cigarettes from your life.

We can help you start your journey to rid tobacco for the rest of your life.

Smokefree Clinic gives you access to many medically reviewed and trustworthy resources that can inform and aid you in your path to wellness, so have a look around! 

If you’re ready to get started, Smokefree can connect you to Australian healthcare professionals who excel in helping patients quit smoking for good.

Link Reference

• https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2023/may/04/australia-tobacco-tax-is-among-the-highest-in-the-world-and-is-about-to-get-higher
• https://www.health.gov.au/topics/smoking-and-tobacco/about-smoking-and-tobacco/about-e-cigarettes
• https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/may/03/australia-vaping-ban-import-vape-vapes-crackdown-what-we-know-and-dont-know-so-far
• https://www.tga.gov.au/news/media-releases/new-vaping-laws-commence-1-july-2024
• https://www.kidspot.com.au/news/melbourne-kids-shop-caught-allegedly-selling-tobacco-products-amongst-toys/news-story/f3b6cec7ac2b3da48c9db66cf9e2feb5
• https://www.newshub.co.nz/home/new-zealand/2023/08/paddy-gower-on-vaping-shocking-facts-uncovered-about-the-known-and-unknown-health-risks-of-e-liquids.html
• https://www.bbc.com/news/health-65614078
• https://www.cochrane.org/news/latest-cochrane-review-finds-high-certainty-evidence-nicotine-e-cigarettes-are-more-effective