Vape prices have changed a great deal over the past couple of years. Vaping has always been cheaper than smoking – that’s one of its biggest selling points. Some vapes, however, are definitely cheaper than others – and the cheapest vape is always changing. If you asked us what the cheapest vape on the market is today, our answer would be quite different than it would have been in 2019 or even 2020.
So, how has the market changed, and how much is a vape in 2024? In this article, we’re going to help you understand exactly how much you can expect to spend on vaping. We’re going to break down vape prices into all of the different types of expenses you’re likely to encounter – the devices themselves, replacement pods and coils and bottles of Vape Juice. We’re also going to explain how much the four most common types of vapes cost: disposable vapes, pre-filled pod systems, refillable pod systems and vape mods. When you’re done reading, you’ll know the answers to questions like:
- How much does a vape cost?
- How much is vape juice?
- How much do pods cost per month and per year?
So, how much are vapes? It’s time to dig in and learn the answer.
How Much Are Disposable Vapes?
Disposable vapes are the most popular vaping devices on the market today, and a major part of the devices’ popularity has to do with the fact that they are also some of the cheapest vapes on the market.
That wasn’t always the case. In the early days of vaping, disposable vapes weren’t really intended to be products that people would use every day as full-time replacements for smoking. The cost of disposable vapes back then was roughly comparable to what you’d pay today, but a device would only contain about 18 mg of nicotine at the most – not even enough to replace a single pack of cigarettes for most people. People would usually buy disposable vapes to find out what vaping felt and tasted like, and they’d quickly move on to rechargeable devices if they enjoyed the experience.
Today, disposable vapes are so much more economical than they once were that they’ve become completely viable as full-time replacements for traditional cigarettes. Why is the cost of disposable vapes so low? It’s really quite simple: They contain more total nicotine than ever, but they cost about the same as they always have. Today’s disposable vapes contain up to around 16 ml of nicotine salt vape juice, whereas the devices of the past often had less than 1 ml.
What Are the Factors Affecting the Cost of Disposable Vapes?
The primary factor affecting the cost of disposable vapes is the amount of e-liquid contained in each device. When you use disposable vapes, you don’t need to buy any accessories. You’re only buying the devices themselves, so the true cost of a particular device comes down to how long you can use that device before you need to buy another one.
How Much Do Disposable Vapes Cost per Month?
Every person has different nicotine needs. A typical disposable vape has a nicotine strength of 50 mg/ml, though, and it’s reasonable to expect that you’ll need to use around 1 ml of vape juice per day at that strength.
- The Aloha Sun Disposable is the most popular disposable vape in 2024. It costs $12.95 and has 15 ml of vape juice.
- The Geek Bar Pulse is the longest-lasting disposable vape in 2023. It costs $13.75 and has 16 ml of vape juice.
Based on the assumption that you’ll use approximately 1 ml of vape juice per day, here’s how much these disposable vapes cost per month.
- You'll use approximately 2 Aloha Sun disposables per month and will spend $25.90 on them.
- You'll use approximately 1.875 Geek Bar Pulse disposables per month and will spend $25.78 on them.
How Much Do Disposable Vapes Cost per Year?
Now that we know how much disposable vapes cost per month, it’s easy to extrapolate those costs over the course of a year.
- You’ll use approximately 24 Aloha Sun disposables per year and will spend $310.80 on them.
- You’ll use approximately 22.5 Geek Bar Pulse disposables per year and will spend $309.36 on them.
How Much Are Pre-Filled Pod Vapes?
Pre-filled pod vapes are the vaping devices that you typically see in gas stations and convenience stores. Although they’re not as convenient as disposable vapes, they’re still very easy to use because they store their e-liquid in drop-in pods. Unfortunately, pre-filled pod vapes also suffer from two major problems. The first problem is that the pods are only available in tobacco and menthol flavors, and the second problem is that they are the most expensive vaping devices on the market.
What Are the Factors Affecting the Cost of Pod Vapes?
The primary factor affecting the cost of pod vapes is the cost of the pods themselves. Rechargeable batteries don’t last forever, though, so you should also factor in the cost of replacing the device about once per year.
How Much Do Pod Vapes Cost per Month?
We’ll discuss the costs of two popular pod systems in this vape price comparison. Although we’re not going to mention them by name, you can probably identify them by checking the shelves at a local gas station.
- One system costs $9.99 for a starter kit including one battery and one USB charger. Pods are sold in packs of four at $20.99 per pack. One pod contains 0.7 ml of vape juice with a nicotine strength of 59 mg/ml, and the total nicotine content of one pod is about 41.3 mg. We’ll assume that one pod lasts one day with this device.
- Another system costs $9.99 for a starter kit including one battery and one USB charger. Pods are sold in packs of two at $12.99 per pack. One pod contains 1.8 ml of vape juice with a nicotine strength of 50 mg/ml, and the total nicotine content of one pod is about 90 mg. We’ll assume that one pod lasts two days with this device.
Based on the above assumptions, here’s how much you can expect to pay per month with these two pod vapes.
- With the first system, you’ll buy approximately 7.5 packs of pods per month at a cost of $157.43.
- With the second system, you’ll buy approximately 7.5 packs of pods per month at a cost of 97.43.
How Much Do Pod Vapes Cost per Year?
Considering the costs outlined above, how much do the two most popular pod vapes cost per year? We’ll add the $9.99 yearly cost of a new battery to these calculations.
- With the first system, you’ll buy approximately 90 packs of pods per year plus one new battery at a total cost of $1,899.09.
- With the second system, you’ll buy approximately 90 packs of pods per year plus one new battery at a total cost of $1,179.09.
How Much Are Refillable Pod Vape Pens?
Refillable pod vape pens are the only vaping devices that can really give disposable vapes a run for their money in terms of affordability. That’s because pod vaping systems are designed to use high-strength nicotine salt vape juice. The higher nicotine strength means that you don’t have to use as much e-liquid to feel satisfied, and the fact that you don’t consume a lot of e-liquid means that components such as pods and coils will last longer before you need to replace them.
Although the latest disposable vapes have managed to beat pod systems in the price department, refillable vape pens still have one major advantage in that they can work with any e-liquid. That gives you a lot more flexibility in terms of flavors and nicotine strengths.
What Are the Factors Affecting the Cost of Refillable Pod Vape Pens?
The primary factor that affects the cost of using a refillable vape pen is the nicotine strength of your e-liquid. If you use a lower nicotine strength, you’ll need to vape more often in order to feel satisfied. You’ll spend more on e-liquid as a result, and you’ll also need to spend more on replacement pods or coils because those components will wear out more quickly.
The second factor is the cost of the vape pods themselves. With some pod systems, the atomizer coil is built into the pod. When the coil no longer produces a good flavor, you’ll need to replace the entire pod to get a new coil. With other systems, you can replace the coil while keeping your existing pod. Pod systems with replaceable coils aren’t quite as convenient as systems with built-in coils, but they also cost less to use.
How Much Do Refillable Pod Vape Pens Cost per Month?
So, how much do pods and vape juice cost per month if you use a refillable pod system? We’ll provide the costs for two popular pod systems. We’ll also assume that you’re replacing your coil or pod once per week.
Your actual vaping costs will be higher than these estimates if you use a freebase nicotine e-liquid with a lower nicotine strength. Your costs will also be higher if you use a heavily sweetened vape juice, which causes coil gunk and shortens coil life.
- The Uwell Caliburn G is one of the most popular small pod systems. Replacement Uwell Caliburn coils come in packs of four and sell for $9.95.
- The SMOK Nord 5 is one of the most popular large pod systems. Replacement SMOK RPM3 coils come in packs of five and sell for $13.95.
We’ll use Mango Strawberry by Juice Head Salts as our vape juice for this cost comparison. It’s sold in 30 ml bottles costing $11.95 each, and it’s available in two strengths: 50 mg/ml and 35 mg/ml. Because both of these pod systems can produce substantial vapor clouds, we’ll assume that you’re using the 35 mg/ml strength and that you’re going through 2 ml of vape juice per day.
- If you’re using the Uwell Caliburn G, you’ll need two bottles of vape juice and one pack of coils per month at a total cost of $33.85.
- If you’re using the SMOK Nord 5, you’ll need two bottles of vape juice and four fifths of a pack of coils per month at a total cost of $35.06.
How Much Do Refillable Pod Vape Pens Cost per Year?
Considering the costs outlined above, how much does it cost to use a refillable pod vape pen for a year? We’ll add the cost of a new device to these calculations, because it’s likely that your device won’t hold much of a charge anymore after a year of use.
- If you’re using the Uwell Caliburn G, you’ll need 24 bottles of vape juice and 12 packs of coils in a year. Including the cost of a new device, that’s a total of $431.15.
- If you’re using the SMOK Nord 5, you’ll need 24 bottles of vape juice and 9.6 packs of coils in a year. Including the cost of a new device, that’s a total of $454.67.
How Much Are Vape Mods?
Vape mods are the most powerful vaping devices on the market. They’re capable of producing enormous clouds, and that means they go through a lot of vape juice. A device that uses a lot of e-liquid also requires frequent coil changes because coil gunk forms more quickly if you use more vape juice. In short, owning a vape mod isn’t cheap – but it definitely costs less than using a pre-filled pod system.
What Are the Factors Affecting the Cost of Vape Mods?
The main factor that affects the cost of using a vape mod is the type of e-liquid you use. Because a modern vape mod can produce enormous clouds, you’ll most likely use the lowest nicotine strength available – 3 mg/ml for most vape juice brands – with this type of device. Because of the large amount of vape juice you’ll use, the sweetness of the e-liquid becomes a major price factor. If the e-liquid is extremely sweet, you may need to replace your coil every day or two. If you’re using a vape juice that’s unsweetened and only mildly flavored, on the other hand, you may only need to replace your coil a couple of times a month.
When you use a very powerful vape mod, it’s very easy for replacement coils – not e-liquid – to become your biggest cost.
How Much Do Vape Mods Cost per Month?
When we discuss the cost of owning a vape mod, it’s really the sub-ohm tank more than the device that determines your expenses. After all, any mod can work with any tank as long as it works at the tank’s required wattage.
We’ll use the SMOK TFV18 as our example here. SMOK TFV18 coils are sold in packs of three for $13.50. We’ll assume that you’re replacing your coil once per week.
We’ll use Naked vape juice as our example e-liquid. It’s sold in 60 ml bottles costing $12.95 each. We’ll assume that you’re using the 3 mg/ml nicotine strength and that you’re consuming 10 ml of e-liquid per day. With the SMOK TVF16, that’s a little more than one full tank.
- If you vape according to the parameters above, you’ll buy five bottles of vape juice and 1.3 packs of coils at a total cost of $82.30 per month.
How Much Do Vape Mods Cost per Year?
Now that you know what the monthly cost of using a vape mod is, it’s time to extrapolate those costs over the course of a year. We’ll also include the cost of a pair of 18650 batteries in this estimate since it’s likely that your original batteries won’t hold much of a charge after a year.
- In a year of using a vape mod, you’ll buy 60 bottles of vape juice and 16 packs of coils along with two 18650 batteries at a total cost of $983.15.
How Much Is a Vape? Your Choices Determine Your Costs
After reading this overview of how much a vape costs, we hope you’ve come away with a better understanding of how much you can expect to pay per month and per year with the four most popular types of vapes. If you thought that all vape prices were more or less the same, it should be very clear you now that the costs can vary a great deal depending on the choices you make.
The cheapest vapes are definitely disposable vapes and refillable pod systems. Using a pre-filled pod system, on the other hand, can more than quadruple your costs.
So, do you want to use the cheapest vape on the market? It all comes down to these five things.
- Use a small device to keep your e-liquid consumption low.
- Use an e-liquid with a high nicotine strength, so you’ll feel satisfied more quickly.
- If you use a refillable vape, use an unsweetened or lightly sweetened vape juice to make your coils or pods last longer.
- Don’t use a device with pre-filled pods.
- Pay attention to how much you vape. Don’t vape unless you really need the nicotine.