Are you are a smoker looking to quit smoking and begin vaping? You’re going to need to know about vape prices. If you are afraid that a healthier alternative will certainly come with a premium, then rest assured that this is not the case. Vaping can be cheap, especially if your goal is to quit smoking. And even if you take it up as a hobby, there are ways to do that on a budget.
How much do vapes cost?
A beginner vape can be pretty cheap nowadays. They are simple devices to learn and they range in style and performance. These vapes are known as disposables, pod systems, cigalikes, AIOs (all in ones), vape pens, and MTL tanks with small box mods (starter kits). The common price ranges:
Disposable vapes: $5-$10
Pod systems: $10 – $30
Vape pens: $15 – $35
MTL starter kits: $30 – $60
Those price ranges are typical, but there are devices that cost more. More expensive vapes often have a higher quality manufacturing, more innovation in design, and rugged durability… but not necessarily better performance.
Replacement coils
All vapes have a heating element (a coil) that needs to get replaced. Because of that, you have to include the cost of coils in your calculations. The coils—which can come in pods, cartridges, or little metal housings—usually cost in the $1-5 range per. They need to be replaced about once a week (but sometimes longer in between).
You can expect to vape between one to ten milliliters of e-liquid per day, although most people would fall in the bottom half of that range. Consumption will vary depending on the device’s vapor production, your desired nicotine uptake, and the strength of your juice.
How much does vape juice cost?
Vape juice is an important factor to consider when calculating the cost of vaping. If your device is prefilled with e-juice, the initial cost is generally cheaper than a refillable one. But the amount of vape juice you’ll get is a small percentage of what you get when you buy a bottle. If you have a refillable vape, the cost will quickly prove itself to be much cheaper than a prefilled device.
In a prefilled device
Most prefilled devices hold a small amount of liquid, usually only around 1 mL. Regardless of if they’re purchased in a multi-pack or not, the cost breaks down to about $3-7 per. And on average, they will last you one to two days before needing to replace. They’re convenient but not as cost-effective as refilling.
By the bottle
Bottle sizes of e-juice can range from 10 mL to 120 mL. Prices vary, and they’re not always predictable based on bottle size. In general, bottles of vape juice range from $10 to $30.
More cost-saving tips
- Older devices are usually offered at a discount. Check if your favorite shop has a “clearance” section. You can also find second-hand vapes at very low prices if you check online forums or vape-related Facebook groups.
- When it comes to vape juice, there are cheaper brands with excellent flavors at a fraction of the price of so-called “premium” juice.
- If you want to progress into the hobby side of vaping, you can save a lot more. Wrapping your own coils and even DIYing your own vape juice are the pinnacles of cost-saving methods.
Summing it up
An affordable vape pen, replacement coils and juice may cost you as little as $50 for the first month, while a full-featured box mod paired with an MTL tank, coils, and juice, may go up to $120. After that, you should expect an average of $30-60 per month for coils and juice. If you have been spending around $6 on cigarettes per day, in both scenarios you will start saving before the end of the first month.
Disposable vapes and prefilled pods will come with a very low-cost upfront, but will probably raise the monthly costs depending on consumption. But if you don’t want separate purchases and don’t wish to go through trial and error, they are an excellent and very practical solution—and by far the easiest way to vape.
What about advanced vapers?
Most vapers will be happy with their initial purchases and not graduate to these categories. But some will want to spice things up a bit.
Most of the vapes for intermediate vapers belong in one main product category: high-wattage mods paired with sub ohm tanks. A standard dual-battery mod will cost anywhere between $30 and $90, and a sub ohm tank will generally cost around $30-50. Buying these in a kit will shave the price a bit, bringing it to between $40-100. There are of course more expensive options, but in most cases, these can be considered hobbyist items.
Hobbyists are vapers that use multi-battery mods, rebuildable atomizers, mechanical mods, and high-end items. While there are ways to save money when going down that route (more on that in the following section), most hobbyists will generally end up spending much more on their vape gear than the average vaper.
While advanced vapers will generally vape more, the price they pay for e-liquid can vary. Sub ohm tanks and large rebuildable atomizers can go through e-liquid at impressive rates, but high-end MTL atomizers will consume a similar amount of juice to beginner vapes. On top of that, many vapers make their own juice, while others may go through many bottles of premium juice per week.
How can you save even more?
As a beginner, you can save money both from hardware and juice purchases. Older devices are usually offered at a discount—check if your favorite shop has a “clearance” section. You can also find second-hand vapes at very low prices if you check online forums or vape-related Facebook groups.
When it comes to juice, there are cheaper brands with excellent flavors at a fraction of the price of premium juice. And if you want to spend even less money, e-juice DIY shops offer unflavored nicotine base at very low prices, especially when buying larger quantities. Unflavored base will certainly not taste like cookies and cream, but it does have a slightly sweet taste that you may enjoy.
Building your own coils and e-liquid DIYing are other ways to save money. Wire spools, organic cotton, flavor concentrates, VG, PG, and nicotine base are much cheaper than store-bought vape coils and e-liquid, but they will only be of use to you if you take on vaping as a hobby.