Is Using Nicotine Pouches Cheaper Than Smoking?

When it comes to nicotine, most people know smoking can be a pricey habit—not just for your wallet, but also for your health. Recently, though, nicotine pouches have started to gain popularity as an alternative, promising a cleaner, potentially cheaper way to satisfy a nicotine craving.

But how do the costs of using nicotine pouches stack up against the traditional cigarette habit? In this article, we’ll break down everything from day-to-day expenses to hidden costs you might not think of.

Key Takeaways

The cost of a pack of cigarettes in the U.S. in 2024 varies from state to state, with an average price of around $8.00. Based on the average of 12 cigarettes a day costs around $144.00 a month and $2,350.00 a year.
The cost of nicotine pouches also varies across the U.S. but not by as much as cigarettes. The average price of a can in 2024 is around $5.45. So using 10 per day would cost $81.00 a month and $972.00 a year.
Both smoking and using nicotine pouches can incur costs other than the pack price. Smokers are likely to spend more on healthcare over their lifetime, while users in both groups will usually pay higher insurance premiums.
In the vast majority of countries where both types of nicotine products are available, including the UK, Sweden, France, and much of the rest of Europe, using nicotine pouches is considerably cheaper than smoking.

How Much Does Smoking Cost on Average?

The cost of smoking cigarettes in the United States, like much else in life, has increased in recent years. While the average price has increased across the country, there is wide variation between individual states.

Based on 2024 data, the most expensive place to be a smoker is New York with a price-per-pack of almost $12.00. At the other end of the scale is Missouri, where 20 cigarettes cost as little as $6.00. The average price across the whole of the United States is around $8.00 per pack, which equates to $0.40 per cigarette.

Using that $8 average as a starting point, and assuming you smoke one pack a day, your tobacco habit will cost close to $240.00 a month. That’s an eye-watering $2,880.00 per year. Statistics show that smoking 20 a day is no longer the norm in the United States, with the average closer to 12. Even at this lower amount, smoking will cost $144.00 per month and $1,728.00 per year.

Using the same figure shown above ($8.00 a pack), here are a few cost examples for lighter and heavier smokers:

Smoking 5 per day: $60.00 per month
Smoking 10 per day: $120.00 per month
Smoking 30 per day: $360.00 per month
Smoking 40 per day: $480.00 per month

Again, these are average based on available data. There are certainly ways smokers can reduce the costs associated with the habit, such as buying cigarettes in cartons or using lower-cost products like loose-leaf tobacco.

How Much Does Using Nicotine Pouches Cost?

It is more difficult to find data about the average cost of nicotine pouches. Smoking rates and costs have been monitored and studied for many years, while nicotine pouches are still a relatively new nicotine product. That means there are few official or independent sources where this information can be found. Instead, we have viewed and compared prices at dozens of nicotine pouch retailers to calculate average costs.

The cost of a can of 20 nicotine pouches ranges between $4.49 and $6.99. Cans can also contain 15 or sometimes 25 pouches, but 20 is much more common. Gathering the prices across multiple brands and retailers, the average price-per-can is $5.45. As with cigarettes, prices from brick-and-mortar stores vary by state, but for this comparison, we’ll stick with an average of $5.45 per can/$0.27 per pouch.

Assuming consumption of 10 nic pouches per day (the average according to the American Lung Association,) the monthly cost will be $81.00. That equates to an annual cost of $972.00.

Using that same figure of $5.45 a pack, here are a few cost examples for lighter and heavier nicotine pouch usage:

Using 5 pouches per day: $40.50 per month
Using 15 pouches per day: $121.50 per month
Using 20 pouches per day: $162.00 per month
Using 25 pouches per day: $202.50 per month

As you can see, the (average) cost of using nicotine pouches, even for a heavy nicotine pouch user, will be close to half that of smoking cigarettes. As with smoking, there are certainly ways to further reduce the cost, such as buying in bulk and shopping around for the best price offers online.

Does the Price of Nicotine Pouches Vary by Strength?

The pricing of different strengths of nicotine pouches varies across the spectrum of retailers but in general, a can of 3mg ZYN will cost the same as a 6mg can. Even the brands that offer 9mg, 12mg, or even stronger versions like FRE, White Fox, and Siberia tend to charge the same amount for every strength.

How Does the Cost of Vaping Compare?

We have previously compared the cost of Smoking Vs. Vaping, but not how vaping compares to nic pouches. Our previous comparison showed that the average cost of vaping with a refillable pod vape is likely to be between $16.00 and $32.00 per month. This means that at the lower end, vaping could cost just $192.00 per year, and at the upper, around $384.00.

Even for a medium to heavy vaper using less cost-effective disposable vapes, costs will likely average around $45.00 per month and $540.00 per year.

Both of these vaping options are cheaper by far than smoking tobacco, and significantly less than the average cost of using nicotine pouches. There are, of course, considerations other than money when deciding how you want to get your nicotine fix, but if you understand how much each costs the average person, your decision will be better informed.

Hidden Costs of Nicotine Pouches and Smoking

One of the (numerous) benefits of using nicotine pouches over smoking tobacco is that there are almost no hidden costs. Smokers will not only have to pay for consumables like lighters, cigarette papers, and filters but there are potentially other costs that aren’t immediately obvious.

An example is healthcare costs. The health problems smokers are more susceptible to are almost entirely caused by tar, chemicals, and carcinogens. All things that are largely or entirely absent from nicotine pouches. In a country like the United States where healthcare is largely not free, smoking is very likely to lead to higher healthcare costs over a lifetime. The same can be said about health insurance costs, but more about that shortly.

Increased need for home maintenance or redecoration is another potential hidden cost that could be caused by smoking but not nicotine pouches. To avowed smokers, that might sound like clutching at straws, but it cannot be argued that tobacco smoke doesn’t stain and damage indoor surfaces.

Although not necessarily a hidden cost, there could be extra costs associated with nicotine pouches, in the form of shipping fees when buying online. In many or even most cases, online retailers offer free shipping, but not always. Shipping fees are not a problem for smokers due to it being illegal for delivery companies, including USPS, to knowingly transport tobacco products.

The Effect of Smoking and Nicotine Products on Insurance Premiums

As things currently stand, the use of both tobacco products and non-tobacco products that contain nicotine is very likely to affect the cost of your insurance premiums.

Smoking is well-known for its negative health effects, such as lung disease, cancer, and cardiovascular issues. Because of these significant health risks, life and health insurance companies categorize smokers as high-risk individuals. Data suggests that this classification leads to premiums that can be as much as 2-4 times higher than those for non-smokers.

While nicotine pouches are certainly a safer alternative to smoking, they still deliver nicotine. Unfortunately, insurers often treat any nicotine user (whether through cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or pouches) as a higher-risk applicant, generally because of the potential health implications of nicotine use.

Some researchers argue that since nicotine pouches avoid combustion (unlike smoking), they might carry fewer risks and therefore could, in theory, justify lower insurance premiums. If it can definitively be shown that nicotine pouches present fewer health risks than smoking, insurers might start distinguishing between the two in underwriting policies. This could lead to different premium levels for nicotine pouch users compared to smokers, similar to how some insurers categorize e-cigarette users.

Smoking Vs. Nicotine Pouch Costs In the UK and Elsewhere

In the UK, nicotine pouches cost an average of £5.75 ($7.42) for a can of 20. You can almost always find them at reduced prices from online retailers, but using that and the 10-a-day average, nicotine pouch use will cost around £87.00 ($112.50) per month and £1,044.00 ($1,350.00) annually.

Cigarettes, which are relatively expensive in the UK due to heavy taxation, cost far more than nicotine pouches. The average price for 20 cigarettes is reported to be approximately £15.90 ($20.50). Based on smoking just 10 per day, that equates to £238.50 ($308.00) per month and £2,862.00 ($3,696.00) per year.

In Sweden, the birthplace of nicotine pouches, a can of 20 will cost around 40.00kr ($3.69), while a pack of 20 cigarettes costs around 65.00kr ($6.00). In France, the average prices are €3.70 ($3.90) for 20 nicotine pouches and €11.50 ($12.40) for 20 cigarettes.

We won’t list the price comparison for every country, but it is safe to say that in the vast majority where both nicotine products are available, smoking is more expensive than using nicotine pouches.

The Bottom Line

In almost every way possible, using nicotine pouches is better than smoking. They are better for your health, better for the environment, better for the people around you, and significantly better for your finances. For the typical or average smoker, switching to nicotine pouches will result in a saving of several hundred dollars each year.