Vaping vs Smoking: What It Costs in Australia

Figuring out whether vaping or smoking costs more in Australia is not a single number. Cigarettes carry one of the highest tobacco excises in the world, and the excise rises twice a year. Nicotine vapes, meanwhile, are regulated therapeutic products supplied through pharmacies, so their price depends on a device, e-liquid, coils and often a consultation. This guide compares the two using current Australian figures, and lays out the numbers in a monthly-cost table that is clearly marked as an illustrative estimate, September 2026. It covers cost only – it does not make health claims, weigh up which is riskier, or give quitting advice.

How much smoking costs in Australia

The first thing to understand is that the retail price of a cigarette is built on excise. The Australian Taxation Office set the tobacco excise at about A$1.53 per stick from 3 March to 31 August 2026, then raised it to about A$1.55 per stick from 1 September 2026. That excise is only one part of what you pay – GST and the manufacturer or retailer margin sit on top of it, which is why retail packs cost well above the excise figure alone. Because the excise moves in March and September each year, the smoking part of this comparison is one of the most regularly dated numbers in the Australian market.

For an idea of what that adds up to, the independent academic review Tobacco in Australia (Chapter 13.3) tracked factory-made cigarette pack prices by segment at September 2025. At that point the cheapest segment – called supervalue – averaged just under A$40 for a 20-pack, while premium brands averaged around A$60 for 20 cigarettes, or roughly A$3 a stick. A separate 2025 retail estimate put a 25-pack of a leading brand at roughly A$48.95 at a major supermarket (Quitwise, “Cost of cigarettes in Australia: Prices and tax laws (2025)”, accessed September 2026). These figures are dated, brand-dependent and move with each excise update.

To turn that into a monthly figure, an illustrative pack-a-day smoker – someone on 20 cigarettes a day – would budget roughly A$1,150 to A$1,200 a month at average 2025 pack prices, or about A$14,600 over the year, with the 2026 excise rises pushing that number higher (estimates from the same 2025 retail snapshot, accessed September 2026). That is a model, not a guarantee: the real figure depends on the brand, pack size and how many a person actually smokes.

How much vaping costs in Australia

Vaping cost is a different shape of expense. A vape is not a consumable you rebuy in the same rhythm as a pack; the outlay splits into the device, the e-liquid, replacement coils, and – for therapeutic nicotine vapes – a pharmacist consultation or prescription step.

Under the Therapeutic Goods and Other Legislation Amendment (Vaping Reforms) Act 2024, in force since 1 July 2024, nicotine vapes in Australia are therapeutic products supplied through pharmacies. Since 1 October 2024, pharmacists can supply low-nicotine therapeutic vapes – up to 20 mg/mL freebase-equivalent – to adults aged 18 and over without a prescription. The Department of Health and the Therapeutic Goods Administration are the authorities that describe this current supply framework. Industry sources suggest a therapeutic vape device can cost up to about A$150, and a typical month (device, e-liquid, coils and consultation, pro-rated) comes to roughly A$97 to A$187 (QuitHero, “Vape Prices in Australia”, accessed September 2026). Because there is no single refreshed official price list for every pharmacy vape, these are estimates, not guarantees.

An important boundary: these cost figures describe the current legal therapeutic pathway for nicotine. They are not a statement that vaping is cheaper for every person, and they are not a recommendation about health or about giving up smoking.

Monthly cost: a side-by-side table

The table below is an illustrative monthly estimate, September 2026. It combines Australian cigarette-pack data with pharmacy-vape cost estimates so you can compare them in one place using your own assumptions. Treat the vaping column as a range because devices and liquid vary.

How to read the table: pick the smoking total that matches your consumption, then compare it with the vaping range. The smoking column uses a pack-a-day model; if you smoke less, scale it down. The vaping column is deliberately a range because it depends on the device and how much liquid you use in a month. Every figure above is dated – cigarette prices are as of the September 2025 Tobacco in Australia snapshot and the September 2026 ATO excise, and the vaping cost is an industry estimate – so re-check prices at the current review date before treating them as exact.

The legal and purchasing context in Australia

Any cost conversation about nicotine in Australia sits inside the current legal framework. Since 1 July 2024, nicotine vapes are therapeutic products and may only be supplied through pharmacies, and since 1 October 2024 pharmacists can supply low-nicotine therapeutic vapes to eligible adults without a prescription. This is a framework fact from the Therapeutic Goods Administration and the Department of Health – it is not a statement that vaping is risk-free, and it is not a recommendation on where you personally should buy. Whoever is comparing costs needs to weigh the regulated supply route into the numbers, because it changes both the price and how a device is obtained.

Rates and rules can change. A September 2026 report noted an announced proposal to cut tobacco excise and change vape regulation, but that proposal is not yet in force, so the current excise and supply rules still apply. This guide’s figures were checked at the review date and should be treated as accurate only up to that point.

How to turn these figures into your own budget

The most useful next step is to rebuild the table with your own numbers. Write down how many packs you smoke a week and the price you actually pay, multiply by 4.3 to get a monthly figure, and compare it with the vaping range above adjusted for the device and liquid you would use. That single, personal comparison is more reliable than any generic claim that one option is always cheaper. If you are choosing between a disposable and a refillable setup, our guide to disposable versus reusable vapes in Australia covers that device-form question in detail, and our companion piece on why Australians switch looks at the health-angle question.

This article is about cost only. For the different question of how nicotine and these products affect your health, or for help quitting, speak to a qualified health professional or a pharmacist, and use the official Australian health guidance rather than treating a retail comparison as medical advice. Nicotine is addictive, and the figures here are a budgeting tool, not a health or legal opinion.

References

• Australian Taxation Office, Excise duty rates for tobacco – current tobacco excise per stick (A$1.53 from 3 March 2026; A$1.55 from 1 September 2026). ato.gov.au
• Tobacco in Australia, 13.3 How much do tobacco products cost in Australia? – factory-made cigarette pack prices by segment, September 2025. tobaccoinaustralia.org.au
• Therapeutic Goods Administration, Supplying therapeutic vapes in pharmacies – current pharmacy supply pathway, including the 18+ low-nicotine pathway since 1 October 2024. tga.gov.au
• Department of Health (Victoria), E-cigarettes and vaping – description of the national vaping reforms. health.vic.gov.au
• Australian Pharmacist, Helping patients understand new vaping restrictions – indication that therapeutic vapes may cost up to about A$150. australianpharmacist.com.au
• Quitwise, Cost of cigarettes in Australia: Prices and tax laws (2025) – 2025 retail pack estimates including A$48.95 25-pack and pack-a-day monthly/yearly figures. quitwise.com.au
• QuitHero, Vape Prices in Australia: How Much Do Pen Vapes Really Cost? – industry estimate of the A$97-187 monthly therapeutic-vape range. quithero.com.au
• ABC News (3 September 2026), Coalition unveils plan to slash tobacco tax, legalise and regulate vapes – announced (not yet in force) proposal. abc.net.au

Illustrative comparison date: September 2026. Prices and rules can change; re-check current figures at the review date.