What vaping costs per year: the maths, with the assumptions written out
Most “how much does vaping cost” articles pick a number out of the air. This one builds it from the bottom up, and puts the assumptions on the page so you can argue with them.
All figures are GBP at late-2026 UK prices, with rough USD equivalents. If you are in Canada or Germany, your liquid line is two to three times higher — see the tax comparison.
The assumptions
| Input | Value used | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Liquid price | £4.50 per 10 ml (£0.45/ml) | Mid-range UK retail; includes £2.20 duty and VAT |
| Pod / replaceable coil | £2.80, lasting 7 days | Typical for a 0.6–1.2 Ω pod coil |
| Sub-ohm coil | £4.00, lasting 10 days | Mesh coils at higher wattage |
| Device cost | Pod £25, mod + tank £60 | Amortised over 18 months |
| Rebuildable consumables | £15/year | Wire, cotton, occasional tool |
Four profiles
| Light pod user | Daily pod user | Heavy sub-ohm | Heavy rebuildable | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Liquid per day | 2 ml | 4 ml | 10 ml | 10 ml |
| Liquid cost / day | £0.90 | £1.80 | £4.50 | £4.50 |
| Coil cost / day | £0.40 | £0.40 | £0.40 | £0.04 |
| Device / day | £0.05 | £0.05 | £0.11 | £0.11 |
| Per day | £1.35 | £2.25 | £5.01 | £4.65 |
| Per year | £493 | £821 | £1,830 | £1,697 |
| Per year (USD, approx.) | $620 | $1,030 | $2,300 | $2,130 |
The spread is almost entirely liquid volume, not hardware. Two people with the same device can differ by £1,000 a year purely on how much they vape.
Where the money actually goes
For the daily pod user, the £821 breaks down like this:
- Liquid: £657 (80%)
- Coils: £146 (18%)
- Device: £18 (2%)
That ratio is the whole point. Optimising hardware saves almost nothing. Optimising liquid consumption or liquid price is where the money is.
The tax line most calculators skip
In the UK, £2.20 of every 10 ml bottle is Vaping Products Duty, and VAT applies on top. That is roughly half of a £4.50 bottle going to tax before the retailer makes anything.
This is not a UK quirk. Same 10 ml bottle, same 20 mg strength, taxed at the source:
| Country | Duty on 10 ml | Effect on the liquid line |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | £2.20 | Modest |
| Germany | €3.20 | Roughly doubles a cheap bottle |
| South Korea | ₩6,280 | Large |
| Canada (coordinated provinces) | C$11.20 | Triples it |
If you vape 10 ml a day in a Canadian coordinated province, you are paying around C$4,000 a year in duty alone. Cost articles written for the US or UK market routinely miss this, which is why “vaping costs $300 a year” advice travels badly.
Three things that quietly blow up the budget
1. Coils dying early. Every coil that fails in three days instead of ten adds about 70p a day — £250 a year. The usual cause is running a coil below its rated wattage, which boils liquid instead of vaporising it. Our coil guide covers the mechanics.
2. Device churn. Buying a new pod kit every three months because the battery degraded is £100 a year of pure waste. A £25 kit amortised over 18 months costs £18 a year; the same kit replaced quarterly costs £100.
3. Buying the wrong format. Large-format liquid is not automatically cheaper once duty is charged per millilitre. A 100 ml shortfill does not carry less duty than ten 10 ml bottles — it carries exactly the same £22, just paid in one go.
Disposables, for reference
Before the UK ban, a typical 600-puff disposable cost about £5. A heavy user going through one to two a day was spending £150–£300 a month — £1,800 to £3,600 a year, for a device you throw away.
That is the market the ban removed, and it is also the clearest argument for refillables on cost alone: the same money buys a pod kit, a year of coils, and roughly 4 litres of liquid.
How to actually cut the bill
Ranked by how much they save, not by how often they are recommended:
- Vape less liquid. The only line that really matters. Nothing else comes close.
- Move to a lower-power device. A 12 W pod uses a third of the liquid of a 60 W tank for the same nicotine intake, because you need less vapour to get the same dose.
- Switch to rebuildables if you vape heavily — saves roughly £130 a year on coils, at the cost of an hour of learning.
- Buy liquid in the format you will actually finish. Waste is the hidden cost in bulk buying.
- Stop buying devices you do not need. One good kit, spare coils, done.
Notice what is not on the list: shopping around for cheaper hardware. On these numbers, a £10 saving on a device is worth two weeks of liquid.
FAQ
Is vaping cheaper than smoking? In the UK, a 20-a-day smoker spends roughly £4,000 a year on cigarettes. The heaviest profile above is £1,830. Vaping is cheaper in every case modelled here, but the gap narrows fast in high-tax jurisdictions.
How much does it cost per day? From about £1.35 for a light pod user to £5 for a heavy sub-ohm user.
Does DIY liquid save money? Yes, substantially — base liquid and concentrates can bring cost to £0.10–0.15/ml, roughly a third of retail. It also adds handling risk and time, and nicotine base is regulated.
Do I need to spend more on a device to vape cheaply? No. The device is 2% of the annual cost. Buy one that fits your hand and has coils you can actually buy, then stop thinking about it.
Prices checked November 2026, UK retail. Your numbers will differ — the point is the structure, not the exact figures.
