One of the biggest benefits of vaping compared to smoking is that it’s usually significantly less expensive. Vaping definitely isn’t free, though, and it’s important to know how much a vape costs in order to plan your budget effectively. You also need to know about the recurring costs associated with the type of vape that you’re planning to use.
You can see when you browse any online or local vape shop near you that the typical price of a vape ranges from about $10-50 USD. That, however, is only part of the story.
Reading this article, you’re going to learn about how much disposable and refillable vapes cost. You’re also going to learn how long you can expect your vape to last and how much you’ll spend on supplies.
Before we dive in, though, let’s talk about why there isn’t necessarily a one-size-fits-all answer when it comes to finding out how much vapes cost.
Vape Prices Vary by Market
In this article, we’ll be using the United States dollar (USD) as the basis for the prices quoted. Vape prices can vary depending on the market in which you live, though, so let’s start by talking about exchange rates. Here are the approximate exchange rates for some of the world’s biggest vaping markets at the time of writing.
- Australia: 1 USD equals 1.60 AUD.
- Canada: 1 USD equals 1.44 CAD.
- China: 1 USD equals 7.30 CNY.
- European Union: 1 USD equals .96 EUR.
- Japan: 1 USD equals 157.11 JPY.
- Malaysia: 1 USD equals 4.47 MYR.
- Philippines: 1 USD equals 58.80 PHP.
- New Zealand: 1 USD equals 1.77 NZD.
- United Kingdom: 1 USD equals .80 GBP.
In addition to exchange rates, tax can also be a factor that affects how much a vape costs. Some nations, states and cities either consider vaping products to be the same as tobacco products for taxation purposes or have special taxes that apply specifically to vaping products.
Product availability is another factor that can affect the cost of vapes. Supply chains aren’t exactly the same in all regions of the world, and all types of vapes aren’t necessarily available in all regions. Lack of availability for some vapes may cause pricing variations.
How Much Does a Disposable Vape Cost?
A disposable vape usually costs around $8-12 USD and should last at least a few days before running out of e-liquid. Most disposable vapes are not designed to be refilled and require replacement when they are empty.
Factors Affecting the Cost of Disposable Vapes
Most disposable vapes are fairly close in price, although some devices do differ significantly. These are the main factors affecting how much a disposable vape costs.
E-Liquid Capacity
As you might expect, a longer-lasting disposable vape will often cost more than a smaller device that only offers a few hundred puffs. However, the capacity of a device isn’t as big of a price factor as you might think because e-liquid is relatively inexpensive to produce. Most of the cost of a disposable vape is in the hardware and not the e-liquid.
Advanced Features
Modern disposable vapes like the Innokin INNOBAR 20000 have a variety of modern features that the disposable devices of the past didn’t have. Those features include a large color display, adjustable airflow and multiple selectable vaping modes. As you would probably expect, a disposable vape with those kinds of advanced features will have higher production costs and may therefore cost a bit more than a non-rechargeable vape with no settings or features.
Brand Popularity and Availability
It’s typical for disposable vapes from well-known brands to cost a bit more – especially if those brands are so popular that vape shops have trouble keeping them in stock. Unknown brands – such as the devices that you might find in some convenience stores – may cost a bit less due to a lower level of demand and a lack of name recognition. Those devices may also have certain quality and reliability concerns, though, so it’s usually best to stick with known brands.
Disposable Vapes Have No Related Costs but Require Frequent Replacement
The biggest reason why disposable vapes are so popular is because they’re extremely easy to use and have no recurring costs. Recharging your vape is the only thing you’ll ever have to do to maintain it. A disposable vape can’t be refilled and never requires you to replace any components. So, using a disposable vape means that you won’t have to pay related costs as you would with other types of vapes. However, it also means that you need to replace your entire device when it runs out of e-liquid. Since the whole device requires replacement every several days, disposable vapes tend to have higher long-term costs than refillable vapes.
How Much Does a Refillable Vape Cost?
A refillable vape typically costs around $25-50 USD, and you can usually expect your device to last anywhere from several months to a year before you’ll need to replace it. A vape with a replaceable battery can potentially last even longer if you take care of it.
Factors Affecting the Cost of Refillable Vapes
Refillable vapes can vary greatly in price, and the reason for that is because there’s so much variance in the hardware itself. These are the main factors affecting how much a refillable vape costs.
Size, Battery Capacity and Power
The larger a refillable vape is, the more you can generally expect it to cost. That’s because larger vapes have higher battery capacities and usually offer more advanced features as well. In addition, a larger vape will often have the ability to operate at much higher power levels compared to a smaller vape.
Feature Set
Refillable vapes differ widely in the feature sets they offer – and the more features a device has, the more it’s likely to cost. A simple vape pen or pod system for beginning vapers is designed for maximum usability and won’t have a large variety of settings or options that may confuse a new vaper. On the other hand, a device intended for more experienced vapers may offer advanced features like adjustable wattage and automatic temperature limiting. Implementing these features adds to the cost of producing a vape, and the device costs more as a result.
Design and Materials
The more fashionable or luxurious a vape looks, the more it is likely to cost. A more expensive vape will incorporate a larger percentage of metal and a smaller percentage of plastic into its design. Vapes may also cost more if they use luxury materials such as leather or wood.
Items Included in the Package
The number of items included with a vaping device will affect its price. Some vape mods, for instance, are sold on their own and are intended for people who already own vape tanks that they want to use. Other mods are sold as complete kits that include tanks, coils and spare parts. The more components a vape kit includes, the more it will cost. In the case of pod vapes, a pod system that includes several spare pods may cost more than a kit that includes only one pod.
Built-in or Removable Battery
Vape mods and pod mods can have built-in batteries or removable batteries, and there are pros and cons to both approaches. If a vape mod uses a removable battery, its up-front cost will be higher because you’ll have to buy at least one battery if you don’t already have one. On the other hand, a vape with a removable battery may last longer than one with a built-in battery because every lithium-ion battery eventually stops holding a charge. If the battery is removable, you can simply buy a new battery. If the battery is built in, you’ll have to replace the entire device.
Refillable Vapes Last Longer but Have Recurring Costs
Refillable vapes last significantly longer than disposable vapes. If you enjoy your device, there’s no reason why you can’t continue using it for upwards of a year or even longer as long as you take care of it. You’re going to encounter some recurring costs along the way, though, and we’ll discuss what those costs are.
E-Liquid
Cost: About $10 USD per bottle
Buying a refillable vape means that you’ll be buying your own e-liquid and filling your own device. Vape juice typically has an average cost of around $10 USD per bottle, although the price can vary depending on the bottle size and the quality of the brand.
Coils or Pods
Cost: About $1-2 USD per coil or $2-3 USD per pod
The coil is the component of your device that generates vapor, and you can expect to replace it approximately once a week depending on how powerful your device is and how often you vape. If you’re using a pod-based device, your pods may have built-in coils. This eliminates the need to perform messy coil replacements since every pod includes a new coil. However, vape pods with built-in coils tend to cost more than coils cost on their own.
Replacements for Broken Parts
Cost: Varies
Some of a vape’s components may be replaceable if they break. If you have a vape mod with a glass tank, for instance, the tank’s silicone gaskets and glass exterior are probably replaceable. A vape kit often includes a set of spare parts, but you may need to buy additional parts in the future if you use your device long enough.
