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Tuesday, November 22, 2022

Who Can Afford to Smoke Cigarettes?

 

One of my students told me he quit smoking because of the high cost, now 600 yen a pack. He asked me how much cigarettes cost in the US. I have never been a smoker, so I didn't even know how much they cost when I lived in the US, but I really don't know now, almost eleven years since I've even been in the United States. We checked Google and looked at this website for information. 


The average cost of a pack of cigarettes in the United States is $8.00/pack, with average prices per pack ranging from $6.11 in Missouri to $11.96 in New York. Eleven states and the District of Columbia have an average price above $10 per pack!

The states with the highest cigarette prices are:

  1. New York ($11.96)
  2. Rhode Island ($11.71)*
  3. Connecticut ($11.60)
  4. Massachusetts ($11.11)
  5. Minnesota ($10.49)
  6. Alaska ($10.46)
  7. Hawaii ($10.41)
  8. Maryland ($10.26)
  9. Illinois ($10.60)
  10. Washington ($10.14)
  11. Vermont ($10.12)

*Were the District of Columbia included in this metric, it would have the nation’s second-most expensive pack price at $11.75.


The state I moved from is North Carolina, the fourth lowest, where a pack averages $6.58. Only three other states have cheaper cigarettes - North Dakota, Georgia, and Missouri.  


My student didn't understand the big differences in the prices between states. In the US, each of the 50 states has its own laws and taxes, among other things. A smoker buying cigarettes in New York pays $4.35 in taxes, in North Carolina, $0.45 and in Missouri, only $0.17! 


Really?  Who can afford to smoke anywhere?

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5 comments:

  1. VireyaNovember 22, 2022 at 5:52 AM

    I've never smoked, but I have noticed that cigarettes are expensive here when I have seen other people buy them. I don't know how anyone can afford it. A pack here costs between $25 and $50, depending on the brand.

    This article from the UK shows how much food you could buy in Australia instead of a pack of cigarettes:
    https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10827541/Food-buy-price-pack-cigarettes-Australia.html

    ReplyDelete
  2. diamondcNovember 22, 2022 at 8:36 PM

    Pamela: It is wonderful that your student quit, its a stinky and unhealth habit.
    I have never even taken a puff off a cigarette, my whole family smoked lost two brothers to lung cancer Mom and dad had very bad health from smoking.
    Wow you did some great research.
    I did not know cigarettes cost that much in Minnesota the state I live in.

    Catherine

    ReplyDelete
  3. JeanieNovember 22, 2022 at 10:42 PM

    I just don't get why people do-- even if they can afford them!

    ReplyDelete
  4. QueeniepatchNovember 22, 2022 at 11:29 PM

    In Sweden, a pack of cigarettes appears to cost about $10,60. I'd rather give that money to charity or spend it on something healthy than burn it up.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Leonore WintererNovember 23, 2022 at 7:37 PM

    If higher costs of cigarettes get more people to quit, I shall not complain.

    ReplyDelete