You know what you spend on your cigarette each day. But over a year? Over ten? With regular pack-price hikes, the bill takes a different scale — and often, doing the maths is what makes the decision to quit obvious.

The raw maths, no cheating

Order-of-magnitude figures for France (€13/pack). For other countries, see the country box at the bottom.

And these are floor figures: they do not include the successive hikes, which add 3-5 % per year on average.

And with the hikes, what does it look like?

The pack price keeps climbing. France went from €6.50 in 2014 to €13 in 2026 — a doubling in twelve years. Authorities flag a continuous trajectory (towards €15 in coming years).

Concretely, over 10 years with planned hikes, a pack-a-day smoker spends €52,000-€55,000. Over 20 years, easily over €110,000.

And rolling tobacco — same story?

Many smokers think rolling tobacco saves them. In 2026, 30 g of rolling tobacco costs €18-19 in France and rolls about 50 cigarettes (around 0.6 g per cigarette).

For someone smoking the equivalent of a 20-pack a day, that is about €7.50/day, or €2,700/year. Cheaper than industrial cigarettes, sure — but largely offset by higher toxicity (see our dedicated article).

Wallet myth vs reality

What to do with €4,745 each year?

Picture it. You quit on January 1st. On December 31st, you put that money somewhere. After 10 years, without even investing, you have €47,450 sitting in an account. With a 3 % savings rate, near €55,000.

Beyond the pack: the hidden cost

Pack price is the visible part. But tobacco also costs in:

• Health: medicines, consultations, more expensive insurance (life, mortgage).

• Productivity: breaks, micro-stops, more sick days.

• Housing: yellowed paint to redo, deposit often kept.

• Car: a smoked vehicle loses 5-10 % of resale value.

• Lighters, ashtrays, holed clothes: only smokers truly understand.

No official estimate, but easily €500-1,000 a year added to the bill.

In United Kingdom

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