The Cost of Cigarette Smoking: It’s Higher Than You Think

Quitting smoking is one of the most significant actions a person can take to improve their health and save money.

What is the financial cost of cigarette smoking?

The cost of Cigarette Smoking has financial impacts that are rarely discussed.

As of April 2024, the average cost of a pack of cigarettes in Illinois is $10.16. This means that if you smoke one pack of cigarettes each day, your monthly expense is $309.33. Over the next 12 months, your cost would be $3,708.40. At today’s prices, ten years of smoking carries a $37,084 price tag.

Additionally, the cost of cigarette smoking includes state and federal taxes on each pack of cigarettes. For example, the per-pack cost of $10.16 includes $2.98 in state and federal taxes. At today’s prices, if you smoke one pack a day for the next 10 years, you will pay $10,877 in state and federal taxes.

What is the cost of cigarette smoking beyond a pack of cigarettes?

The cost of cigarette smoking can also include higher costs for health insurance coverage, unexpected career limitations, and the financial impact of more health problems than non-smokers.

Health problems related to smoking include cardiovascular disease, lung disease, and various forms of cancer. Each carries the potential for long-term, debilitating health conditions, daily medications, financial instability, and a shorter life expectancy.

How does quitting smoking help you?

Undoubtedly, the negative health consequences of cigarette smoking underscore the importance of quitting. This is true regardless of the smoker’s age or the number of years they have smoked. Giving up cigarettes permanently provides the following health benefits:

1. Improved overall health status and enhanced quality of life.
2. Reduced risk of premature death.
3. Reduced risk of developing additional health problems, such as reproductive issues, cardiovascular disease, COPD, and cancer.
4. Reduced financial burden for the individual, the healthcare system, and society.
5. Reduced negative health effects of second-hand smoke for other individuals.

While quitting earlier in life yields more significant health benefits, quitting smoking at any age improves health. Even those who have smoked for years will benefit once they reduce or eliminate tobacco use.

Moreover, quitting smoking is the best way to protect family members, coworkers, friends, and others from the health risks associated with breathing secondhand smoke.

Where can you get help to quit smoking?

If you are ready to break away from the financial burden and health risks of smoking cigarettes, the Moultrie County Health Department (MCHD) recommends you contact the Illinois Quitline. It’s available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at 1-866-784-8937.

Sponsored by the Illinois Department of Public Health and the American Lung Association in Illinois, the Quitline offers tips, tools, and professional resources to help you quit smoking. Most importantly, it is publicly available at no cost.

For more information on quitting smoking or the Smoke-Free Illinois Act, contact the Moultrie County Health Department at (217) 728-4114.