Calculating the cost of smoking cigarettes is not as straightforward as merely multiplying the cost per pack by the number of packs smoked during a particular period. Indirect costs include health care for smoking-related illnesses, increased insurance premiums and professional cleaning of smoky-smelling clothing and automobile interiors. Taken together, the direct and indirect costs of smoking should be enough to motivate anyone to try to kick the smoking habit.
Lifetime Expenses
According to Frank A. Sloan, Ph.D., a professor at Duke University and author of the book, "The Price of Smoking," a pack of cigarettes can be very costly to not only the smoker, but also the smoker's family and society. Dr. Sloan concluded that the lifetime cost of smoking to a 24-year-old male is $183,000. The figure increases to $220,000 after adding in the costs absorbed by taxpayers for public health care. This translates to almost $40 per pack for a lifetime of smoking.
Cost of Cigarettes
In an article by Hilary Smith of MSN Money called "The high cost of smoking," the cost of cigarettes alone is equated to a house payment or family vacation. If the average pack of cigarettes costs $4.50 to $5, a pack-a-day smoker spends an estimated $1,600 annually. Online calculators such as the one available from the American Cancer Society can help to tailor the cost of smoking to your particular situation.
Health Care Costs
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, or CDC, reports that smoking cigarettes increases your risk for developing many health conditions, including cancer, heart disease and respiratory illnesses. Smokers have to pay for the treatments for these conditions. In addition, Smith reports that some health insurance companies and employers charge higher premiums for smokers than for nonsmokers. Some employers even refuse to hire smokers.
Odors and Discoloration
Removing unpleasant smells and discoloring residue associated with smoking adds to the cost. A smoker's car or home must be thoroughly cleaned by a professional before it can be sold. Car dealers offer smokers less at trade-in to offset the cost of cleaning the car's interior and replacing any upholstery that has burn holes from errant cigarette ashes. The smell of tobacco smoke is a turnoff to potential home buyers. The price to sellers of covering up the smells by repainting and cleaning carpets and upholstery can potentially cut deeply into their profit margin when the home sells.
Homeowner and Life Insurance
Homeowner insurance companies sometimes charge smokers higher premiums because insurance companies fear that smokers will accidentally burn their houses down. A 10 percent discount on homeowner insurance is often given to nonsmokers, which can translate to more than one hundred dollars per year. Because smoking increases your risk of death, Smith reports that life insurance companies charge smokers more than twice as much as they charge nonsmokers.
Personal Appearance
Smoking can damage your teeth, skin, hair and fingernails. Many smokers try to remedy the damage to their personal appearance with expensive treatments and procedures. Teeth whitening procedures can correct yellowing teeth. Skin care regimens are needed to repair prematurely aging skin. Smokers also need to dry clean their clothing more frequently to rid their clothing of unpleasant tobacco smoke odor.
References
- "The Price of Smoking"; Frank A. Sloan, Jan Ostermann, Christopher Conover, Donald H. Taylor, Jr. and Gabriel Picone; 2004
- MSN Money: The high cost of smoking
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Smoking and Tobacco Use: Health Effects
