How Much Do Disposable Vapes Cost? Discover Their True Cost Today!

Disposable vapes are a hot topic; beginners and advanced vapers alike are vying to get their hands on these super convenient, streamlined devices. But how much does a disposable vape cost?

Luckily for you, all of the best disposable vape pens sit on the lower end of the price spectrum and are much cheaper than ultra-customizable sub-ohm tank devices. Even so, very few people have the luxury of ignoring prices completely, so it’s a good idea to understand the full scope of the pricing problem.

What Are Disposable Vapes?

Disposable vapes are just one of the types of vape pens on the market. Typically, these kinds of vape pens are small, sleek, and discrete. You won’t get even half of the customization options that you’d get with something like a sub-ohm device.

Here are some of the features that you can expect from a disposable vape pen.

• Compatible with nicotine salt e-liquid
• Featureless exterior
• Draw-activated system
• MTL tank (or pod that supports MTL vaping)

One of the most prominent features of disposables is that they support MTL vaping. Mouth-to-Lung vaping replicates the feeling of smoking a traditional cigarette, which appeals to beginners and experienced vapers alike.

Most disposable vapes can’t be recharged or refilled. As the name suggests, the first disposable vape models were designed to be thrown away (or recycled) once the user had consumed all the e-liquid. Since then, disposable vape devices have increased in popularity, which has encouraged manufacturers to make more variations. Now, some disposable vape pens are hybrids; they sit somewhere between an original disposable vape and a standard vape pen that can be refilled and charged.

There are lots of disposable vape devices that are not designed to be refilled or recharged. The longevity of these devices is measured in puffs, which is referred to as a puff count. Many disposable vape devices offer 600 puffs, but you can get a puff bar that reaches heights of 5,000.

Have you got a rechargeable disposable that you are struggling with? Find out everything you need to know about how to recharge your disposable vape.

Popular Disposable Vapes Price Chart

How Much Does a Disposable Vape Cost?

So, how much does a disposable vape cost?

One of the most common vape industry myths is that disposable vapes are far cheaper than their refillable cousins. It’s an easy mistake to make, especially when you realize that a 600-puff bar costs between $5 to $10. The super popular Elf Bar 600 costs $6 and is often on sale for five for $20.

Disposables come pre-filled with e-liquid, so they must be cheaper, right?

Not necessarily. The nature of disposable vapes means that when your vape juice runs out, you have to buy a whole new device. In contrast, people who use refillable vapes can simply refill their tanks and go about their day.

It might be more expensive to buy refillable vapes to begin with, but once you’ve spent a decent amount of money on the device you only have to worry about buying e-liquid.

Vaporesso Sky Solo is a good example of an affordable refillable vape pen that has a lot of the same minimalist characteristics as a disposable vape. This device is only $19.95, making it a contender for one of the cheapest vape experiences out there.

Bottles of vape juice range from $10 to $30, meaning there’s lots of wiggle room to slash your expenses.

How Puffs Impact Your Bottom Line

Of course, the overall cost of your vape experience depends on how many puffs you take per day, week, and month.

Puff counts aren’t as simple as they might seem. One study analyzed one million puffs and found that the average number of puffs per user per day is 132, but goes on to say that there are ‘large variations between users and days for the same user.’ The average number of puffs per day ‘decreases significantly on week-ends compared to the first 3 days of the week.’

Each vaper takes slightly different puffs without realizing it. Even a split second of an extra drag can cause the potential puff count of your disposable vape to reduce.

Elf Bar 600 contains 20mg of nicotine salt e-liquid and lasts up to 600 puffs. If you are representative of the average vaper, your device will last for just over four days. Of course, if you prefer to take long, drawn-out drags, your device will not last anywhere near four days.

It’s important to remember that nicotine salts are stronger than regular freebase nicotine. They are also absorbed into the bloodstream far quicker. If you switch from a 20mg nicotine-strength freebase liquid to a 20mg high-strength salt nicotine, you’ll probably be shocked to discover how few puffs you need to feel satisfied.

You can only begin to work out how cost-effective disposable vape devices are when you take all of these factors into account.

Prices: Disposable Vs. Other Vape Types

Are Disposable Vapes Cost-Effective Compared to Other Vape Devices?

Disposable vapes certainly come with benefits; they are handy, low-maintenance, and small enough to fit into your pocket, but are they more cost-effective than other vape devices?

In the vaping world, pod systems are most similar to disposable vapes. Then you have vape pens, which are on average slightly more complicated. Some might even come with customization options, boost features, and interactive screens.

Sub-ohm vape devices sit on the higher end of the scale. These kinds of devices have lots of customization features, which make them one of the most expensive vapes you can buy. Geekvape T200 is a popular sub-ohm kit that offers personalization options, and it clocks in at $62.99. Overall, the initial purchase is much more expensive than buying a popular disposable vape like Lost Mary OS5000, which costs just $15.99.

The coils that come with Geekvape T200 last for well over 2,000 puffs, but that’s not accounting for any e-liquid purchases. Besides, Lost Mary OS5000 offers up to 5,000 puffs, and it already comes pre-filled with e-juice. That being said, there is some debate about whether Lost Mary OS5000 is a true disposable vape because it can be charged and therefore falls under the category of a hybrid disposable.

As you can see, there’s no clear answer to this question. Sometimes, it’ll be much cheaper to buy a disposable instead of a refillable vape. In other situations, it’ll cost you much more in e-juice refills.

Disposable Vapes Vs. Smoking Prices Explained

So, does the average vaper spend less than the average smoker?

The easiest way to measure this is in puffs. There is some debate about how many puffs are in cigarettes. One study of 200 cigarettes found that smokers took an average of 6.8 puffs per cigarette, whereas word of mouth suggests that most smokers get 10 puffs out of each cigarette. For the sake of our analysis, we’ll assume that 10 puffs is correct and that a pack of 20 cigarettes lasts for 200 puffs.

As of 2023, the average price of a pack of 20 cigarettes in the United States is $8, with the average in Missouri as low as $6.11 and the average in New York as high as $11.96. An average smoker in the United States spends $2,920 per year on cigarettes.

Let’s compare cigarettes to an Elf Bar. If we take 132 as the average number of puffs per day, vapers will have to buy a new Elf Bar every four days. At $6 a pop, this will cost $547.5 per year. Overall, disposable vapes are much cheaper than cigarettes!

Prices: Cigarettes Vs. Disposable Vapes

Will You Save Money by Switching From Cigarettes to Disposable Vapes?

As we’ve discovered, disposable vapes can be much cheaper than traditional cigarettes. But beware, although most disposable vapes are between $5 and $10 per unit, there are a few outliers that cost far more. To keep costs down, go for well-known, affordable disposable vapes like Elf Bar 600 and JUUL.

Benefits of Disposable Vapes Over Cigarettes

Apart from being cheaper than cigarettes, disposable vapes come with lots of other benefits.

Vaping devices are much better for your body than traditional cigarettes. When you quit smoking, you are eliminating tobacco from your life. Tobacco contains thousands of harmful chemicals, with at least 70 of them proven to be carcinogens. The American Cancer Society said that ‘tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death in the US, accounting for about 1 in 5 deaths each year.’ E-juice doesn’t contain any tobacco, making it a much healthier alternative.

You can even get e-juice that doesn’t contain nicotine! Most popular disposable vapes offer a 0mg option, so you can enjoy the fruity taste of Blue Razz Ice, Lush Ice, or Mango Ice without ever consuming any nicotine.

Disposables are far more conspicuous than cigarettes. More often than not, you can simply take a drag on your disposable, pop it back into your pocket, and go about your day. There’s much more social stigma associated with using cigarettes in public, especially in professional settings.

How long does a disposable vape last? Find out the answer and tips for getting the most out of your device.

Final Thoughts

When vapers search ‘how much does a disposable vape cost’ they are looking for a definite answer. Unfortunately, there isn’t one!

Some disposable vape devices are much cheaper than others. Before you judge the cost-effectiveness of disposable vapes, you need to consider your e-juice consumption, the mean cost of your favorite disposable, and the battery capacity.