# Cost in dollars of bombing Afghanistan? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 10, 2001, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-in-dollars-of-bombing-afghanistan/86611 "2001-10-10T17:41:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![laurapolacco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e274bd/32.png) [@laurapolacco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/laurapolacco)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2001, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-in-dollars-of-bombing-afghanistan/86611/1 "2001-10-10T17:41:56Z")
Does anyone know how much we are spending to bomb Afghanistan? ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-in-dollars-of-bombing-afghanistan/86611/2 "2001-10-11T01:41:57Z")
This is too good a question to go unanswered. I know the bombs themselves are a relatively minor part of the pricetag, but while we wait for the real answer here is one fact to chew on: Tomahawk cruise missiles costs $1 million each. We used 50 of them the first night. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-in-dollars-of-bombing-afghanistan/86611/3 "2001-10-11T03:19:25Z")
And that $50 million in missiles has caused nearly $13.89 in damage. :D:D ---
**Author:** ![johnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnson)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-in-dollars-of-bombing-afghanistan/86611/4 "2001-10-11T03:21:28Z")
I agree with **bibliophage**. This is too good a question to go unanswered. When considering the cost, let’s not forget the opportunity cost of **not** taking military action against terrorists. Well, we have the Empire State Building, Sears Tower, and Transamerica Pyramid. I seem to recall estimates of the damage in NYC of $1 billion, so let’s give each of these $500 million. About 6,000 lives lost in the 9/11 attacks, assume an average income of $40,000 annually and a remaining productive life of 20 years. So, we’ll go with 9,000 lives lost for the other three buildings, total lost income of $7.2 billion. Manhattan is the most productive acreage in the world, with an estimated $150,000 per employee contribution to GDP. Again, 9,000 more lives lost, with an incremental loss to GDP of $110,000–we’ll take 80% of that amount since we’re talking about SF and Chicago in addition to Manhattan–there’s another $792 million loss to GDP this year, and offhand I’d say lost each year in the future, so discount appropriately to net present value. That puts the opportunity cost of not bombing at $9.3 billion, and there’s a lot more where that came from… I think we can short-circuit the calculations, however. Clearly, if we are to take Osama bin Laden and his minions at their word (they certainly seem to believe what they say), I think we can put the opportunity cost of not bombing at what, 85%, 90%, 99% of world GDP? I don’t have those figures offhand, but I’d say the cost of the bombing is relatively and absolutely minimal compared to the costs of not bombing (and other activities with which we’re currently involved). ---
**Author:** ![johnson](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d07c76/32.png) [@johnson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/johnson)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-in-dollars-of-bombing-afghanistan/86611/5 "2001-10-11T03:22:43Z")
And please do not misread the above about **Manhattan** being the most productive… ---
**Author:** ![d12](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/71c47a/32.png) [@d12](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/d12)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-in-dollars-of-bombing-afghanistan/86611/6 "2001-10-11T04:08:23Z")
You’re also not considering the cost of fuel, planes, ships, pay to troops, etc. which would throw in alot of extra figure 0’s (I wish my pay was that much _sigh_) ---
**Author:** ![mmmiiikkkeee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/edb3f5/32.png) [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2001, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-in-dollars-of-bombing-afghanistan/86611/7 "2001-10-11T06:52:26Z")
Quite likely costs more for one days’ worth of bombing than all the Straight Dope members who open this thread will collectivley earn during the remainder of their lives. ---
**Author:** ![RAWisSYDNEY](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4491bb/32.png) [@RAWisSYDNEY](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RAWisSYDNEY)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-in-dollars-of-bombing-afghanistan/86611/8 "2001-10-13T05:16:55Z")
…the look on Bin ladens face when they get their?.. PRICELESS. ---
**Author:** ![manhattan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/manhattan/32/7_2.png) [@manhattan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/manhattan)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2001, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cost-in-dollars-of-bombing-afghanistan/86611/9 "2001-10-13T15:21:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by johnson \* > \*\*And please do not misread the above about **Manhattan** being the most productive… \*\* Yeah, every review season I try to convince my boss of this, but so far no dice. Could you put in a good word for me?