# Smokers, how much do you pay for cigarettes? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 13, 2004, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043 "2004-06-13T00:36:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Saintly\_Loser](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saintly_loser/32/4045_2.png) [@Saintly\_Loser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saintly_Loser)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/41 "2004-06-14T13:17:45Z")
I live in New York City. $7.00 a pack for Marlboros (any variant – lights, ultra-lights, menthol, whatever). And we can’t even smoke them in bars. Damn, I’m starting to hate this city. ---
**Author:** ![yellowval](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/919ad9/32.png) [@yellowval](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yellowval)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 1:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/42 "2004-06-14T13:22:42Z")
> [@yellowval](#): > > I always buy 2 at a time. It’s $6.01 for two packs at the gas station across the street. Woo-hoo for me. > > I’m drunk! Yay for me! Hee, hee. I feel a little sheepish about that now! Oh well. Anyway, I should have specified that that price is for Marlboros. The most cigarettes cost around here is at bars, and then it’s usually around $4-$4.50 a pack. I never buy them there though. ---
**Author:** ![clayton\_e](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c57346/32.png) [@clayton\_e](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/clayton_e)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 2:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/43 "2004-06-14T14:42:32Z")
There’s an indian reservation not too far from here where you can get camel filters for something like $2.40. Its $5.40 or so everywhere else. ---
**Author:** ![pyrrthon1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/2acd7d/32.png) [@pyrrthon1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pyrrthon1)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/44 "2004-06-14T14:54:49Z")
$6.50 in Queens. $7.00 in Manhattan. ---
**Author:** ![calm\_kiwi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@calm\_kiwi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/calm_kiwi)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/45 "2004-06-14T14:58:15Z")
I pay wayyyyyyyyy to much. NZ$13 for a packet of 30. Ciggies are taxed out the wazoo here. I have a stewardess friend who brings me duty free ciggies, NZ$25 a carton (Winfeild) when 1 packet costs $10.60. ---
**Author:** ![P\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a587f6/32.png) [@P\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P_T)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/46 "2004-06-14T15:12:07Z")
I can get a carton of GPC’s for $21 at a local store. Packs run from 2.50 up to about 4.00 a pack here in Jefferson City. ---
**Author:** ![erislover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/71e660/32.png) [@erislover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erislover)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/47 "2004-06-14T15:57:58Z")
> [@nitroglycerine](#): > > I hear ya erislover. I smoked Newport for twenty years but for the last two years I’ve been smoking Zig Zag menthol, 7 bucks a can (including 200 papers) that’s at least equal to a carton of smokes, if not more, and I get filters that cost about 70 cents for 100. Pretty close to what I pay (and I smoke the exact same thing!). My cans run about $10-$13, though. Next time I’m in PA (I travel for work a lot) I’ll rummage around and see if I can save some cash. I keep a can at work with individual filters, but at home I use the filter tubes. When I use the papers+filter, a can is more than a carton, but using the tubes it is just less than one. In either case, super cheap, and great tobacco IMO. Have you ever tried Kite? I like it a bit more than Zig Zag’s menthol but it is not very easy to find for me. Top is so nasty. > [@](#): > > Even if I could afford to smoke “real” cigarettes, I’d still smoke the Zig Zag. No question. When I travel I usually buy packs (they don’t spill and they’re smaller) and it is so refreshing to come back to loose tobacco! ---
**Author:** ![Missy2U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3bc359/32.png) [@Missy2U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Missy2U)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/48 "2004-06-14T16:13:17Z")
$33 a carton, Marlboro Box (red). It’s much more expensive in Cook County so I go to Lake County to buy 'em. ---
**Author:** ![Necros](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/necros/32/11086_2.png) [@Necros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Necros)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/49 "2004-06-14T19:23:23Z")
$17.80 per carton of Mild Sevens from [http://www.cigoutlet.net](http://www.cigoutlet.net), which includes shipping. So, $1.78 a pack. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/50 "2004-06-14T19:59:43Z")
We pay $73.30 for a carton of Benson & Hedges and a carton of Winston. They last us just under a week. :eek: ---
**Author:** ![sciguy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e68b1a/32.png) [@sciguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sciguy)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2004, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/51 "2004-06-14T22:41:50Z")
Well, I just came back from a road trip, so I found a pretty wide sampling. {all prices are for Marlboro reds} Denver: $3.01 per pack Utah: $4.50 per pack Vegas gas station: $6 per pack (I passed, didn’t need a smoke _that_ bad) California gas station: ~$5 per pack. Then after I got back home to Denver, the station where I filled back up had a special: two packs for $5. The Utah and Vegas prices may be atypically for the area, since they were right off the highway. ---
**Author:** ![Arch\_Trout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9f8e36/32.png) [@Arch\_Trout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arch_Trout)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/52 "2004-06-15T01:03:26Z")
I pay about £4.70 for 20 marlboro lights. That’s the equivalent to a whopping 8 dollars U.S. ---
**Author:** ![ladydisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@ladydisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladydisco)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/53 "2004-06-15T01:22:10Z")
[I just quit, but] smokes here are about $8.30 CN a pack. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 12:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/54 "2004-06-15T12:46:49Z")
Nonsmoker checking in. Why are cigerettes cheaper at an indian reservation? ---
**Author:** ![TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tellmei_mnotcrazy/32/3419_2.png) [@TellMeI\_mNotCrazy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TellMeI_mNotCrazy)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/55 "2004-06-15T12:53:50Z")
Because they aren’t required to add on taxes. ---
**Author:** ![dragongirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b38774/32.png) [@dragongirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dragongirl)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2004, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/56 "2004-06-15T13:11:27Z")
Holy Crap ! I just paid $48.00 for a carton. When did it get so high ? Just two weeks ago a carton was $36.00. ---
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2004, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/57 "2004-06-17T20:05:22Z")
> [@erislover](#): > > Pretty close to what I pay (and I smoke the exact same thing!). My cans run about $10-$13, though. Next time I’m in PA (I travel for work a lot) I’ll rummage around and see if I can save some cash. I keep a can at work with individual filters, but at home I use the filter tubes. When I use the papers+filter, a can is more than a carton, but using the tubes it is just less than one. In either case, super cheap, and great tobacco IMO. Have you ever tried Kite? I like it a bit more than Zig Zag’s menthol but it is not very easy to find for me. Top is so nasty. > No question. When I travel I usually buy packs (they don’t spill and they’re smaller) and it is so refreshing to come back to loose tobacco! I like the menthol in Kite better, but the tobacco isn’t very good. It has that bugler taste and makes me cough after I smoke it. I tried the tubes, but I just can’t seem to roll a perfect smoke with them. I either rip it or I end up with a big gap between the filter and the tobacco. ---
**Author:** ![Bangiadore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b5a626/32.png) [@Bangiadore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bangiadore)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/58 "2004-06-18T02:14:47Z")
**erislover** and **nitroglycerine** , I’m with you. Rolling tobacco (well, _some_ rolling tobacco) tastes much better than ready-mades to me. When I lived in Massachusetts, I smoked Drum until it was sold through another distributor, and the quality changed for the worse. Then Bali Shag came along, and with it the excellent quality Drum used to have. But both brands come with nasty papers with the thickness of a paper towel. To replace them, I used to get 100 packs of Riz-la+ papers for about twenty dollars in Harvard Square – very thin and nice. But since moving to Rhode Island, where the cheapest pack of papers you can buy is about four dollars because of punitive anti-drug and anti-tobacco taxes, I’ve gradually become too lazy to go up to the Square and get papers. That, and that a pack of Bali Shag is about seven bucks here, accounts for the Marlboros. A little under five bucks a pack, but a new 75-cent per pack tax is about to go into effect. I’ll probably quit again then, or maybe resume going up to stock up on papers and tobacco. ---
**Author:** ![nitroglycerine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c5a1d2/32.png) [@nitroglycerine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nitroglycerine)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/59 "2004-06-18T05:10:49Z")
> [@Bangiadore](#): > > \ I like Drum once in awhile. The taste reminds me the way Pall Malls used to taste when I used to sneak them form my Dad when I was like 10. Check out the Zig Zag _halfzware shag_ It’s not quite as good as the old Drum, but it’s not bad and it’s probably cheaper than the Bali. \ I remember being a little kid, I dunno probably between 1970 -73, and going to the store for my dad, Pall Malls were 50 cents a pack. When I was in 10th grade (1980) and buying my own cigarettes, they were 80 cents. By the time I was a senior in 1983 they were $1.10 a pack and everybody was bitching about the price. I remember this because my parents gave me a dollar every day for lunch and I would always have to bum a dime off someone to get a pack of Newport. ---
**Author:** ![gum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bbe5ce/32.png) [@gum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gum)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2004, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043/60 "2004-06-18T07:45:52Z")
I just found out something that made me start smoking again. Good grief, how I’ve missed it and how good it taste. 🙂 Camel plain [25 cigarettes in a package] is 4.60 Euro. That’s about $5.50. Drum is still for sale here. I sometimes roll my own. [Drum paper is the best, imho] My question is: Can you überhaubt still buy cigarettes in the United States? If so; Where? Here, they sell cigarettes at gas-stations, supermarkets, some bookstores, some drugstores, most bars and restaurants [machines] and ofcourse the lovely, old-fashioned cigarette stores. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/smokers-how-much-do-you-pay-for-cigarettes/250043.md?page=4)