What does smoking really cost?
Cost calculation and context for the lifetime-impact estimate
The cost calculation is deliberately kept simple: cigarettes per day × price per cigarette × number of days. The price per cigarette results from the pack price divided by the number of cigarettes per pack. Even with moderate consumption, substantial amounts add up over the years – money that could otherwise be saved or invested.
Besides the pure cost, the lifetime impact is often discussed. The widely cited figure of "11 minutes per cigarette" comes from a British study by Shaw, Mitchell and Dorling, published in 2000 in the British Medical Journal, based on mortality data of male smokers. A considerably more recent and methodologically broader-based study by Jackson, Hackshaw and colleagues (2025, journal Addiction, University College London), drawing on data from the British Doctors Study and the Million Women Study, arrives at a higher average of around 20 minutes per cigarette (about 17 minutes for men, about 22 minutes for women).
Since the two studies differ considerably in methodology, data basis and result, this calculator deliberately shows a range of 11–20 minutes instead of a single "exact" value. Both figures are statistical estimates from large population data – they describe a statistical average, not a fact that applies to any individual person. The value shown here serves purely as a non-binding point of reference and does not replace medical advice.