# Cost of cigarettes



## Warlock (15/7/16)

I can buy a pack of cigaretts today for R42.00. But what did they cost a year ago today,or a year befor that. Does anyone have any history of the costs?


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## Spydro (15/7/16)

At R42 you have give away prices compared to the USA.

No idea about what the price trends in SA was. But when I first started smoking Luckies were $.20/pack (currently R3). Luckies = Lucky Strike. 

When I quit smoking about 3.5 years ago, buying them by the carton I paid $5.08/pack (at today's ZAR exchange rate would be R78.4 a pack) for name brand, and I got them cheaper than what most folks in Nevada paid back then (it's who you know in this city). A lot of folks here save money by buying generic cigs. Maybe you kind of have to smoke generic when you have a 4-5 pack a day habit, common with gamblers here, and you are not very lucky at the gaming tables. I've known several couples here who between them go through a carton a day (10 packs). Cost is much worse in many other states though because of the state excise AND sales tax on the cigs themselves. Each state sets their own tax on a pack/carton of cigs. Here in Nevada taxes are $2.21 a pack (R34), in New York $4.75/pack (R73). The tobacco growing states have the lowest cost per pack.

Right now the average retail in Nevada is about $6.50 (R100), but you'll pay way more at a VIP lounge, brothel, casino, bar, restaurant, etc. As much as double that price. The highest is in New York at about $10.50 (R162), the lowest in the depressed Missouri is $4.50 (R69), and in the states where tobacco is grown around $5.00/pack + or - (R77).

Reactions: Informative 4


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## Huffapuff (15/7/16)

The first box of cigarettes I bought cost me R5  That was in 1997.

Reactions: Can relate 1


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## herb1 (15/7/16)

Not giving away my age here, but my first loose ciggie cost me 12c...a packet cost around R2

Reactions: Agree 1


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## shaunnadan (15/7/16)

When i started smoking it was R1 a loose cigarette and R15 for a pack of Peter Stuyvesant. 

When I quit smoking and started vaping it was close to R27 for a pack at checkers and around 30ish at garages. 

Anyone remember those cheap packs of cigarettes like "Yes" those were R5 a pack when I started.

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Modulas (15/7/16)

When I started a pack of smokes was R3,60. This was back in the mid 90's..


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## MR_F (15/7/16)

A packet of Stuyvesant was R7.50 when I started


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## kimbo (15/7/16)

herb1 said:


> Not giving away my age here, but my first loose ciggie cost me 12c...a packet cost around R2


 I started about that time as well R2 for 20


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## Coco (15/7/16)

herb1 said:


> Not giving away my age here, but my first loose ciggie cost me 12c...a packet cost around R2



Yes. I promised myself that I will stop when it hit R2.50 since "it was too expensive". Well, needless to say... didn't happen.

When I finally quit with ecigs, I think it was around or just over R20 a pack. Well, I got out somewhere with a price with a "2" in there.


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## BumbleBee (15/7/16)



Reactions: Like 5 | Funny 1


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## BumbleBee (15/7/16)

BumbleBee said:


> View attachment 60830


The scariest part of this..... I'm still stuck in this horrible little dorpie

Reactions: Funny 2


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## zadiac (15/7/16)

When I started smoking it was 70c a pack of 20. I smoked John Rolfe and later Paul Revere. My first experiments with cigs were my mom's Rembrandt van Rijn. Aweful stuff that.....lol

Reactions: Agree 1


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## Rob Fisher (15/7/16)

Gunston... 15c a pack on the border!  1974

Reactions: Like 1 | Winner 2


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## KlutcH (15/7/16)

Styvy Blue R13.50 12 years ago. I still remember saying "if it goes to R15 im not going to quit" haha, I think the last packet I bought around 4 years ago was around R20 - R25.


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## Frikkie6000 (15/7/16)

When i started to skelm rook it was R15-R20 a pack and that was like Stuyvesant 20 pack. In the UK in 2014 when visiting my brother a Pack 20 cost 9.99 Pounds and at that time it was R10 to 1 Pound.


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## RichJB (15/7/16)

My first pack of 20 Chesterfield cost me 38c. That was back in the late 70s. I had a colleague who told me "I'll quit when smokes cost R1 a pack". Heh, he's still smoking today. It seems the "I'll quit when it costs Rx a box" is quite a common phenomenon. I have an alternative: you'll quit when you really want to quit. Don't rely on any other criterion.

Reactions: Winner 1


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## Ernest (15/7/16)

Yip, 50c in the early 80's for Chesterfield. Stopped at about R30. I remember saying I will never pay R5 a pack.


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## jlw777 (15/7/16)

When I stopped it was 36.50 for a pack of Marlboro light


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## Neal (15/7/16)

A pack of Marlboro Reds, my choice when smoking, is £9.20 a pack in Uk. Was doing 50 per day, so vaping for the 10 weeks I am here in England has saved me more than enough cash to fund my trip to see me dear mam, and left me with enough money to acquire some more vape gear. To paraphrase Dr. Rob, a chicken dinner of note...


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## Warlock (15/7/16)

The tax on one cigarette today is R0.62
So in the last month I have paid R768.80 less tax (1240 cigaretts) to the government to misappropriate. Now if this isn,t satisfying what is. Veteran vapers, some of who have not paid this tax for more than 3 years just have to be smiling. @BumbleBee where did you find that PICK'N PAY slip

Reactions: Like 1


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## Jan (15/7/16)

I once did a very rough calculation but if the government loose all the tax on tobacco products they will have to increase personal income tax by 3 basis points so if you are in lets say the 25% bracket you will have to pay 28% etc.

So chew on that the next time you convert someone from smoking to vaping


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## blujeenz (15/7/16)

My last pack of winston 20's in '95 was R2.95 from a Somalian pavement vendor on Buitekant St in the CBD

Reactions: Funny 1


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## Caveman (15/7/16)

Started on Marlboro @ R12.50 a packet at PnP, ended up with Chesterfield Filter 30's around R48 - 52 a packet at "convenience" garages, and around R35 in a carton


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## Migheil (15/7/16)

I use to sell loose Peter Styversant ciggs high school @ 70c - R1.00 each  lol, then it was around R5.00 for 20's 
I stopped stinkies last year and a pack of PS was around R28-R35 depending where u bought


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## NickT (16/7/16)

I recently returned from a UK holiday. My wife, who still smokes, forgot to take a South African packet of smokes out with her one evening in Brighton, so she sent me to the corner shop to buy her a pack. £11 , which converted today equals R210 A PACKET!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was even worse when we were there as the rand was still at 23/1. 

Compared to smoking, it's faaaaar cheaper to vape in the UK. Whereas here it's still the other way round. (For me anyway)

Reactions: Like 1


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## Warlock (26/7/16)

I passed the R1000.00 tax avoided mark 2 days ago

Reactions: Like 2 | Winner 2


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## Ryan__Sexton (27/7/16)

When I first started smoking a box of Camel filters cost me R14.50. They are over R40 today


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## Kuhlkatz (27/7/16)

My first smoke as a VERY young laaitie was back in the days when 555 and Gold Dollar was still around, Those days they were around 42c a packet, and we still had R1 notes and 1/2c coins. 
I can't remember what they cost when I started smoking permanently years later, but when I stopped about 2 years ago, Camel Ones was around R30 at normal retail outlets and R35 at most of the One Stop or other fuel station shops.


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## Warlock (27/7/16)

My average usage in e-liquids a day is about 8ml. Now that I’m making my own the cost to me is R10.00 a day (capital expenditure ignored for now). Compare this to R84.00 per day smoking cigarettes. Add to this the health benefits and the fact that my home environment is so much cleaner I can’t understand why there are people out there that want to stop me vaping or TAX me for this.


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