Where Smoking Breaks the Bank (& Where It Doesn't)

Australia is the world’s most expensive country in which to be a smoker, with one pack alone tearing a hole of almost US$26 in an Australian smoker’s wallet. Australia's neighbor New Zealand is almost as pricey with a 20 pack of Marlboros costing upwards of US$22. The third most expensive country in the ranking was Ireland, where the identical pack costs the equivalent of more than US$16, according to Numbeo.

The most expensive countries for smokers stayed the same since 2019, with the Norway and the UK rounding off the top 5. France - known to be a nation not opposed to smoking - has also upped its prices from $8.88 in 2019 to $11.70 in 2021 and is now contemplating raising prices again. Cigarette prices in the U.S. have been rising more slowly - from $7.43 a pack in 2019 to $8.00 a pack in 2021 and $9.00 in 2023.

Australia’s, as well as New Zealand’s smokers, are probably jealously eyeing Turkish people's smoking expenses. There, they could get almost an entire pack of cancer sticks for the price of one, meaning that Australians pay about as much for a single smoke as people in Turkey do for a whole pack.