10 Cheapest States to Buy a Pack of Cigarettes

Published on August 22, 2017 at 8:33 am by Jasmin Cilas in Lists

Are you looking for cheapest states to buy a pack of cigarettes? I don’t blame you. The prices are just getting insane these days.

Before we turn to the United States, let’s see how much cigarettes cost around the world. According to Cigarette Prices, in Europe, one pack of Marlboro pack can cost you up to $14.0, which is the price you’ll have to pay in Norway. For comparison, the least expensive European country is Belarus, where a pack of Marlboro costs just above $1.00. In some Asian countries, you can get a pack from $2.00 to $3.00, but there are places where smoking became a luxury. In Singapore, you’ll have to part with around $10.00. On the other hand, cigarette prices in India are a fraction of that since Marlboro costs $1.80 on average. Chile and Uruguay with $4.3 and $4.0 respectively are the most expensive countries for cigarette smokers in the South America, while Paraguay with $1.5 per Marlboro pack is the most affordable. In Africa, the prices are really low, with cigarettes packs costing around $2.00 in most countries. The exception is Seychelles where Marlboro costs $5.60. In case you don’t live in any of the countries where the prices are low, maybe our list of 8 Ways to Save Money on Cigarettes will be helpful.

10 Cheapest States to Buy a Pack of Cigarettes

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When it comes to cigarette prices by brand in the United States, they can be drastically different depending on the state. This is because each state has its own cigarette tax. New York has a tax of $4.35 while Virginia’s cigarette tax is $0.30. Also, each state includes the federal cigarette tax of $1.01 per pack and additional sales taxes. For example, the price of cigarettes in California is high and a pack will cost you more than $10.00 on average, while in some other states you’ll pay half of that. Maybe this wouldn’t be a bad time to switch to chewing tobacco? Although we don’t have a complete preview of chewing tobacco prices by state, we can tell you that depending on the brand, a can will cost you from $3 to $5 in most of the states. Although it is common to see higher cigarette prices in bigger states, that doesn’t have to be always the case. Cigarette prices in Florida 2017 are fairly low since you’ll have to pay around $6.71 for a pack of Marlboro Reds on average. In case you are wondering how much is a carton of cigarettes in Florida, just multiply this price by 10 and you should get a good idea.

In order to find the cheapest states to buy a pack of cigarettes, we consulted the report from The Awl about the cigarette prices by state in 2017. Their methodology included calling the gas stations and convenience stores in each of the states and asking about the price of Marlboro Reds. Although the shown prices are just for this brand, they should give you a good idea about where it’s the most affordable to be tobacco consumer. Now, let’s check out the list.

10. Virginia

Price: $6.12

Although it has the lowest cigarette tax in the nation, Virginia barely made it in the top 10 of our list. Compared to the last year, the price went down 3%.

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9. Alabama

Price: $6.04

Although the prices went up compared to 2016 when a pack of Marlboro Reds was $5.62, Alabama still retained its position of the 9th cheapest state in the nation, when it comes to cigarette prices. Alabama’s cigarette tax is $0.675.

8. South Carolina

Price: $6.00

Vendors in South Carolina lowered the cigarette prices in 2017, which isn’t a surprise since the state has a cigarette tax of $0.57. In 2016, a pack of cigarettes was priced at $6.34 on average.

7. North Carolina

Price: $6.00

We are continuing our list of cheapest states to buy a pack of cigarettes with North Carolina that decided to raise the prices of cigarettes by 3% compared to the last year, and match the price with its neighboring state. The state cigarette tax is $0.45.

6. Wyoming

Price: $5.96

Following the example of Virginia, Wyoming also slashed the cigarette prices from $6.22 to $5.96. This caused the state to be among the cheapest in the nation, compared to 2016 when Wyoming wasn’t even close to the top 10. Cigarette tax of the state stands at $0.60.

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5. Oklahoma

Price: $5.96

Although Oklahoma’s cigarette tax of $1.03 is among the highest on our list of cheapest states to buy a pack of cigarettes, the prices still remained low and even dropped a bit. Cigarette consumers needed to pay $6.04 for a pack of Marlboro Reds in 2016.

4. Tennessee

Price: $5.90

The price of $5.90 may seem low until you know that a pack of cigarettes was priced at $5.28 in 2016. The increase in price caused Tennessee to lose its title of second cheapest state in terms of cigarette prices. The cigarette tax in Tennessee is $0.62.

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3. Idaho

Price: $5.87

Idaho has a pretty low cigarette tax of $0.57, but despite this, the average price of cigarettes pack was raised from $5.45 to $5.87. Nevertheless, the state managed to be better placed than the last year, when they ranked 6th.

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2. North Dakota

Price: $5.79

The state followed the trend of rising prices, which saw the average price of cigarettes pack to go almost 10% since you could get a pack of Marlboro Reds for $5.32 in 2016. North Dakota’s cigarette tax of $0.44 is 3rd lowest in the United States.

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1. Kentucky

Price: $5.72

Cigarette prices in Kentucky went up 10% compared to last year, but that didn’t stop it from topping our list of cheapest states to buy a pack of cigarettes. Kentucky was cheapest in 2016 as well, when you needed to part with $5.19 for a pack on average. The state has a cigarette tax of $0.60.