New York Is Most Expensive State For Smokers, Study Finds

NEW YORK CITY — New York is the most expensive state in the nation for smokers, who can expect to lose almost $2.5 million to the habit, a new analysis shows.

New York smokers can expect to pay roughly $48,000 a year — and $248,000 in a lifetime — for cigarettes, health care, lost financial opportunities and related costs, according to an analysis from finance website WalletHub.

"Smoking doesn’t just ruin your health. It can also burn a nasty hole through your wallet," analysts wrote in the the study released Tuesday.

WalletHub reports smokers will spend almost $195,000 on cigarettes in New York, which charges more taxes on cigarettes ($4.35 a pack in 2019) than any other state, according to the nonprofit Tax Foundation.

Had that cash been invested in the stock market, New York smokers could have earned roughly $1,700,000 million, WalletHub analysts said.

There are roughly 2,232,000 smokers in New York State — 814,000 of whom call New York City home —and tobacco use claims the lives of about 28,200 New Yorkers a year, 2015 Health Department data show.

New York is the most expensive state in the nation to smoke, but the habit is a costly one nationwide, the analysis found.

Smokers in North Carolina — the cheapest state for tobacco use — still spend roughly $24,000 a year and $1,228,493 in a lifetime on their addiction, WalletHub found.

Smoking costs the U.S. more than $300 billion a year in medical care bills and lost productivity, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Read more about the findings here.