The Average Costs of Hookah Explained
Everyone remembers their first few times smoking hookah. Having a good friend show the ropes, teach you how to light coals, and how to turn them. They teach you how to pack a bowl and how to do smoke tricks.
And the best part about these first few times smoking hookah is that as a newbie, you are usually guided by your friends, who let you smoke their shisha from their pipe with their equipment, for free.
But then there comes a time not too long after where this glorious period comes to an end, and you are going to have to start paying for your own smoke. And it is then that you can start to wonder what it really costs to smoke hookah.
No fear, we have your back. There are some essentials you will need to smoke hookah, and we’re gonna walk you through everything you need, and what it's going to cost you.
Here is a look at the average costs of hookah smoking explained.
What Do You Need To Smoke Hookah?
To get into the costs, we have to cover the basics of the equipment you will need to smoke hookah on your own, with your own setup at home.
In order to have a complete and usable hookah setup, you will need:
- A Hookah Pipe — The first essential is the hookah pipe itself. The pipe is made of several components: the stem, the downstem, and the vase. Any pipe you buy will come with these three components included for certain.
- A Hose — You are also going to need a hose to connect to your pipe for you to smoke. The hose is your mouthpiece, it is an absolute essential there is no way to smoke hookah without it.
- A Bowl — Another one of the absolute essentials, a bowl is needed to hold your hookah tobacco and support your coals to smoke from your hookah.
- Shisha Tobacco — You can’t smoke from your hookah without something to smoke. Shisha tobacco is the smokable that is specifically made for hookah and is a delicious essential
- Charcoals — You need coals to light your bowl, an absolute must
- Tongs — How else are you going to rotate your coals?
- Tin Foil or a Heat Management Device — You have to have something between your shisha and the coals. A heat management device replaces the need for classic tin foil to do the job.
- Something to Light Your Charcoals — This can be a gas stovetop, or charcoal lighter.
- Water — You will need water, or an alternative liquid, to smoke hookah properly.
As you can see, there are a lot of necessities for a hookah smoking setup. But how much does it really cost?
How Much Does a Hookah Pipe Cost?
Your first and largest upfront cost is going to be your hookah pipe. For your home setup, you are going to want a high-quality pipe that is going to last, and work perfectly.
Hookah pipes range in price depending on their quality, material, and size. You can expect to spend anywhere from just under $100 to $200+ depending on these factors. Within this range you will get a high quality pipe that will last for years if you maintain it, and will smoke like a charm.
Here at MOB Hookah we offer dozens of different pipes, all made from top-notch materials. Check out our collection here for pipes that are perfect whether you are looking for your first pipe or just expanding your arsenal.
How Much Does a Hose Cost?
Luckily, hoses are much less expensive than hookah pipes. Your hose is a necessity for your pipe, as the hose is the mouthpiece of the hookah pipe.
A hose will cost you anywhere between $10 and $50 dollars depending on what material you go for. For a simple silicone washable hose, you will usually pay about $10 to $20 dollars or so. For a nicer, more specialized or decorated hose you will pay closer to $50.
You only need a simple hose to enjoy hookah, so let's say you can expect to spend $20 dollars on a hose, taking our total to about $140 so far.
How Much Does a Bowl Cost?
Your bowl is the piece that actually holds your hookah. While you can make a bowl out of a piece of fruit for almost no cost, you should have a regular, reusable hookah bowl for your hookah pipe.
A bowl can cost between $10 and $40. For a simple, Egyptian-style clay bowl you can spend less than ten dollars for something that will last. On the other hand, you could spend as much as $40 on a bowl that doubles as a heat management device.
We also offer a wide variety of bowls here at MOB Hookah, from simple to advanced and everything in between. Let's say you buy a bowl for $20 dollars, which brings the cost of a startup package to $160.
How Much Does Shisha Tobacco Cost?
Another big cost of your hookah setup is going to be your shisha tobacco. Shisha tobacco is the tobacco you smoke from your hookah and it too is an essential piece of any hookah setup.
You will always have to keep buying shisha as you go through it, but to start you are also going to have a large upfront cost to get a few flavors to mix. This isn’t absolutely essential, but makes for a much more enjoyable home setup.
You can buy 250 grams of shisha for anywhere from about $10 to $25 dollars depending on the brand. So, lets say to start, you get three flavors at $20 dollars a piece for a total of $60 dollars, bringing the total to $220.
How Much Do Tongs, Charcoal, and Tin Foil Cost?
Now we get into the smaller necessities — your tongs for grabbing the charcoals, the charcoals to light your shisha, and the tin foil to wrap your bowl.
Tongs cost a few dollars, a box of charcoal costs about $12, and tin foil only costs a few dollars, if you don’t already have some at home. You can get all of these things at MOB Hookah so that you have your supplies stocked at all times.
Together, these will cost you about $20 dollars to get started, totaling $240 total.
How Much Does Something to Light Your Coals Cost?
If you are using quick light charcoal, you only need a match. But for traditional coal users, you need a gas lit stove to cook your coals, or a charcoal burner, which you can get at MOB Hookah.
Matches are a dollar, a gas stove is included in your utilities, and a charcoal toaster will cost you $25. For our total we are going to assume you have a gas stove or matches or a lighter available for free.
Average Cost of Hookah: The Takeaways
There are a lot of costs that come with hookah that are just a one-time startup cost that will let you smoke hookah at home for the rest of your life.
You need to buy a hookah pipe, hose, bowl, shisha, charcoals, tongs, tin foil, and a way to light your coals, which altogether averages around $240.
You can buy a complete hookah startup package at MOB Hookah. We offer high-quality hookah equipment, top-notch shisha, and the best hookah accessories that you can find. Check out a full list of offerings here.
And don’t forget to keep coming back to our blog for more guides like this.
Sources;
The Definitive Guide to Shisha Coals | Hookah.org