The short answer is a range, and the range is wider than for almost any other consumer product. A carton of the same mainstream brand costs about $48 in the cheapest state and about $130 in New York City.
Roughly, by market
Low-tax states — Virginia, Missouri, Georgia, North Dakota — sit around $40 to $60. Most of the South and Midwest sits $60 to $85. The Northeast and Illinois run $90 to $130. New York City, with its local tax and minimum price floor, exceeds $130.
Why the spread is so wide
State excise ranges from about 17 cents to $4.35 per pack. Ten packs turns that into a $2 to $43.50 difference on identical product. Add local taxes in some cities and the gap widens further.
Brand is a much smaller factor — a few dollars a carton between premium and value lines.
Comparing to packs
Divide the carton by ten. A $70 carton is $7 a pack. If your local pack is $9, you save. If it is $6, you do not.
That comparison is the only one that matters, and it is worth doing honestly rather than from memory. Pack prices have moved a lot in five years; most people underestimate their current local price.
When a carton is not worth it
Three cases. You are in a low-tax state and the arithmetic does not work. You smoke so little that 200 cigarettes go stale before you finish them. Or you are buying an untried format, in which case a carton is an expensive way to find out you wanted something else.
Our range
From $59.90 for ESSE Menthol Super Slim to $85.00 for Newport Menthol. Both are mid-range by national standards, which means they are a clear saving in high-tax states and roughly break-even in low-tax ones.
The full list is on the shop page, and the arithmetic is in our break-even piece.
What to watch for in a listing
Whether the count is ten packs or five, whether shipping is included, and whether the format is the one you wanted. A carton at a great price that turns out to be five packs is not a great price.