Substance Use

How Much Does Heroin Cost? (The Street Prices)

addict paying for heroin

How Much Does Heroin Cost?

The street price for a single dose bag of heroin on American streets can range from $5 to $20 across the United States. For large distributors, a kilogram of heroin can wholesale for $50,000 to $100,000 or more. Heroin prices vary based on factors like location, seller, purity and more. But overall heroin remains relatively inexpensive compared to prescription opioids or other illegal drugs, which partially drives high rates of use and addiction.

MeasurementPrice
Single dose bag (0.1g)$5-$20
Gram$60-$100
Ounce$1,000-$1,500
Bundle$20-$40

As the nation continues to grapple with the devastating opioid/opiates epidemic, heroin overdose deaths remain tragically high, plaguing communities across the country. Heroin is an illegal and highly addictive opioid. Recent data shows states like Minnesota and Washington reporting record drug overdose deaths, largely attributed to the highly potent synthetic opioid fentanyl, which is increasingly being mixed with or sold as heroin.

Are you concerned about a loved one’s heroin use? Contact Zinnia Health today at (855) 430-9439 to learn more about our science-backed approach to substance use disorders, including heroin, opioids, and other prescription drugs.

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How Much Is a Gram of Heroin?

In the USA specifically, the street price is generally between $60-$100 per gram based on purity and other factors. The price may be lower when buying multiple grams at once. Buying heroin by the gram is one of the most common ways to purchase it on the street in America. Most heroin users have a habitual daily use of around a gram per day

According to UNODC data, the street price for a gram of heroin varies greatly internationally. 

For example, in Western Europe, prices range from $20-30 per gram in countries like Portugal, Belgium, and Greece up to $200-300 per gram in Finland and Ireland. 

Even major continental countries like Germany, France, and Italy maintain relatively low street prices of around $35-55 per gram.

How Much Is an Ounce of Heroin?

An ounce, or 28 grams, of heroin sold on the street will cost approximately $1,000-$1,500 but can be priced higher or lower depending on location and quality.  

Buying heroin by the ounce is common for dealers and repeat users with a high tolerance. Buying an ounce at once allows dealers to resell the heroin in smaller amounts to make a profit. Habitual users often buy in ounce increments since it costs significantly less per gram than buying single grams.

How Much Does a Bundle of Heroin Cost?

A bundle of heroin is approximately one gram and contains 10-13 individual glassine bags with roughly a 0.1-gram dose in each. The average price is typically $20-$40.

Buying heroin by the bundle allows users to get roughly a gram of heroin already separated into individual use doses. It’s common for heroin addicts to buy multiple bundles per day for their personal use. Buying bundles also allows dealers to easily repackage the individual bags to resell at a markup.

How Much Does a Bag of Heroin Cost?

A single bag of heroin sold on the street contains approximately 0.1 grams of product. The bags are often referred to as “stamps” or “decks”. The standard street price for one bag ranges from $5-$20 based on factors like location and purity.

Most heroin users with an established addiction will use multiple bags per day, often buying 3-5 bags at a time to get a single use dose. Buying heroin by the bag is one of the most common ways it is sold at the street level. It allows dealers to easily distribute single use amounts to users and maximize profits.

What Factors Can Affect The Price Of Heroin?

Like any illegal drug, it’s hard to pin down an exact price for a hit of heroin. Some factors that impact the price include:

  • Geographic Location – Prices are generally higher on the East and West coasts, where black tar heroin enters the country from Mexico. Prices increase as heroin gets distributed inland. Prices are also typically higher in rural and suburban areas compared to cities where competition among dealers is greater.
  • Quality/Purity/Type – The type and purity of heroin affect the price. Higher-quality pure heroin, like white heroin, demands higher prices than diluted or low-grade brown heroin.
  • Supply & Demand – Heroin prices rise and fall with supply and demand, like any market. More demand and scarcer supply leads to higher prices.
  • Affordability – In some cases, dealers will lower prices to make heroin more low cost and attract cheaper highs for users with less money.

The Hidden Costs of Heroin Addiction

While the financial price of buying heroin is high, the less visible costs of heroin addiction can be even more devastating. Beyond the money spent on the drug itself, heroin dependency often destroys careers, relationships, health, freedom, and lives.

  • Health: Long-term heroin abuse frequently leads to infection, disease, malnutrition, mental illness, and early death from overdose. Chronic intravenous heroin use heightens the risk of contracting HIV, hepatitis, endocarditis, and other conditions.
  • Family & Relationships: Lying, stealing, and unpredictability associated with heroin addiction can fracture bonds with loved ones. Families are often forced to cut ties to protect themselves.
  • Work: Maintaining employment becomes difficult as drug abuse consumes a heroin addict’s life. Many descend into unemployment and homelessness.
  • Reputation: The stigma attached to heroin addiction can lead to social ostracization even after getting clean. The world often judges those with addiction issues harshly.
  • Legal Issues: Heroin is illegal. Addiction often leads to criminal charges, jail time, loss of rights, and a permanent criminal record.
  • Life Potential: Heroin steals life, liberty, happiness, and opportunity from its victims. Overdose can end a life, while addiction can destroy a lifetime of potential.

Learn more about overcoming addiction with Zinnia Health here.

What Does Heroin Cost in Other Countries?

Heroin prices vary significantly globally based on factors like proximity to trafficking routes, local demand, law enforcement activity, and more. Some examples of heroin prices around the world:

  • Austria: $66/gram
  • France: $38/gram
  • Ireland: $155/gram

What is the Trend for People Searching for Heroin Prices?

Based on Google Trends data, search interest for the term “heroin prices” in the United States has fluctuated over the past two decades. Interest rose in the early 2000s, likely due to concerns about heroin abuse and overdoses. It reached a peak in popularity in 2004 before declining again.

In recent years, interest has risen again, peaking in 2018. This lines up with news coverage around the opioid epidemic and reports of low heroin prices contributing to high rates of abuse

Interested in learning more about what types of treatment insurance covers? Read more here.

Zinnia Health Can Help

If you or a loved one is struggling with heroin, opioid, or prescription painkiller addiction, or any other form of substance abuse, contact Zinnia Health today. Our caring treatment specialists are ready to answer your questions, guide you toward recovery programs, and help you take back your life from the grips of addiction. 

Zinnia Health is proud to offer inpatient and outpatient treatment programs and detox at a number of accredited treatment facilities around the nation from a team of compassionate and caring health care providers.  Don’t wait. Contact us now.

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