Average Family’s War Cost Estimated : Gulf conflict: An economist has calculated the burden on taxpayers as $2,624 to $4,288, depending on the length and intensity of hostilities.

The Persian Gulf War will cost the average American family of four at least $2,624 and maybe as much as $4,288, the consumer group Public Citizen said today.

In a study by Princeton University economist James P. Love, the organization estimated the total cost of the U.S. war effort, including the cost of economic sanctions that continue in effect, at $164 billion to $268 billion.

Most of the cost would be incurred by the end of 1991, but some will stretch over a period of several years, Public Citizen said. The bills that will come due later will include replacement of munitions and the costs of occupying and rebuilding Iraq or giving aid to other countries.

The per capita cost will be $656 to $1,072, Public Citizen said.

The lower figure is based on a low-cost war amid low world political tensions, with a short occupation, the group said. The high figure is for a high-cost war accompanied by greater tensions and a very difficult occupation.

Public Citizen was founded by consumer advocate Ralph Nader, and Love is the director of the Taxpayer Assets Project, another group associated with Nader.

Love calculated that the cost of enforcing the economic sanctions, without hostilities, would have been $75 billion. He estimated the additional cost of making war on Iraq at $89 billion to $193 billion, depending on the outcome of the war and the following occupation.

He said it would cost $4.6 billion a year to maintain a 100,000-member army of occupation in Iraq, consisting of two divisions of light infantry, one armored division and one air wing. He described this as the “minimum deployment” and said it could be twice that.

The economist estimated that the shooting war would cost $45 billion if it lasted 60 days and could go as high as $80 billion if it lasted longer.