Halloween Candy Prices Are Rising Twice as Fast as Inflation, but Shoppers Aren’t Backing Down

Lakisha Reardon, a legal assistant, is pinching every penny. She walks to save money and packs her own lunch. Her electric bill is up $150 a month. But there is one thing she will not give up: Halloween candy. She is not alone. Even as prices climb, shoppers are still filling their bags with treats. So what is all that candy really costing us?

Candy Is Rising More Than Twice as Fast as Everything Else

Candy costs a lot more than it did a year ago. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, which tracks prices, says candy and gum rose 8.1 percent in August from a year earlier. All prices together rose 3.4 percent. That means candy is climbing more than twice as fast. A $10 bag of candy would now cost $10.81. A typical $10 buy would cost about $10.34.

Chocolate Is Where Your Wallet Takes the Hit

Chocolate is where it hurts most. PwC, a research and consulting firm, says Halloween chocolate jumped 15.5 percent this year, to an average of $5.67 a package. That is about 76 cents more per pack. Candy without chocolate barely moved. It averages $3.31, up just 1.8 percent, or about 6 cents. If your trick-or-treaters love chocolate, your bill may jump more.

Bad Weather on Cocoa Farms Hit Your Candy Bowl

Cocoa is the main ingredient in chocolate. Bad weather hit Ivory Coast and Ghana, two big cocoa-growing countries. Cocoa prices around the world quadrupled from January 2023 to January 2025, says the International Monetary Fund. That is four times the old price. Candy makers buy cocoa months ahead, sometimes two years early. So the cost is only now reaching store shelves.

Every Tracker Shows Higher Prices, but Not the Same Jump

The size of the jump depends on who is counting. Market research firm NIQ found chocolate overall is up 9.4 percent from a year ago. But NIQ says chocolate sold just for Halloween is up only 1.7 percent. The numbers differ, yet they all point the same way: prices are up. How much more you pay depends on what you buy and where you shop.

Cheaper Cocoa Won’t Rescue This Halloween

Cheaper cocoa will not help this Halloween. Cocoa prices have since dropped by about half, but savings take time to reach stores. “Because chocolate makers buy cocoa months, sometimes up to two years ahead, shoppers are paying for that spike now,” said Ali Furman, PwC’s consumer markets industry leader. In plain words, you are paying for old, pricey cocoa. Relief may come, but later.

Tariffs Make the Candy Bill Bigger

Tariffs are adding to the bill. In July, the U.S. put taxes of 10 to 12.5 percent on goods from 60 trading partners. A tariff is a tax on imports. “Chocolate comes from elsewhere, so tariffs being added onto it have certainly increased costs that manufacturers are feeling as well,” said Chris Costagli, the leader of food and nonalcoholic beverage insights at NIQ. Those costs can follow candy to the checkout line.

Prices Are Up, but Americans Are Still Buying

Americans are paying anyway. The National Retail Federation, a retail trade group, expects $13.5 billion in Halloween spending, up from $13.1 billion last year. Candy makes up $4.1 billion of that. And 96 percent of shoppers plan to buy it. Each person will spend about $115, nearly the same as last year. “Consumers continue to make Halloween a spending priority,” said Allison Zeller, an NRF vice president, “but they are also approaching the season with affordability in mind.”

Shoppers Are Saving in Smart Ways

Shoppers are finding ways to save. In the NRF survey, more than a third plan to compare prices if costs run high, and just over a quarter will hunt for coupons or sales. Nearly half started shopping in September or earlier, and some did it to spread out the cost. Leonard Smith, 36, of Delaware, waits until after Halloween, when stores cut candy prices. Discount stores are the top stop, at 39 percent of shoppers.

A Happy Trick-or-Treater Is Still Worth the Price

Reardon still plans to buy her candy. Prices are up and budgets are tight, but she is far from the only one. College student Abby Mynatt, 21, says small joys are still worth it, and she wants kids to get the Reese’s Cups she loved growing up. Candy will cost more this Halloween. For many people, a happy trick-or-treater is still worth the price.