It’s Not Just You ― Halloween Candy Is A Lot More Expensive Now

Recently at the cash register I noticed the “total” was a bit higher than expected. Okay, I’ve noticed that every time at the cash register (no kidding, I try not to look down). This was a pointed moment, though, because I’d bought something on sale. But then my rewards membership kicked in, a few bucks fell off the total cost and―briefly―I felt like a Queen. 

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And I’m seriously thinking about carrying that energy into Halloween costume ideas, because I’ll need it―like almost everything else out there, Halloween is just costing more. And to be honest, we kind of thought we knew how bad it was (you know how you can sort of “feel” the punch to your wallet?). But a recent study came out with a genuinely frightening figure: Halloween candy prices haven’t just gone up alongside other grocery items, they’ve spiked: 71% in the last five years.

Just Under Twenty Bucks A Bag? 

Yeah. And it gets scarier. The study, from a finance website called FinanceBuzz, took “five years of historical bulk Halloween candy prices at multiple major grocery retailers” including Walmart, Target, Kroger, and Albertsons. And their process was pretty in-depth. According to the site, researchers manually reviewed archived circulars, in addition to sifting and cross-comparing data in current “digital product listings.” They also took into account things like inflation rates. 

Their findings? Well, that first terrifying headline: Halloween candy prices have gone up 71% in the past five years, to the point that a 100-piece bag of candy now costs, on average, almost $17. To break it down even further, we’re paying about $7 more per bag than we were five years ago. Another very interesting, and yeah scary, finding: 71% is about triple the rate of inflation―meaning those high Halloween candy prices aren’t just another victim of this killer economy. There’s more to why candy is so specifically and tragically expensive.

Two Years (And Counting) Of Rising Cocoa Prices

At least one of the reasons the Halloween candy prices are much higher than inflation rates would make them has to do with cocoa. Cocoa prices have been at an all-time high for about two years now―and they’re rising again, with some saying volatility is just kind of here to stay. (Happy holidays?) As you’d guess, when cocoa costs go up, that higher cost is passed down to finished cocoa-based products, like, for instance, pumpkin-shaped peanut butter cups and those tiny yellow Mr. Goodbars that I love so much. 

The good news? Gummy candies have a bit more bang-for-your-buck. I did some (very easy) sleuthing to check on that supposed $17 per average per 100 candies and it pretty much tracks. Today, as in mid-October 2026, a 120-count mix of fun size Mars candies (M&Ms, Snickers, Twix, and Milky Way) costs about $19 at Walmart, and an 80-piece Mars “Ghoulish Green” mix (Skittles, Twix, and Snickers) costs about $15 at Sam’s Club. On the other hand, a 150-count Haribo mix at Walmart is only $15 and a 160-pouch Sour Patch Kids mix at Target costs about $17―meaning those cocoa costs must be a major factor in the higher prices. 

The rising price of vegetable oil (used in some candy production) is also a contributing factor. But there is good news, too! In spite of the, well, spike, turns out we’re still buying candy. Which just goes to show, yes, this might be a frighteningly expensive Halloween, but we’re still more afraid of having no candy when hangry preteens show up at our front door.