Halloween Candy Prices 2026: If the bowl by your front door looks a little emptier for the same money this year, you are not imagining it. Halloween candy costs noticeably more in 2026, and chocolate is the main culprit. The odd part is that cocoa itself has got much cheaper over the past year. So why are prices still climbing, which treats are people actually buying, and what can you make at home instead?
How much more does Halloween candy cost?
The clearest figure comes from the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. Its consumer price index for candy and chewing gum was up 8.1% in August 2026 compared with a year earlier, more than double the 3.4% rise for all items. Over a longer stretch the gap is even starker: candy prices have risen 47.9% since January 2020, against 28.9% for prices overall.
Halloween chocolate is where it really bites. According to an analysis by PwC, reported by NBC News, a package of Halloween chocolate now averages $5.67, up 15.5% on last year. Non-chocolate candy has barely moved, rising just 1.8% to an average of $3.31.
Not every tracker agrees on the size of the jump. Market research firm NIQ puts the rise in chocolate prices at 9.4% overall, but only 1.7% for Halloween-specific chocolate. Different methods, different baskets. What all the data agrees on is that chocolate is the expensive part of the trick-or-treat haul, and gummies and sour sweets are the cheaper route.
Why prices are high when cocoa is cheaper
This is the bit that frustrates shoppers. Cocoa prices roughly quadrupled between January 2023 and January 2025, according to the IMF, after poor harvests in West Africa. Since then they have fallen hard. World Bank data shows cocoa dropping from about $10.75 per kilogram in January 2025 to $5.95 in August 2026, and the International Cocoa Organization estimates a small surplus for the 2024/25 season after a huge deficit the year before.
The problem is timing. Ali Furman of PwC told NBC that chocolate makers buy cocoa months, and in some cases up to two years, in advance. The chocolate on shelves this October was largely made with cocoa bought at or near the peak. Add US tariffs on imports, and the relief simply has not reached the checkout yet. Hershey, for example, said its second-quarter 2026 results reflected roughly 14 points of price increases, while sales volumes fell about 10 points as shoppers pushed back.
So the honest outlook is this: chocolate prices may ease next year, but probably not in time for this Halloween.
People are still buying, just more carefully
Higher prices have not cancelled Halloween. The National Retail Federation expects total US Halloween spending of $13.5 billion this year, with $4.1 billion going on candy. Some 96% of people celebrating plan to buy candy, spending an average of $34.79. Overall budgets are up only 0.6%, though, which says a lot about how stretched households feel.
Shoppers are also getting savvier. The NRF found 31% plan to compare prices across retailers and 26% intend to look for coupons. And research from data firm Circana shows non-chocolate candy has taken a 52% share of Halloween-packaged candy volume, so plenty of families are quietly swapping chocolate bars for sour gummies.
The most popular Halloween treats in 2026
Depending on whose data you trust, there are two answers. DoorDash’s 2026 Halloween candy ranking, based on its delivery orders and reported by Delish, puts Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups at the top for the third year running, followed by:
- Hershey’s chocolate bars
- M&M’s
- Snickers
- Nerds
- Skittles
Airheads, Sour Patch Kids, Haribo and KitKat round out the top ten. DoorDash also found that candy corn orders were up 30%, which will surprise the many people who consider it a crime against sugar.
CandyStore.com’s 2026 projections, based on its own sales, tell a different story. It has M&M’s at number one, followed by Sour Patch Kids, Skittles, Reese’s Cups and Nerds Gummy Clusters. Notice how much non-chocolate appears near the top. Candy corn, meanwhile, keeps its title as the most hated Halloween candy in CandyStore’s surveys. And loyalty runs deep: the National Confectioners Association says 64% of people would rather eat less candy than give up their favourite.
5 cheap homemade Halloween snacks
If you are hosting a party or just want something for the family, homemade treats stretch the budget a lot further than branded bars. These five use cheap cupboard staples. They are best for parties and home, not for handing to trick-or-treaters, since many parents only let kids eat wrapped sweets from strangers.
1. Popcorn monster mix
Pop a bag of plain kernels, toss with a little melted butter and a pinch of salt, then stir through a small handful of candy or sweets for colour. A little of the expensive stuff goes a long way when it is mixed through a big bowl of popcorn.
2. Banana ghosts and clementine pumpkins
Halve bananas and press in chocolate chips for eyes and a mouth. Peel clementines and push a small piece of celery into the top for a stalk. It takes five minutes, costs very little and gives the kids at least one thing on the table that is not pure sugar.
3. Mummy sausage rolls
Cut ready-rolled puff pastry into thin strips and wrap them loosely around sausages, leaving a gap for the face. Bake until golden and dot on ketchup or mustard eyes. A cheap pack of sausages and one sheet of pastry feeds a crowd.
4. Chocolate spider cookies
Bake a batch of simple peanut butter or plain cookies, press a chocolate button into the middle of each one while warm, and pipe on legs with melted chocolate. You get the chocolate hit without buying a single fun-size bag.
5. Roasted pumpkin seeds
If you carved a pumpkin, do not throw the seeds away. Rinse, dry, toss with oil and salt or cinnamon sugar, then roast until crunchy. It is essentially a free snack. For more ideas, see our guide to cooking your Halloween pumpkin instead of binning it.
Smart ways to save on candy this year
Buy non-chocolate mixes for the door, since that is where prices have barely moved. Compare unit prices rather than bag prices, because “fun size” packs vary a lot in weight. And if you can wait, the days after Halloween are usually the cheapest time to stock up for the rest of the autumn.
FAQ
Why is Halloween candy so expensive in 2026?
Mainly because chocolate makers bought cocoa at record prices months or years in advance. Tariffs and other costs have added to the pressure.
Is chocolate going to get cheaper?
Cocoa prices have fallen sharply since early 2025, so prices could ease in the future, but experts say the relief is unlikely to show up this Halloween.
What is the most popular Halloween candy in 2026?
DoorDash’s ranking puts Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups first, while CandyStore.com projects M&M’s as the top seller.
What is the cheapest Halloween candy to buy?
Non-chocolate candy such as gummies and sour sweets, which rose only about 1.8% in price this year according to PwC.
