It's Not Just You! Halloween Candy Is Scary This Year — Scary Expensive — And Here's Why

Heading into Fall and Winter in the United States is a particularly expensive time of year for many families. Not only are your heating costs going up, but there are a number of country-wide celebrations that require a little cash to participate in.

And first up in the Holiday Season run: Halloween.

However, Halloween 2025 promises to be the scariest one yet, and not for a fun reason. People are noting that candy prices seem to be out of control. Here's why candy is so expensive this year, and how you can get around the exorbitant price hikes.

Let's face it: everything is expensive in 2025. It seems like there isn't a single item or service that hasn't gotten markedly more expensive, and people are scrambling to do more with less as life marches on, unheeding of our financial straits.

So, we just want this one thing, just Halloween candy, to be affordable. Unfortunately, no dice. And there is one main reason for this year's price hikes.

The biggest factor influencing the price of candy this year seems to be the cost of cocoa. Axios reports that the cost of cocoa has more than doubled since early 2024, raising the price of candy and gum by 8%.

Although the sky-high rate of cocoa futures has eased since late in 2024, it will take time for those price breaks to trickle down to consumers.

And, of course, shrinkflation is striking everywhere, with costs up on smaller packages, making us feel the pinch even more.

Luckily, the outlet reports that candy prices should begin to ease in time for Valentine's Day 2026. Unluckily, that's still months away, and the Halloween crunch is real.

So, if you're looking to stock up on candy but can't afford the prices this year, what do you do?

You get old school: you look for coupons and deals, a skill that modern shoppers may have let fall by the wayside in recent years.

If you were alive for the couponing craze of the '00s, you may remember that some creative clipping can net you some impressive deals. But, never fear, 2025 brings a way to shop with coupons that doesn't involve binders.

For instance, one thrifty shopper pointed out that a series of online coupons will net you a pretty hefty haul for $30 at Doller General.

And Amazon's ever-fluctuating prices can make for a good deal if you catch a combination of a deal price and a coupon offer.

While there is no single one place that has the cheapest candy, this is a year to get creative and look around. Costco and Sam's Club may have had the best deals in years past, but if you add up the cost of the same amount of candy elsewhere, you might find it's cheaper to shop around.

So, where's the cheapest place to buy candy? It changes by the day, but if you're really keen on saving a few dollars, TikTok creators are keeping people up to date on the latest deals, and a few minutes of scrolling before heading out to buy or loading up your online cart may be exactly what you need to find the best prices.