Last year, I participated in our elementary school’s annual trunk-or-treat event. I had never passed out candy there before, so I didn’t really know what to expect, but I was told to buy a lot of Halloween candy.
I ended up spending around $150 on candy and ran out before the event was even over. It was a bit shocking, and I quickly realized how much people spend on Halloween candy for trick-or-treaters.
I definitely have a new appreciation for all the people and parents out there who are willing to spend their hard-earned money to help kids celebrate Halloween. Because goodness, paying for all that candy can really add up quickly.
And unfortunately, anyone passing out candy this year can expect to pay literally more than anyone has ever paid in the history of Halloween, due to rising candy prices. (Honestly, being an adult is the truly terrifying part of Halloween.)
Why is Halloween Candy More Expensive This Year?
No, you’re not imagining it: Halloween candy is more expensive this year.
Along with the general costs of food and well, everything, increasing, chocolate Halloween candy has seen a significant increase because the cost of cocoa has risen to historically high prices. Farm and Dairy reports that extreme weather, plant diseases, and old cocoa trees led to poor harvests, creating a deficit in cocoa.
Because supply and demand drive prices, without enough cocoa to meet demand, the outlet explained that prices for cocoa “skyrocketed to historic highs in 2024 and remain elevated this year, pushing up costs for U.S. chocolate manufacturers.”
One TikToker pointed out that with minimum wage being $7/hour in some states, a bag of $30 Halloween candy would cost some workers almost an entire day of pay.
“Light is off this year,” quipped a commenter. “Sorry, kids.”
If you’re hoping to keep the lights on for trick-or-treaters, we rounded up some more wallet-friendly Halloween candy picks to stock up on.
Smarties 2.25lb Halloween Bag Flavored Candy Rolls
For under $6, you can pick up over two pounds of Smarties candies. That translates into 137 rolls.
And I don’t know about you, but Smarties are a cheap Halloween candy that my kids actually enjoy (unlike some bulk candy options).
Dum Dums & Smarties Halloween Assorted Candy Mix Lollipops & Suckers, Hard Party Candy Bags, 400 Count
Speaking of Smarties, this combo pack includes both Smartie candies and Dum Dum lollipops — 400 pieces to be exact. The Dum Dums are also peanut and gluten-free and Kosher certified.
Jolly Rancher Assorted Fruit Flavored Hard Candy Bulk Bag, Halloween Candy, 5 lb
At only $0.17/ounce, these Jolly Ranchers are actually the cheapest candy I found while searching.
You get 5 pounds of Jolly Ranchers (or 360 individual candies) for just over $13, and the candy is eligible for Prime shipping.
Sour Punch Twists, 3" Assorted Flavors Chewy Candy, 210 Pieces, 2.59 lb Jar
While not quite as cost-effective as the Jolly Ranchers, these Sour Punch twists pack, well, an affordable punch.
Just around $13 garners you 210 pieces, and I can assure you that nearly all kids (and adults) love these candies. You can also get even more candy on Amazon, with the 3.9-pound pack, which contains 180 pieces of longer-strip candy.
Tootsie Roll Child's Play Candy Favorites, 5 Pounds
I’m not the world’s biggest fan of Tootsie Rolls, but I have to admit, they’re pretty affordable when you’re passing out candy in bulk.
For $18, you can nab an entire 5-pound bag of candy, which includes not only Tootsie Rolls, but also other favorites like Tootsie Pops, Dots, Tootsie fruit chews, and Tootsie snack bars.
Tootsie Roll Charms Mini Pops
Some may argue that mini suckers are cheating for Halloween, but I would counter that with the reminder that if you’re getting free candy, perhaps any candy you get is a treat? Plus, everyone loves suckers!
This bulk pack has 400 mini-suckers for only $13.
Hershey Assorted Flavored Halloween Candy, Bulk Bag 70.54 oz, 250 Pieces
There’s no way around it: chocolate Halloween candy is over double the price of non-chocolate options. But sometimes, you just need chocolate, so this was one of the more affordable options I found, with 250 total pieces of candy.
The bag includes chocolatey favorites like Whoppers, KitKats, Reese’s, Hershey bars, and Milk Duds.
Mega Bulk 1000 Pc. Mini Ultimate Halloween Toy & Novelty Handout Assortment
$54.98
from
Oriental Trading Co.
For a non-candy option, you can’t really beat 1,000 “treats” to pass out! Trick-or-treaters can enjoy surprises like gliders, tattoos, rings, activity books, and Halloween toys.
Halloween Candy Mixture, 5 Pounds
$17.95
from
Candy Nation
For $18, you can pick up a bulk 5-pound pack of Halloween favorites like Airheads, salt water taffy, candy corn, and lollipops. The assortment can vary, and if you want to nab free shipping from Candy Nation, you’ll need to add $150 worth of candy to your cart. (Honestly, not a hard thing to do when Halloween candy shopping.)
Frankford Mega Brands Assorted Halloween Bulk Candy Bag, 585+ Pieces
Last but not least, we present 585 masterful pieces of candy for under $20. The assortment includes Warheads, Sour Belts, Fruity Chews, Smarties, Gummi Bears, Toxic Waste, Toxic Waste Nuclear Fusion, & Dubble Bubble gum for lots of variety.
*Psst: if you choose to purchase an item from this post, CafeMom.com may receive a small cut. Each item and price is up to date at the time of publication; however, an item may be sold out or the price may be different at a later date.
