Halloween shoppers in the US seeking sweet relief this spooky season have instead been shocked by the high price of seasonal treats, as cost of living pressures continue to bite.
Demetrio Beltres, a 33-year-old financial adviser searching for Halloween bargains for trick or treaters said he was spending more than his usual $15 (£11) to $20 this year because prices were much higher.
“I’m trying to spend at least $20 to $30 just to make sure that I get the kids something,” he said, while browsing the rows of colour options at a Target in Manhattan.
A lot of people are finding they are in the same boat as Demetrio this year.
Stephen Zagor, adjunct associate professor at Columbia Business School, said people have only so much to spend, and when everyday essentials are costing more, people may feel less inclined to make this the most extravagant Halloween.
“I think the holiday’s gotten scary, more from an economic [perspective], than it might be for scaring people at the door,” he said.
Analysis from left-leaning non-profit Groundwork Collaborative and the Century Foundation found the cost of popular Halloween chocolates and confectionery was 15.3% higher this year than in 2025.
Separate research from personal finance firm Finance Buzz found prices for Halloween treats have soared by 71% over the past five years – a much bigger increase than the general pace of price rises over the same period.
The price of confectionery generally has been pushed up thanks to higher cocoa prices.
The cost of a tonne of cocoa skyrocketed to a high of more than $10,700 in January 2025, according to figures from the International Monetary Fund via the Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis, as climate change contributed to severe weather which affected supplies.
“The cocoa that is now being consumed was bought when the prices were high,” said Zagor, who specialises in food businesses.
