This Halloween, are full-size candy bars a better deal than fun-sized ones?

By Aditi Shrikant

Several influencers claim you can save money and be the coolest house on the block with bigger candy this year. Let's see how that adds up.

As the cost of Halloween candy climbs, does it make more sense to hand out full-size chocolate bars this year?

Soaring candy prices have many Americans looking to scare up some extra value during what has been an already expensive year. And one claim is going viral this spooky season: that giving out full-sized candy bars to Halloween trick-or-treaters makes more financial sense than bagging the smaller "fun size" sweets.

The logic, according to a handful of TikTok creators, is that the price for buying full-sized bars in bulk at discount giants like Costco and Sam's Club, and the seasonal mixed bags of mini candies, are about the same this year.

"You should be handing out full-size candy bars," says a TikTok creator by the username Z. Hartleben in a clip that's drawn almost 14,000 likes and hundreds of comments. The argument is that the variety packs of 120 mini Halloween candies run between $18 and $20 - but they don't necessarily serve 100 kids, because trick-or-treaters tend to grab handfuls. So a big bag of mini candies may only satisfy 30 kids, by her reasoning.

But they'll only take one full-size bar apiece, she argues. So scoring a $20 pack of 30 full-size Hershey bars (according to her Costco receipt) delivers more bar for the buck, in her opinion. "The math just makes a little more sense with full-size bars," she says.

Another TikTok from creator, Somer Agnor, agrees. "The craziest part about the full size candy bars is that it's really not that much more expensive than getting one of those variety packs of candies," she says in a video that's drawn over 900 likes. She also bought a box of full-size Hersey bars in bulk, paying, she says, $30 for 30 chocolates.

Still other posts feature shoppers sharing where they've scored full-sized bars on sale for a little over $20.

Halloween spending is expected to reach $13.5 billion this year, according to the National Retail Federation, with $4.1 billion alone being spent on candy.

And candy prices are up 15.3% over last year, according to data from Groundwork Collaborative and Century Foundation, which also looked at how individual candy brands have become more expensive. The Hershey (HSY) variety pack, which includes Kit-Kat bars and Reese's peanut-butter cups, is up 19.03% from last year, according to Groundwork Collaborative data, and the Mondelez (MDLZ) gummy-candy variety pack, which includes Swedish Fish and Sour Patch Kids, is up 13.16%.

As of September, candy and gum prices were up 44% over a five-year period, the Associated Press reported, citing government data. Halloween candy sales have also gotten off to a slower start this year as Americans grapple with higher prices, the same report noted, with sales down 6.7% in the month ending Oct. 17 compared with the same period last year.

So the idea of going all-in on full-size bars is intriguing: You can save money and be the coolest house on the block?

Does that logic actually add up?

It all hinges on whether you're able to get those big bars at a big discount - and you may have missed the window. As of Friday morning - the day before Halloween - Costco (COST) was still advertising the 30-pack of full-sized Hershey bars for about $20 - if you're a member and picking them up in-store. Ordering online for delivery could set you back $30 or more, however. But at Target (TGT), a pack of 18 full-sized Hershey bars was $32.49 online as of Thursday - which was still twice the price of a 25-ounce "party bag," which can contain up to 70 fun-size pieces of candy, at $16.99. At Walmart (WMT), the 18-pack of full-sized Hershey bars was $24.88 online on Friday, while the 25-ounce fun-sized bag was $13.99 - still a good $10 less.

So the cheaper option in most cases is to buy the bag of fun-sized treats - and encourage kids not to be greedy in how much they grab.

Either way, expect to spend more money on Halloween candy this year.

Why candy prices are up

Some materials involved in producing candy - notably cocoa - are more expensive than they were a few years ago.

"Cocoa costs have soared over the past several years, and raising prices is one way manufacturers offset those pressures," says Erin Lash, the director of community equity research at Morningstar.

In 2022, cocoa (CC00) costs ranged from $2,200 to $2,550 per metric ton, according to data from the International Cocoa Organization. Prices peaked in January 2025 at $10,750, and, while they've come down from that high, they were sitting around $5,600 as of Friday morning.

Elizabeth Pancotti, a vice president of policy at Groundwork Collaborative, notes that rising oil prices (CL00) (BRN00) have also played a part.

"Because the war in Iran is driving up oil cost, and plastic is made of oil, the cost of packaging has gone up, and there is a lot more packaging for Halloween candy because Halloween candy has to be individually wrapped," she says.

But Pancotti also notes that both sugar and corn syrup costs are lower this year than they were last year and in 2024, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, making some candy more affordable to produce. She suggests that company profit margins are playing a role in pushing up prices.

"Instead of passing those savings on to consumers and lowering their prices, they are keeping them high and expanding their profit margins," says Pancotti.

Neither Hershey nor Mondelez was immediately available for comment.

The bottom line: If you're planning to hand out candy this Halloween, you'll be paying more - no matter how big your chocolate bars are.

-Aditi Shrikant

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