Halloween shoppers are bracing for an average $115 outlay this season as candy prices climb well ahead of overall inflation, and some plan to finance the haul.
Gum and candy prices jumped 8.1% in August from a year earlier, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics figures cited in The Sun’s reporting, while all consumer prices rose 3.4% over the past year. That gap lands hardest on the item nearly every household still buys for the holiday.
A National Retail Federation survey puts expected American spending on Halloween purchases at $4.1 billion this year. The average shopper is projected to spend $115 on seasonal buys. Candy remains the top draw: 96% of Halloween shoppers plan to buy it.
Families are not ignoring the pinch. They are rearranging the calendar around it.
Nearly half of consumers planned to start Halloween shopping in September or earlier. Among those early buyers, 23% said they spread purchases out so the spending would fit their budget.
Allison Zeller, the NRF’s vice president of industry and consumer insights, put the mood in plain terms.
"Consumers continue to make Halloween a spending priority, but they are also approaching the season with affordability in mind,"
Zeller said.
That is the trade-off in one sentence. Parents still want the porch lights on and the bowls filled. They are just paying more for the same sugar, and they are spreading the damage across more paychecks.
A separate Deloitte survey, as reported alongside the NRF numbers, found the average household intends to spend $285 on Halloween in 2026. That breaks down to $219 at retailers and $66 on experiences.
One in five said they will use buy-now-pay-later services or another financing option for Halloween shopping.
Financing candy and costumes is a new kind of normal. When a seasonal treat run needs a payment plan, the price signal is doing real work on household cash flow.
The BLS contrast is the sharp edge of the story. An 8.1% year-over-year jump for gum and candy sits more than double the 3.4% rise in all consumer prices over the past year.
Halloween is optional fun on paper. In practice it is a cultural fixture, and 96% of seasonal shoppers still treat candy as non-negotiable. When the most popular item inflates faster than the rest of the cart, the holiday becomes another line item that tests the household ledger.
Retail groups still see strong intent to spend. The NRF’s $4.1 billion projection and the $115 per-person average show demand holding. The early-shopping pattern and the financing share show how that demand is being paid for, carefully, and sometimes on credit.
Working families should not need a payment plan for a bag of fun-size bars. When candy outpaces the rest of the price index, the holiday bill becomes another reminder that everyday costs keep moving faster than paychecks.