The horrors of the spooky season include more than scary movies, vampire fangs, and fake blood this year—the staggering prices of Halloween costumes and candy are frightening enough to make a grown man cry out in terror. High tariffs and inflation, responsible for the rising costs, may put a damper on Halloween festivities this October.
In April 2025, President Donald Trump’s administration imposed a baseline 10% tariff on nearly all imported goods. Tariffs, which are taxes on imported goods, typically result in an increase in consumer prices because tariffs are paid by importers with the desire to profit. Additionally, tariffs on goods imported from individual countries have increased. Perhaps most significantly, the United States government currently imposes a 57.6% tariff on Chinese exports as a result of an ongoing trade war. These economic impositions affect retailers and consumers alike in that they raise the prices of merchandise made outside the nation’s borders. Unfortunately, all things Halloween—masks, capes, and plastic props—are major victims of this recent price increase. According to the National Retail Federation, buyers can expect their Halloween expenses to total $114.45 per person this year.
Spirit Halloween is the biggest Halloween costume retailer in America with 7 locations in Nebraska and over 1,500 across the country. Like many vendors, Spirit Halloween outsources their costume components from foreign suppliers. Unfortunately for Spirit’s shoppers, this year’s tariffs on imported goods will significantly escalate prices on even the simplest accessories. As of October 17, 2025, the average price of Spirit Halloween’s top-rated women’s costumes sits at $51.07, not including makeup, wigs, or accessories. The prospect of spending over $50 on single-use clothing alone is sure to spook buyers wandering Spirit’s halls this season.
Large corporations aren’t the only distributors seeing heightened prices, either. Small and medium-sized companies take even larger economic hits, as many rely on goods manufactured abroad. CNN featured Chris Zephro, owner of Trick or Treat Studios, to highlight the devastating effects tariffs have on business owners. In response to inflated prices, Zephro described having to lay off workers and halt production on a multitude of items, their manufacture and shipping being too expensive to benefit his company.
“Unfortunately, at the end of the day the business survives or it doesn’t,” Zephro told CNN. “And I know of a number of companies in our industry that have had to close their doors.”
Perhaps the end of in-store shopping is drawing near. In nearly all areas of retail, online shopping often offers a wider product selection and discounted prices. In relation to Halloween, more and more families use Amazon or similar online services to find costume parts for better prices. Jennifer Carter, a mother of four, shared her input on how her family cuts down on excessive Halloween costs.
“Anything we buy for costumes we do mostly online,” Carter shared. “It’s easier to find and convenient when it can be delivered in just a few days. With multiple kids and us [parents] both having jobs, shopping online saves us a lot of time and is very convenient.”
Increasing prices also result in increasing mindfulness. Rather than spending a frightening amount of money on one-use products, many costume lovers seek an alternative.
“You might see more people buying costumes that can be worn multiple times or handed down to siblings,” Carter speculated. “Or if they are creative and handy, homemade costumes may become popular.”
Of course, Halloween preparation isn’t complete without one or two oversized bags of assorted and individually-wrapped candies. Observant shoppers might recall candy prices skyrocketing in 2022 for a multitude of reasons, including ongoing cocoa shortages and increased labor costs. Many of the most popular Halloween candies contain cocoa, including Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, M&M’s, and Snickers. Thankfully, prices are only expected to climb 0.9% from last year’s average cost. Nevertheless, inflation continues to impact candy-makers and chocolate lovers alike.
“To simply put it, everything is costing more, from gas prices to labor prices,” Carter said, on the topic of inflation. “It isn’t so much the cost to make it or the demand, it has more to do with getting products to stores and the labor costs associated with that. They also know around Halloween, people are going to buy candy no matter what!”
