Halloween candy is the one purchase of the year where we compare prices without ever checking how many treats are inside. We read the price tag, we see "family size," and it goes in the cart.
But the bag price tells you nothing. What decides your bill is cost per treat — and that's where the same 300-piece bowl goes from $39 to $72.
Good news this year: candy is not more expensive than in 2025. We compared this week's flyers (Oct 15-21, 2026) across IGA, Metro, Provigo, Maxi, Super C, Walmart, Giant Tiger and Marchés Tradition against the same week last year, checking every price on the flyer image itself. The format is what costs you — not the year.
Golden rule: compare bags by how many treats are inside, not by the sticker price.
Cost per treat (week of Oct 15-21, 2026)
| Candy | Store | Price | Count | Per treat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dubble Bubble | IGA | $5.49 | 110 | $0.05 |
| Regal Rockets | IGA | $5.49 | 65 | $0.08 |
| Hershey's Halloween minis | Walmart | $12.97 | 90 or 100 | $0.13-0.14 |
| Cadbury assorted Halloween bars, 993 g | Provigo | $12.00 | 90 | $0.13 |
| Nestlé assorted mini bars, 977 g | Provigo | $15.00 | 100 | $0.15 |
| Skittles or Starburst fun size, 554 g | Metro | $7.49-8.99 | 45 | $0.17-0.20 |
| Nestlé assorted mini bars, 977 g | Super C | $16.97 | 100 | $0.17 |
| Hershey's, 1.02 kg | Super C | $16.99 | 100 | $0.17 |
| Nestlé assorted mini bars, 977 g | Maxi | $16.99 | 100 | $0.17 |
| Cadbury treat-size, 993 g | Walmart | $15.48 | 90 | $0.17 |
| Nestlé assorted mini bars, 485 g | Maxi | $9.99 | 50 | $0.20 |
| Nestlé Halloween chocolates, 485 g | Metro | $10.99-11.99 | 50 | $0.22-0.24 |
Cheapest treat to priciest: nearly 5x the price. Chocolate only, you still go from $0.13 to $0.24 a bite — 80% more for chocolate that tastes exactly the same.
The first two rows are gum and mini rolls. Great for filling out a bowl, but they don't replace a handful of chocolate — which is why the rest of this comparison is chocolate against chocolate.
Metro publishes two flyers this week
Two rows in the table carry a price range, and that is not a rounding error: Metro distributes two flyers at once (one for part of the network, one for the rest), and the same box is not the same price in both.
- The 45-count, 554 g box (Skittles/Starburst): $7.49 in one flyer, $8.99 in the other.
- The 50-count Nestlé mini bars, 485 g: $10.99 in one flyer, $11.99 in the other.
Same product, same week, same chain: $1 to $1.50 apart depending on which store you walk into. Check your store's edition before trusting the price.
Trap #1: the smaller box costs more
Look at these two Nestlé boxes at Maxi, same week:
| Price | Count | Per treat | For 300 treats | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini bars, 485 g | $9.99 | 50 | $0.20 | 6 boxes = $59.94 |
| Mini bars, 977 g | $16.99 | 100 | $0.17 | 3 boxes = $50.97 |
The $9.99 box looks friendlier to your wallet. It costs 18% more per candy. On 300 treats, you pay $9 more for the same amount of chocolate handed out at the door.
Same reflex as cost-per-serving at the grocery store: the total price lies, the unit price tells the truth.
Trap #2: same product, three prices
The same box of 100 Nestlé mini bars, 977 g, this week:
| Store | Price | Per treat |
|---|---|---|
| Provigo | $15.00 | $0.15 |
| Super C | $16.97 ($14.97 with the member card) | $0.17 |
| Maxi | $16.99 | $0.17 |
Same box, same weight, $1.99 apart — 13% more at Maxi than at Provigo. And at Super C the member card brings it to $14.97, the best of the three.
Another case, the Cadbury 90-bar bag, 993 g:
- Provigo: $12.00 ($0.13 per bar)
- Walmart: $15.48 ($0.17 per bar)
Same bag, same weight, same bar count: $3.48 apart, 29% more at Walmart.
2025 vs 2026: the actual comparison
We pulled last year's flyers for the same week (Oct 13-19, 2025) for the same formats:
| Product | 2025 | 2026 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nestlé, 100 mini bars, 977 g | $15.99 ($0.16/treat) | $15.00 ($0.15) | -6% |
| Cadbury, 90 bars, 993 g | $13.99 ($0.16/treat) | $12.00 ($0.13) | -14% |
| Hershey's, 100 treats | $14.99 ($0.15/treat) | $12.97 ($0.13) | -13% |
| Kinder Halloween | $9.99 for 330 g ($3.03/100 g) | $5.49 for 297 g ($1.85/100 g) | -39% per 100 g |
In every format we could match, candy is cheaper this week than on the same date last year. That's not a typo: Halloween promotions land at different moments from one year to the next.
One nuance that matters: the Kinder bag shrank 10% between the two years (330 g → 297 g). The price fell much faster than the format — hence -39% per 100 g.
How many bags your street actually needs
Real budget math starts with how many treats you need. Standard scenario: 100 kids, 3 treats each = 300 treats.
| Choice | Bags | Total | Treats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dubble Bubble (IGA) | 3 | $16.47 | 330 |
| Regal Rockets (IGA) | 5 | $27.45 | 325 |
| Hershey's minis (Walmart) | 3 | $38.91 | 300 (100-count) |
| Nestlé 100 ct (Provigo) | 3 | $45.00 | 300 |
| Cadbury 90 ct (Provigo) | 4 | $48.00 | 360 |
| Nestlé 100 ct (Super C) | 3 | $50.91 | 300 |
| Nestlé 100 ct (Maxi) | 3 | $50.97 | 300 |
| Skittles 45 (Metro) | 7 | $52.43-62.93 | 315 |
| Nestlé 50 ct (Maxi) | 6 | $59.94 | 300 |
| Cadbury 90 ct (Walmart) | 4 | $61.92 | 360 |
| Nestlé 50 ct (Metro) | 6 | $65.94-71.94 | 300 |
Same door, same kids, same night: $38.91 to $71.94 in chocolate (an 85% spread), and $16.47 if you mix in gum. That spread is money staying in your pocket — or leaving as candy nobody eats.
Chocolate by weight
For the house bowl (not for handing out), cost per 100 g says more than piece count:
| Product | Store | Price | Per 100 g |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cadbury, 993 g | Provigo | $12.00 | $1.21 |
| Skittles/Starburst, 554 g | Metro | $7.49-8.99 | $1.35-1.62 |
| Nestlé, 977 g | Provigo | $15.00 | $1.54 |
| Cadbury treat-size, 993 g | Walmart | $15.48 | $1.56 |
| Hershey's, 1.02 kg | Super C | $16.99 | $1.67 |
| Nestlé, 977 g | Maxi | $16.99 | $1.74 |
| Kinder Halloween, 297 g | IGA | $5.49 | $1.85 |
| Nestlé, 485 g | Maxi | $9.99 | $2.06 |
| Nestlé, 485 g | Metro | $10.99-11.99 | $2.27-2.47 |
Double the price per 100 g ($1.21 to $2.47) for equivalent chocolate.
5 rules for Halloween
- Find the treat count before the price. "90 ct" or "100 ct" is the only number that matters.
- One big bag beats two small ones — at equal quality. At Maxi, the 100-count at $16.99 crushes the 50-count at $9.99.
- Compare the same box across banners: $1.99 apart on the Nestlé 100 box, $3.48 on the Cadbury bag.
- Mix formats. One chocolate bag at $0.13 per bar + one gum bag at $0.05 per treat = a varied bowl under $0.10 a handful.
- Buy this week. Halloween candy can drop 30-50% the day after the 31st — but if you're handing out on the 31st, this is the week.
Every price this week, store by store 👉 this week's deals · Provigo · Metro · IGA · Maxi · Super C · Walmart · Marchés Tradition
Methodology: prices as advertised in week 2026-W42 flyers (valid Oct 15-21, 2026) at IGA, Metro, Provigo, Maxi, Super C, Walmart, Giant Tiger and Marchés Tradition, each one verified against the flyer image. Cost per treat uses the unit count the merchant states ("90 ct", "100 ct", "45"); where the flyer offers a choice ("A or B"), the same price applies to each variety. Cost per 100 g uses the advertised net weight. The 300-treat scenario assumes 100 kids at 3 treats each. Metro publishes two flyers the same week: both prices are given where the same box differs between editions. The 2025 comparison uses the Oct 13-19, 2025 flyers (marché Bonichoix and Walmart — the banners that carried these formats that week): an order of magnitude, not an official price index. Prices and formats vary by branch, and quantities are limited by each store.