Halloween on a Budget 2026: Cheap Costumes, Decor, Candy

Set a budget before you shop

The National Retail Federation's 2026 survey puts average Halloween spending at $115.14 per person, across costumes, candy, decorations and cards. You can do a lot for less than that if you decide the total first and then shop clearance sections, which were already full in mid-October. The prices below were read on the stores' own sites on 16 October 2026; clearance stock sells out and prices change, so check them before you pay.

Three budgets built from real prices

Our arithmetic, before tax, using each store's own prices and shipping rates:

Together that is about $89 for a costume, a decorated porch and five pounds of candy plus three more bags. Notice the pattern: on a single cheap item, shipping can be almost half the total, while the candy order is built to reach Candy In Bulk's $49 free-shipping line.

Cheap Halloween costumes: complete looks under $10 and $20

The cheapest costumes are usually last season's stock and odd sizes, so the lowest price is often for some sizes only; HalloweenCostumes.com marks these "Select Sizes on Sale". These are complete costumes, not single accessories, as listed on 18 October 2026.

• Adults at HalloweenCostumes.com: its under-$20 filter showed a women's soldier jumpsuit at $9.99 (was $39.99), a women's race car driver suit at $9.99 (was $15.99), a women's firefighter uniform at $12.99 (was $39.99), a men's Fred Flintstone from $12.99 (was $29.99) and a men's soldier costume at $14.99 (was $39.99).
• Kids at HalloweenCostumes.com: its clearance still listed a boy's DC Black Adam Deluxe costume at $2.99 (was $39.99) and a child's Boba Fett at $4.99 (was $44.99), and the under-$20 filter showed a girl's Moana from $9.99 (was $29.99) and a boy's Darth Vader from $12.99 (was $29.99).
• Halloween Express: its clearance listed 1,497 items, including a boy's Raggedy Andy costume in size small at $4.97 and a girl's unicorn vest and hat set at $7.97; in its regular costume grids, a toddler Raggedy Ann dress starts at $8.98.

For more choice by age, see our kids costume deals and adult costume deals, or make your own with our DIY supplies guide.

Decorations under $5

Halloween Express clearance had small decorations from $2.97, such as a hanging glow-in-the-dark ghost and a peeled hand prop, and zombie feet yard stakes at $8.97. Party City's Halloween party range had 151 products and none was marked down, but many basics cost $1 to $3: a white stretch spider web $2.00, a miniature poseable skeleton $2.00, 15 window decorations $2.00, a 7.75 ft Happy Halloween letter banner $3.00 and black gauze cloth $3.00. For bigger pieces, our decoration deals guide compares inflatables and animated props.

Treat bags, buckets and party basics from $1

At Party City, plastic trick-or-treat bags and a spider web candy bowl cost $1.00, 20 cello treat bags $1.99, a glow-in-the-dark ghost bucket or a jack-o-lantern bucket $2.00, and 30 adjustable spider rings $2.00, a non-candy treat. Party napkins start at $1.99 and plates at $2.50. Our party supplies guide works out the cost per guest for a full party.

Candy: compare the price per ounce

Candy In Bulk shows a price per ounce on each bag, which makes comparing easy. On 16 October its Twizzlers Trick-or-Treat variety pack, 5 lb, was $19.99 (was $24.95), or $0.25 an ounce; the Tootsie Trick-or-Treat Mix, 5 lb, $31.99 or $0.40 an ounce; and a Haunted Chocolate Bar Mix, 5 lb, $42.49 or $0.53 an ounce. Shipping is free from $49, with a free cold pack, and costs $7.99 below that, so the $19.99 bag on its own comes to $27.98. Our candy deals guide compares more shops and gift boxes.

Shipping can cost more than the item

Two more rules: HalloweenCostumes.com and Party City allow one offer per order, and free shipping is usually the slowest option. A Halloween Express order that qualifies for free Economy shipping and ships on 22 October could arrive on 29 October or on 2 November (our arithmetic from its 5 to 7 business days), so pay for standard shipping late in the month. Our last-minute guide lists each store's order-by dates.

Cheap buys you cannot return

• HalloweenCostumes.com: discontinued clearance items cannot be returned (the checkout flags them), and refunds carry an 18% restocking fee unless you take store credit.
• Halloween Express: wigs, cosmetics, latex masks, prosthetics and candy are never returnable, costumes only if unopened, and returns carry a 15% restocking fee.
• Party City: online orders within 14 days of delivery, Halloween items only up to 7 days before the holiday, sale and clearance items only unopened, and $8.99 is taken off for the return label.
• Candy In Bulk: food cannot be returned.

Low-cost outings and reuse

Groupon's Spooky Sale runs from 12 October to 1 November 2026: enter code HALLOWEEN at checkout on eligible local deals, such as corn mazes, ghost tours and fall festivals. The deals and exclusions depend on your area, so read each deal's terms on Groupon. Reuse helps too: in NRF's 2026 survey, 73% of people said they reuse about half or more of their Halloween decorations each year, and 52% about half or more of their costume items. Clearance pieces bought now can serve next October as well.

All our Halloween guides are in the Halloween deals hub, and the current codes are on our Halloween sale page.

How we checked

We read each store's clearance, product, shipping and returns pages on 16 October 2026; Party City and Candy In Bulk were read directly because our server was rate limited, and Groupon's Spooky Sale page from a plain request. Spirit Halloween's codes come from its site banner as copied on 14 October. Spending figures are from the National Retail Federation's 2026 Halloween survey. Totals and arrival dates are our own arithmetic. We did not buy these items. Costume prices were re-read on 18 October 2026. This guide is written by the SavingArena Editorial Team.