13 Best Inexpensive Store-Bought Chocolate Bars

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Picking up a few of your favorite chocolate bars may feel like luxury spending to people who reserve their treat consumption for the most special of occasions. It's a sensible practice, considering how easily buying high-quality chocolate bars can set shoppers back quite a few hard-earned bucks, depending on the brand and the type of chocolate beneath the wrapper. But there are superior chocolate bars on the market set at reasonable prices, widely available at online retailers and brick-and-mortar shops, which makes it easier to indulge without sending your discretionary spending spinning out of control.

We looked for bars priced $4.00 and under with great ratings from customers, plus we used a little real-world experience from our own chocolate-tasting moments. Prices will vary by location, of course, so we chose bars that could be found for the target price at grocery, drug, and big-box retailers, including Amazon, where buying inexpensive chocolate bars gets even more budget-friendly. Some of these selections are popular candy bars, while others are lesser-known options and specialty creations. Regardless of their clout in the world of confections, they're all worthy choices that put enjoying the finer things in life within easy reach.

The sweet fact about Cadbury chocolate is that this classic chocolatier takes pleasing its customers seriously. Though you can find variations that add gooey caramel centers, and turn sugar and chocolate into popular Easter eggs in the Cadbury portfolio, the simple Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate bar is the gold standard by which all other Cadbury products can be measured. These sumptuous squares begin melting as soon as they hit your tongue, a trick usually reserved for much more expensive chocolate. It's as if the candy was custom-made to conform to your taste buds the moment you taste it. And that's not to mention the extra milkiness, which makes an incredible difference for a milk chocolate bar attempting to distinguish itself from a shelf filled with viable competitors.

Walmart carries Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate for a super-sweet $2.58 per 3.5-ounce bar, a spectacular deal considering the caliber of chocolate you're getting. Over 200 fans on the Walmart site give the bar a roaring 4.5-star average, a ringing endorsement that should help shoppers on the fence make their decision. Amazon shoppers also clamor for the 4-bar multi-pack (priced at $5.60, making each bar an even more reasonable $1.40), and crown the listing with over 1,300 reviews and a 4.2-star average. No need to wait for the spring candy rush to enjoy Cadbury when this exceptional bar is on shelves and sites year-round.

For fans of a lighter chocolate bar, Lindt White makes a supremely smooth and satisfying treat. Sure, the company tinkers with novelties like the Costco-exclusive Lindt advent calendar. But by offering chocolate that steps outside the box by being more cocoa butter than cocoa, Lindt separates itself from the candy crowd in a delicious way. This is no vanilla-flavored white chocolate stand-in; it's the buttery, creamy cocoa butter-based white chocolate that feels like a European specialty that never gets its due in the U.S. But the confectioner, better known for its melt-in-your-mouth Lindt Truffles, asserts itself with a white chocolate bar that's every bit as flavorful as the traditional dark and milk chocolate versions it offers. What puts this snow-colored candy on our list is the smooth opportunity the price-sensitive bar affords fans of a different kind of chocolate.

You'll find Lindt White Chocolate bars at Walmart for a modest $3.26, not too shabby for European-style chocolate with bold ambitions. Over 150 reviews and a 4.6-star average on the site say customers are more than happy to pay such an agreeable price for the privilege this bar provides them. The Target listing for this stand-out sweet, offered at a slightly higher $3.29 price point, has racked up a cool 380 reviews with a 4.7 rating average.

As one of America's best and most appreciated chocolatiers, Ghirardelli has the market cornered when it comes to chocolate doled out in single-serving squares. So, it's an easy leap for the company to combine several free-floating squares into a bar. The fact that they've chosen Double Chocolate Milk Chocolate Squares for the task reaffirms their superstar status in the candy business. In this incarnation, the cherished Ghirardelli milk chocolate appears as a snappy outer shell, encasing a sleek ganache-like filling for two alluring textures that merge in confectionary harmony. It's not required, but if you feel like sharing your bar with someone special enough to warrant a bite, it's easy enough to designate a square for them and keep the rest for yourself. Sometimes, sharing is hard.

Walgreens stocks Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Milk Chocolate Squares bars for $3.99 each, putting this brilliant bar near the top of the price scale. You do get 4.8 ounces in each purchase, so there's plenty of chocolate for the cost. We've tasted this one ourselves, and though it's a new kid on the candy block and has yet to be reviewed by its target audience, it's among our favorite treats and one we look forward to picking up regularly to keep our chocolate cache filled to the brim.

The distinctive bar in the triangle box with the hidden bear on the label, Toblerone is surprisingly budget-friendly while adding a stroke of European style to the chocolate bar aisle. The fanciful pyramidal shape of the chocolate wedges is part of the draw, a geometrically pleasing departure from the usual rectangles and squares used in other bars. The use of Swiss chocolate as a base for honey nougat and almond bits helps make this unique formulation a fun find and an inexpensive bar that makes you feel richer than the candy inside the tube.

As long as you're not set on having the oversized Toblerone bar "Friends" fans have seen Joey Tribbiani go gaga for, which is available through Amazon for an eye-popping $179.75, you can make it out of Target only $2.99 lighter. There are reviews from over 480 fellow Toblerone fiends ranking this super steal at an average of 4.8 stars, cluing you into the popularity generated by a different kind of chocolate bar. If you like to throw your crew for a curve by rocking a candy bar that's all lines and angles inside and out, Toblerone is an affordable find that will do the trick.

The name Gatsby conjures images of decadence and hedonism, the perfect association for Gatsby Almond Dark Chocolate, a shimmering, embossed plank of dark chocolate embedded with roasted almonds. This modern chocolate bar was seen on Shark Tank, boasting dairy- and gluten-free options for candy fans with special dietary needs. Slick design work on the label that features art deco designs and a bow tie logo with a martini glass in place of the letter Y gives a dash of glamor to a candy bar that might be as at home at a cocktail party as in your snack drawer.

Due to shipping costs, there are no purchases available from the Gatsby website, which means you'll find it at select retailers like Walmart, selling for $3.84 per 2.8-ounce bar. That's smaller than some of the other top-rated inexpensive bars, and the package recommends three servings per bar, which means you'll want to dole it out with great consideration. But with 400 Walmart customer reviews and a 4.8-star average, Gatsby is clearly doing something very right with its premium chocolate bars. All luxury treats should be so cost-conscious. 

Plant-based diners have a responsible chocolate maker to rejoice about in Hu 70% Cocoa Simple Dark Chocolate. This fully vegan bar is pure organic bliss for choosy chocolate fanatics who love their candy as pure as their intentions for healthful eating. The label boasts a bevy of positive "no" statements, including no refined or cane sugar, no palm oil, and no dairy or soy. What there is in the recipe is organic versions of cacao, coconut sugar, and cocoa butter — that's it. When this company puts "simple" in the name of its chocolate, it isn't exaggerating. The only way to make this bar simpler is to sell it without a wrapper.

About 130 reviews produce a 4.7-star average at Target for this humbly human chocolate bar. Reviewer esmer on Target.com asserts the purity of the product, saying, "Best tasting dark chocolate with clean ingredients on the market." Target's price of $4.99 per 2.1-ounce bar does hit the higher notes on the pricing scale for our round-up, especially considering the smaller size of the bar. But if you're particular about your chocolate and don't want to sacrifice more cash than necessary while snacking as responsibly as possible, Hu offers a fantastic compromise.

To pick the best inexpensive chocolate bars you can buy at the store, we perused customer reviews and chose selections that had high marks, as well as using our familiarity with several of the bars chosen to secure our listing.