Millions of families are preparing to put the offering of Day of the Deada tradition that passes from generation to generation. How much will it cost to commemorate your loved ones this year?
Food, drinks, personal items, photographs and decorations are some of the elements that accompany this celebration.
The cost of this ritual is variable, depending on what accompanies the altar, the size and type of elements it carries. According to RappiCard’s financial education area, The cost of an offering can range from 800 pesos in its simplest version up to more than 3,000 pesos on large and detailed altars.
In a survey carried out by this medium, consumers talked about How much did you spend or plan to spend this year?. It cost Brenda 380 for her offering. “It is a cardboard structure that can be assembled in five minutes, you paint it, put the photos and some battery-powered candles on it and that’s it, it is simple and a viable option for those of us who have little time or limited space and we do not want to lose this tradition.”
Susana is from Xochimilco and her family celebrates November 1 and 2 in a big way. Generally, she and her two sisters put a altar which represents an expense of 3,000 to 4,000 pesos, for all the saucers What do they cook for their loved ones.
Marco, Gonzalo and Esther they put “very small” offeringsso that the day does not go unnoticed. On average they spend 400 or 500 pesos. “It is the intention and the moment, not what is spent,” considers Marco.
The case of Rosario
Year after year, Chayitoas she is known, remembers her family and friends with a “small, but full of love” offering. This 2025 spent around 781 pesos In this tradition, 23% more than last year.
She buys most things at the market, “because it is cheaper and the tradition feels closer in popular places“This is the list of the approximate prices you paid this and last year.
shredded paper
- 2025: five pieces for 10 pesos.
- 2024: five pieces for five pesos.
paper curtains
- 2025: Two pieces for 90 pesos.
- 2024: Two pieces for 80 pesos.
Other decorations
- 2025: 50 pesos.
- 2024: 50 pesos.
Candle holders
- 2025: Three candles for 45 pesos.
- 2024: Three candles for 36 pesos.
bread of the dead
- 2025: Two small pieces for 30 pesos.
- 2024: Two small pieces for 24 pesos.
Chocolate skulls
- 2025: One piece for 30 pesos.
- 2024: One piece for 25 pesos.
Pumpkin and sweet potato sweets
- 2025: one piece of each: 60 pesos.
- 2024: one piece of each: 40 pesos.
Flowers
- 2025: Two bouquets of marigolds 70 pesos.
- 2024: Two bouquets of marigolds 50 pesos.
Fruit
- 2025: A quarter of a kilo of mandarin: five pesos.
- 2024: A quarter of a kilo of mandarin: three pesos.
- 2025: A quarter of a kg of orange: six pesos.
- 2024: A quarter of a kg of orange: three pesos.
- 2025: A quarter of a kilo of guava: 10 pesos.
- 2024: A quarter of a kilo of guava: seven pesos.
Cigars
- 2025: Four loose cigars: 40 pesos.
- 2024: Four loose tobaccos: 28 pesos.
Tequila
- 2025: 120 peso bottle.
- 2024: 100 peso bottle.
Beer
- 2025: A 35 peso can.
- 2024: A 25 peso can.
Coca-cola
- 2025: 20 pesos
- 2025: 17 pesos
Mole with chicken
- 2025: 160 pesos.
- 2024: 140 pesos (it is not so clear).
Recommendations to avoid killing your pocket
The Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco) advises plan the budgettomake a list of the objects that are needed or included in the altar (shredded paper, marigold flower, water, salt, candles, bread of the dead, copal or incense) and take into account the reuse of decoration from previous years.
Exhorts to buy only what you need and do it in advance to avoid rushed purchases and high prices. Likewise, take advantage of real promotions and offers offered by establishments and always compare prices.
What should the offering contain?
It can be made up of products and food that depend on the taste and budget of each familynot necessarily with those of a typical altar.
Some of the elements that may be present They are the foods that the deceased enjoyed in life and accompany them with some others that are traditional, such as bread of the dead, tamales, atole, fruits, sweets and sugar or chocolate skulls.
These are the common elements in offerings and what they meanaccording to the National Council for Culture and the Arts and the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples.
- white tablecloth: Symbol of purity and joy.
- Water: Quench the thirst of the deceased and wash your hands.
- Salt: Purification element, it serves to prevent the body from being corrupted during the trip.
- Candles and candles: Light to illuminate your path to your former abode.
- Copal and incense: It is used to cleanse the place of negative energies, so that the soul can enter.
- sugar skulls: They represent the replica of human skulls, an altar used by Mesoamerican cultures: tzompantli.
- shredded paper: Represents the air and adds a festive touch to the offering.
- The izcuintle: Toy dog that guides them to cross the river that separates them from the land of the dead.
- Flowers: Wallflower and the cloud represent purity and tenderness, they are given to deceased children. Cempasúchil and its color represents the sun, which guides the soul of the deceased.
- alcoholic beverages and cigars. They are placed for deceased adults who used to smoke and drink. The liquor is so that the souls who come remember the great moments they lived with great joy.
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