Rice (premium)
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥2,949 Miyazaki
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥5,016 Sapporo
Retail price survey conducted by the Statistics Bureau of Japan. This is a survey average, not a shop price — actual prices vary by store. 総務省統計局 小売物価統計調査 · Surveyed items and specifications
Key facts
Rice (premium) costs ¥4,114 per pack in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities, down 14.2% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for rice (premium) reads 173.9 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, down 15.3% year on year and up 80.6% over five years.
Rice (premium) sits in the food group of Japan's CPI basket, with 620 monthly observations from January 1975 to August 2026. The series peaked at 221.1 in November 2025 and bottomed at 69.1 in January 1975; the latest reading is -21.3% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +89.6%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 89.8 | -5.7% | 12 |
| 2016 | 93.0 | +3.6% | 12 |
| 2017 | 96.0 | +3.2% | 12 |
| 2018 | 99.2 | +3.3% | 12 |
| 2019 | 100.1 | +0.9% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | -0.1% | 12 |
| 2021 | 96.7 | -3.3% | 12 |
| 2022 | 93.3 | -3.5% | 12 |
| 2023 | 96.3 | +3.2% | 12 |
| 2024 | 121.1 | +25.8% | 12 |
| 2025 | 203.3 | +67.9% | 12 |
| 2026 | 199.1 | -2.1% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥4,114 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥4,370 |
| 2026-06 | ¥4,551 |
| 2026-05 | ¥4,636 |
| 2026-04 | ¥4,747 |
| 2026-03 | ¥4,820 |
| 2026-02 | ¥4,973 |
| 2026-01 | ¥5,052 |
| 2025-12 | ¥5,131 |
| 2025-11 | ¥5,140 |
| 2025-10 | ¥5,071 |
| 2025-09 | ¥4,837 |
| 2025-08 | ¥4,793 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does rice (premium) cost in Japan?
- ¥4,114 per pack, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest rice (premium)?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Miyazaki was cheapest at ¥2,949 and Sapporo the most expensive at ¥5,016.
- How much have rice (premium) prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, -15.3% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have rice (premium) prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +80.6% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 173.9.
- When were rice (premium) prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 221.1 in November 2025. The latest reading is -21.3% against that peak.
- What is the difference between the index and the yen price?
- This page carries two kinds of number. The index (2020 = 100) measures percentage change over time and is not a yen amount; the yen figure is an actual average retail price from the government's retail price survey. Source: 総務省統計局 消費者物価指数 (e-Stat table 0003427113, nationwide, monthly).