How much does soy sauce cost in Japan?

¥326 per unit, as of September 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.

Which Japanese city has the cheapest soy sauce?

Among the surveyed cities in September 2026, Hitachi was cheapest at ¥300 and Kagoshima the most expensive at ¥354.

How much have soy sauce prices changed in Japan over the past year?

As of September 2026, +4.2% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).

How much have soy sauce prices changed in Japan over the past five years?

+26.2% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 126.2.

When were soy sauce prices in Japan at their highest?

Right now. The latest month, September 2026, is the highest reading in the series at 126.2 — a record high since the series began.

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).

Food · code 1621

Soy sauce price in Japan

しょう油

Average retail price

¥326per unit+4.7% year on year

2026-09 · unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities

Surveyed specification: 本醸造，こいくちしょうゆ，生しょうゆ，ＪＡＳ規格品・特級，ペットボトル入り（４５０ｍＬ入り），「キッコーマンいつでも新鮮しぼりたて生しょうゆ」

Cheapest surveyed city: ¥300 Hitachi
Priciest surveyed city: ¥354 Kagoshima

Price in your city:

¥330per unit+1.2% vs national average#33 cheapest of 52 cities

See all 52 cities, cheapest first

#	City	Price (JPY) · per unit
1	Sakai	¥300
2	Otsu	¥307
3	Hamamatsu	¥307
4	Utsunomiya	¥310
5	Sapporo	¥311
6	Aomori	¥314
7	Nagano	¥316
8	Kawasaki	¥316
9	Maebashi	¥318
10	Tsu	¥318
11	Naha	¥318
12	Kofu	¥319
13	Gifu	¥319
14	Nara	¥319
15	Morioka	¥321
16	Akita	¥321
17	Yamagata	¥321
18	Mito	¥321
19	Saitama	¥322
20	Toyama	¥322
21	Kochi	¥322
22	Kobe	¥323
23	Niigata	¥325
24	Nagoya	¥326
25	Sendai	¥327
26	Chiba	¥327
27	Wakayama	¥327
28	Oita	¥328
29	Fukushima	¥329
30	Matsuyama	¥329
31	Saga	¥329
32	Miyazaki	¥329
33	Tokyo (23 wards)	¥330
34	Osaka	¥330
35	Hiroshima	¥330
36	Tokushima	¥332
37	Yokohama	¥333
38	Fukui	¥333
39	Shizuoka	¥333
40	Kyoto	¥333
41	Fukuoka	¥335
42	Sagamihara	¥336
43	Matsue	¥337
44	Tottori	¥340
45	Kumamoto	¥340
46	Okayama	¥343
47	Takamatsu	¥343
48	Kanazawa	¥344
49	Kitakyushu	¥344
50	Nagasaki	¥348
51	Yamaguchi	¥350
52	Kagoshima	¥354

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

Soy sauce costs ¥326 per unit in Japan as of September 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities, up 4.7% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for soy sauce reads 126.2 (2020 = 100) in September 2026, up 4.2% year on year and up 26.2% over five years.

Soy sauce sits in the food group of Japan's CPI basket, with 681 monthly observations from January 1970 to September 2026. The series peaked at 126.2 in September 2026 and bottomed at 41.5 in January 1970; the latest reading is at its highest recorded level. Against ten years ago it is +26.5%.

Latest CPI

126.2

2026-09 (2020=100)

YoY %

+4.2%

5y change %

+26.2%

Change since 1970-01

+204.1%

Annual average index by year

Annual average consumer price index for Soy sauce in Japan (2020 = 100)
Year	Index	YoY %	Months
2015	100.2	-0.8%	12
2016	99.4	-0.8%	12
2017	99.8	+0.4%	12
2018	100.2	+0.4%	12
2019	100.1	-0.1%	12
2020	100.0	-0.1%	12
2021	99.3	-0.7%	12
2022	107.1	+7.9%	12
2023	117.9	+10.1%	12
2024	122.0	+3.5%	12
2025	121.2	-0.7%	12
2026	121.3	+0.1%	9

Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.

Average retail price by month

2026-09	¥326
2026-08	¥306
2026-07	¥314
2026-06	¥311
2026-05	¥313
2026-04	¥310
2026-03	¥312
2026-02	¥309
2026-01	¥314
2025-12	¥309
2025-11	¥310
2025-10	¥310
2025-09	¥311

Frequently asked questions

How much does soy sauce cost in Japan?: ¥326 per unit, as of September 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
Which Japanese city has the cheapest soy sauce?: Among the surveyed cities in September 2026, Hitachi was cheapest at ¥300 and Kagoshima the most expensive at ¥354.
How much have soy sauce prices changed in Japan over the past year?: As of September 2026, +4.2% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
How much have soy sauce prices changed in Japan over the past five years?: +26.2% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 126.2.
When were soy sauce prices in Japan at their highest?: Right now. The latest month, September 2026, is the highest reading in the series at 126.2 — a record high since the series began.
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).