Bento box (premium)
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥589 Osaka
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥911 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
Bento box (premium) costs ¥679 per piece in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities, up 0.7% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for bento box (premium) reads 121.5 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, up 1.4% year on year and up 18.5% over five years.
Bento box (premium) sits in the food group of Japan's CPI basket, with 500 monthly observations from January 1985 to August 2026. The series peaked at 121.5 in June 2026 and bottomed at 68.6 in January 1985; the latest reading is 0.0% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +34.4%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 90.6 | +3.0% | 12 |
| 2016 | 90.6 | 0.0% | 12 |
| 2017 | 91.5 | +1.0% | 12 |
| 2018 | 96.0 | +4.9% | 12 |
| 2019 | 94.3 | -1.8% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +6.0% | 12 |
| 2021 | 102.4 | +2.4% | 12 |
| 2022 | 104.3 | +1.9% | 12 |
| 2023 | 110.1 | +5.6% | 12 |
| 2024 | 111.8 | +1.5% | 12 |
| 2025 | 118.8 | +6.3% | 12 |
| 2026 | 121.2 | +2.0% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥679 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥679 |
| 2026-06 | ¥679 |
| 2026-05 | ¥678 |
| 2026-04 | ¥678 |
| 2026-03 | ¥681 |
| 2026-02 | ¥679 |
| 2026-01 | ¥679 |
| 2025-12 | ¥680 |
| 2025-11 | ¥677 |
| 2025-10 | ¥676 |
| 2025-09 | ¥675 |
| 2025-08 | ¥674 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does bento box (premium) cost in Japan?
- ¥679 per piece, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest bento box (premium)?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Osaka was cheapest at ¥589 and Sapporo the most expensive at ¥911.
- How much have bento box (premium) prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, +1.4% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have bento box (premium) prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +18.5% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 121.5.
- When were bento box (premium) prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 121.5 in June 2026. The latest reading is 0.0% 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).