Bento box (standard)
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥573 Saga
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥773 Kobe
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 (standard) costs ¥636 per piece in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities, up 7.8% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for bento box (standard) reads 139.1 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, up 10.5% year on year and up 40.8% over five years.
Bento box (standard) sits in the food group of Japan's CPI basket, with 140 monthly observations from January 2015 to August 2026. The series peaked at 140.0 in May 2026 and bottomed at 97.3 in May 2019; the latest reading is -0.6% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +37.3%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 99.2 | — | 12 |
| 2016 | 100.9 | +1.7% | 12 |
| 2017 | 101.4 | +0.5% | 12 |
| 2018 | 98.6 | -2.8% | 12 |
| 2019 | 99.7 | +1.1% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +0.3% | 12 |
| 2021 | 98.9 | -1.1% | 12 |
| 2022 | 102.4 | +3.5% | 12 |
| 2023 | 111.5 | +8.9% | 12 |
| 2024 | 114.7 | +2.9% | 12 |
| 2025 | 124.1 | +8.2% | 12 |
| 2026 | 134.0 | +8.0% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥636 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥637 |
| 2026-06 | ¥637 |
| 2026-05 | ¥638 |
| 2026-04 | ¥615 |
| 2026-03 | ¥615 |
| 2026-02 | ¥603 |
| 2026-01 | ¥599 |
| 2025-12 | ¥599 |
| 2025-11 | ¥594 |
| 2025-10 | ¥592 |
| 2025-09 | ¥592 |
| 2025-08 | ¥590 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does bento box (standard) cost in Japan?
- ¥636 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 (standard)?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Saga was cheapest at ¥573 and Kobe the most expensive at ¥773.
- How much have bento box (standard) prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, +10.5% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have bento box (standard) prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +40.8% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 139.1.
- When were bento box (standard) prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 140.0 in May 2026. The latest reading is -0.6% 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).