Prepared curry
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥105 Okayama
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥175 Miyazaki
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
Prepared curry costs ¥149 per box in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities, down 2.7% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for prepared curry reads 143.9 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, down 1.2% year on year and up 44.9% over five years.
Prepared curry sits in the food group of Japan's CPI basket, with 500 monthly observations from January 1985 to August 2026. The series peaked at 146.8 in June 2025 and bottomed at 90.4 in February 2013; the latest reading is -2.0% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +41.5%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 101.9 | +9.1% | 12 |
| 2016 | 102.2 | +0.3% | 12 |
| 2017 | 101.9 | -0.3% | 12 |
| 2018 | 101.8 | -0.1% | 12 |
| 2019 | 101.6 | -0.2% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | -1.6% | 12 |
| 2021 | 102.7 | +2.7% | 12 |
| 2022 | 111.4 | +8.5% | 12 |
| 2023 | 121.4 | +9.0% | 12 |
| 2024 | 128.7 | +6.0% | 12 |
| 2025 | 138.3 | +7.5% | 12 |
| 2026 | 143.4 | +3.7% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥149 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥150.8 |
| 2026-06 | ¥152.2 |
| 2026-05 | ¥147.2 |
| 2026-04 | ¥151.6 |
| 2026-03 | ¥150.4 |
| 2026-02 | ¥150.1 |
| 2026-01 | ¥149.6 |
| 2025-12 | ¥148.6 |
| 2025-11 | ¥151.9 |
| 2025-10 | ¥149.5 |
| 2025-09 | ¥152.3 |
| 2025-08 | ¥153.1 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does prepared curry cost in Japan?
- ¥149 per box, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest prepared curry?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Okayama was cheapest at ¥105 and Miyazaki the most expensive at ¥175.
- How much have prepared curry prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, -1.2% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have prepared curry prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +44.9% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 143.9.
- When were prepared curry prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 146.8 in June 2025. The latest reading is -2.0% 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).