How much does beer cost in Japan?

¥1,169 per pack, as of September 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.

Which Japanese city has the cheapest beer?

Among the surveyed cities in September 2026, Mito was cheapest at ¥1,105 and Wakayama the most expensive at ¥1,289.

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

As of September 2026, -1.1% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).

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

+5.3% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 100.6.

When were beer prices in Japan at their highest?

The series peaked at 105.2 in June 1997. The latest reading is -4.4% 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).

Food · code 2021

Beer price in Japan

ビール

Average retail price

¥1,169per pack-1.0% year on year

2026-09 · unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities

Surveyed specification: 淡色，缶入り（３５０ｍＬ入り），６缶入り

Cheapest surveyed city: ¥1,105 Mito
Priciest surveyed city: ¥1,289 Wakayama

Price in your city:

¥1,176per pack+0.6% vs national average#33 cheapest of 52 cities

See all 52 cities, cheapest first

#	City	Price (JPY) · per pack
1	Mito	¥1,105
2	Hamamatsu	¥1,120
3	Sendai	¥1,130
4	Matsuyama	¥1,130
5	Kanazawa	¥1,131
6	Gifu	¥1,133
7	Maebashi	¥1,134
8	Fukushima	¥1,136
9	Saitama	¥1,136
10	Kagoshima	¥1,136
11	Nagoya	¥1,140
12	Takamatsu	¥1,142
13	Kawasaki	¥1,142
14	Sakai	¥1,143
15	Niigata	¥1,145
16	Otsu	¥1,145
17	Utsunomiya	¥1,149
18	Sagamihara	¥1,152
19	Yokohama	¥1,154
20	Chiba	¥1,155
21	Yamagata	¥1,158
22	Tottori	¥1,163
23	Nagano	¥1,168
24	Hiroshima	¥1,169
25	Aomori	¥1,171
26	Kochi	¥1,171
27	Matsue	¥1,172
28	Oita	¥1,172
29	Morioka	¥1,173
30	Akita	¥1,173
31	Nara	¥1,174
32	Kitakyushu	¥1,174
33	Tokyo (23 wards)	¥1,176
34	Fukuoka	¥1,177
35	Sapporo	¥1,182
36	Tsu	¥1,185
37	Kyoto	¥1,186
38	Shizuoka	¥1,190
39	Saga	¥1,196
40	Naha	¥1,196
41	Kofu	¥1,197
42	Osaka	¥1,204
43	Kumamoto	¥1,208
44	Yamaguchi	¥1,218
45	Fukui	¥1,219
46	Miyazaki	¥1,219
47	Kobe	¥1,221
48	Nagasaki	¥1,223
49	Okayama	¥1,233
50	Toyama	¥1,237
51	Tokushima	¥1,277
52	Wakayama	¥1,289

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

Beer costs ¥1,169 per pack in Japan as of September 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities, down 1.0% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for beer reads 100.6 (2020 = 100) in September 2026, down 1.1% year on year and up 5.3% over five years.

Beer sits in the food group of Japan's CPI basket, with 681 monthly observations from January 1970 to September 2026. The series peaked at 105.2 in June 1997 and bottomed at 41.0 in January 1970; the latest reading is -4.4% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +5.8%.

Latest CPI

100.6

2026-09 (2020=100)

YoY %

-1.1%

5y change %

+5.3%

Change since 1970-01

+145.4%

Annual average index by year

Annual average consumer price index for Beer in Japan (2020 = 100)
Year	Index	YoY %	Months
2015	95.8	-0.3%	12
2016	94.8	-1.0%	12
2017	99.1	+4.5%	12
2018	100.8	+1.7%	12
2019	100.4	-0.4%	12
2020	100.0	-0.4%	12
2021	95.8	-4.2%	12
2022	97.0	+1.3%	12
2023	100.3	+3.4%	12
2024	96.7	-3.6%	12
2025	100.3	+3.7%	12
2026	100.8	+0.5%	9

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

Average retail price by month

2026-09	¥1,169
2026-08	¥1,162
2026-07	¥1,169
2026-06	¥1,174
2026-05	¥1,173
2026-04	¥1,176
2026-03	¥1,179
2026-02	¥1,179
2026-01	¥1,183
2025-12	¥1,173
2025-11	¥1,181
2025-10	¥1,177
2025-09	¥1,181

Frequently asked questions

How much does beer cost in Japan?: ¥1,169 per pack, as of September 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
Which Japanese city has the cheapest beer?: Among the surveyed cities in September 2026, Mito was cheapest at ¥1,105 and Wakayama the most expensive at ¥1,289.
How much have beer prices changed in Japan over the past year?: As of September 2026, -1.1% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
How much have beer prices changed in Japan over the past five years?: +5.3% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 100.6.
When were beer prices in Japan at their highest?: The series peaked at 105.2 in June 1997. The latest reading is -4.4% 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).