Happoshu (low-malt beer)
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥909 Kagoshima
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥1,063 Tokushima
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
Happoshu (low-malt beer) costs ¥968 per pack in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities, down 0.8% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for happoshu (low-malt beer) reads 118.2 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, down 1.1% year on year and up 18.9% over five years.
Happoshu (low-malt beer) sits in the food group of Japan's CPI basket, with 320 monthly observations from January 2000 to August 2026. The series peaked at 120.1 in June 2025 and bottomed at 92.2 in August 2002; the latest reading is -1.6% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +26.8%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 93.8 | -0.3% | 12 |
| 2016 | 93.4 | -0.4% | 12 |
| 2017 | 97.7 | +4.6% | 12 |
| 2018 | 98.9 | +1.2% | 12 |
| 2019 | 99.1 | +0.2% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +0.9% | 12 |
| 2021 | 99.6 | -0.4% | 12 |
| 2022 | 101.2 | +1.6% | 12 |
| 2023 | 108.4 | +7.1% | 12 |
| 2024 | 111.7 | +3.0% | 12 |
| 2025 | 117.5 | +5.2% | 12 |
| 2026 | 119.0 | +1.3% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥968 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥971 |
| 2026-06 | ¥972 |
| 2026-05 | ¥978 |
| 2026-04 | ¥975 |
| 2026-03 | ¥975 |
| 2026-02 | ¥977 |
| 2026-01 | ¥978 |
| 2025-12 | ¥973 |
| 2025-11 | ¥978 |
| 2025-10 | ¥980 |
| 2025-09 | ¥976 |
| 2025-08 | ¥976 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does happoshu (low-malt beer) cost in Japan?
- ¥968 per pack, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest happoshu (low-malt beer)?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Kagoshima was cheapest at ¥909 and Tokushima the most expensive at ¥1,063.
- How much have happoshu (low-malt beer) prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, -1.1% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have happoshu (low-malt beer) prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +18.9% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 118.2.
- When were happoshu (low-malt beer) prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 120.1 in June 2025. The latest reading is -1.6% 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).