Ramen (dining out)
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥465 Saitama
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥993 Kumamoto
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
Ramen (dining out) costs ¥746 per serving in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities, up 4.0% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for ramen (dining out) reads 119.7 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, up 3.4% year on year and up 19.2% over five years.
Ramen (dining out) sits in the food group of Japan's CPI basket, with 680 monthly observations from January 1970 to August 2026. The series peaked at 119.7 in August 2026 and bottomed at 15.3 in January 1970; the latest reading is at its highest recorded level. Against ten years ago it is +26.4%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 94.2 | +1.4% | 12 |
| 2016 | 94.7 | +0.5% | 12 |
| 2017 | 94.8 | +0.1% | 12 |
| 2018 | 95.4 | +0.6% | 12 |
| 2019 | 97.1 | +1.8% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +3.0% | 12 |
| 2021 | 100.2 | +0.2% | 12 |
| 2022 | 102.5 | +2.3% | 12 |
| 2023 | 106.9 | +4.3% | 12 |
| 2024 | 110.3 | +3.2% | 12 |
| 2025 | 115.2 | +4.4% | 12 |
| 2026 | 118.4 | +2.8% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥746 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥744 |
| 2026-06 | ¥741 |
| 2026-05 | ¥742 |
| 2026-04 | ¥741 |
| 2026-03 | ¥736 |
| 2026-02 | ¥733 |
| 2026-01 | ¥729 |
| 2025-12 | ¥723 |
| 2025-11 | ¥721 |
| 2025-10 | ¥720 |
| 2025-09 | ¥719 |
| 2025-08 | ¥717 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does ramen (dining out) cost in Japan?
- ¥746 per serving, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest ramen (dining out)?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Saitama was cheapest at ¥465 and Kumamoto the most expensive at ¥993.
- How much have ramen (dining out) prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, +3.4% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have ramen (dining out) prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +19.2% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 119.7.
- When were ramen (dining out) prices in Japan at their highest?
- Right now. The latest month, August 2026, is the highest reading in the series at 119.7 — a record high since the series began.
- 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).