Soba (dining out)
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥537 Oita
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥976 Kagoshima
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
Soba (dining out) costs ¥744 per sheet in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities, up 2.9% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for soba (dining out) reads 119.3 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, up 2.8% year on year and up 18.9% over five years.
Soba (dining out) sits in the food group of Japan's CPI basket, with 140 monthly observations from January 2015 to August 2026. The series peaked at 119.3 in August 2026 and bottomed at 94.6 in January 2015; the latest reading is at its highest recorded level. Against ten years ago it is +25.2%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 95.3 | — | 12 |
| 2016 | 95.3 | 0.0% | 12 |
| 2017 | 95.5 | +0.2% | 12 |
| 2018 | 96.0 | +0.5% | 12 |
| 2019 | 97.4 | +1.5% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +2.7% | 12 |
| 2021 | 100.3 | +0.3% | 12 |
| 2022 | 102.9 | +2.6% | 12 |
| 2023 | 108.5 | +5.4% | 12 |
| 2024 | 111.0 | +2.3% | 12 |
| 2025 | 115.4 | +4.0% | 12 |
| 2026 | 118.5 | +2.7% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥744 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥742 |
| 2026-06 | ¥740 |
| 2026-05 | ¥740 |
| 2026-04 | ¥738 |
| 2026-03 | ¥736 |
| 2026-02 | ¥734 |
| 2026-01 | ¥732 |
| 2025-12 | ¥736 |
| 2025-11 | ¥733 |
| 2025-10 | ¥729 |
| 2025-09 | ¥725 |
| 2025-08 | ¥723 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does soba (dining out) cost in Japan?
- ¥744 per sheet, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest soba (dining out)?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Oita was cheapest at ¥537 and Kagoshima the most expensive at ¥976.
- How much have soba (dining out) prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, +2.8% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have soba (dining out) prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +18.9% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 119.3.
- When were soba (dining out) prices in Japan at their highest?
- Right now. The latest month, August 2026, is the highest reading in the series at 119.3 — 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).