How much does soba (dining out) cost in Japan?

¥745 per sheet, as of September 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 September 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 September 2026, +2.9% 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?

+19.2% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 119.8.

When were soba (dining out) prices in Japan at their highest?

Right now. The latest month, September 2026, is the highest reading in the series at 119.8 — 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).

Food · code 2103

Soba (dining out) price in Japan

日本そば（外食）

Average retail price

¥745per sheet+2.7% year on year

2026-09 · unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities

Surveyed specification: もりそば，ざるそば又はせいろそば，並，持ち帰りは除く

Cheapest surveyed city: ¥537 Oita
Priciest surveyed city: ¥976 Kagoshima

Price in your city:

¥788per sheet+5.8% vs national average#34 cheapest of 47 cities

See all 47 cities, cheapest first

#	City	Price (JPY) · per sheet
1	Oita	¥537
2	Maebashi	¥583
3	Fukushima	¥600
4	Miyazaki	¥610
5	Saitama	¥613
6	Sendai	¥625
7	Nagasaki	¥637
8	Kumamoto	¥666
9	Utsunomiya	¥667
10	Tottori	¥669
11	Fukuoka	¥672
12	Morioka	¥673
13	Shizuoka	¥683
14	Kofu	¥688
15	Takamatsu	¥708
16	Kyoto	¥721
17	Kochi	¥722
18	Osaka	¥730
19	Hiroshima	¥733
20	Saga	¥738
21	Aomori	¥740
22	Niigata	¥746
23	Mito	¥753
24	Tokushima	¥760
25	Yamaguchi	¥763
26	Nagoya	¥770
27	Kobe	¥772
28	Naha	¥773
29	Sapporo	¥775
30	Otsu	¥775
31	Wakayama	¥777
32	Matsuyama	¥780
33	Chiba	¥787
34	Tokyo (23 wards)	¥788
35	Yokohama	¥793
36	Toyama	¥793
37	Kanazawa	¥800
38	Nara	¥816
39	Gifu	¥823
40	Akita	¥827
41	Okayama	¥836
42	Nagano	¥840
43	Tsu	¥847
44	Fukui	¥860
45	Yamagata	¥867
46	Matsue	¥890
47	Kagoshima	¥976

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 ¥745 per sheet in Japan as of September 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities, up 2.7% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for soba (dining out) reads 119.8 (2020 = 100) in September 2026, up 2.9% year on year and up 19.2% over five years.

Soba (dining out) sits in the food group of Japan's CPI basket, with 141 monthly observations from January 2015 to September 2026. The series peaked at 119.8 in September 2026 and bottomed at 94.6 in January 2015; the latest reading is at its highest recorded level. Against ten years ago it is +25.7%.

Latest CPI

119.8

2026-09 (2020=100)

YoY %

+2.9%

5y change %

+19.2%

Change since 2015-01

+26.6%

Annual average index by year

Annual average consumer price index for Soba (dining out) in Japan (2020 = 100)
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	118.6	+2.8%	9

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

Average retail price by month

2026-09	¥745
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

Frequently asked questions

How much does soba (dining out) cost in Japan?: ¥745 per sheet, as of September 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 September 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 September 2026, +2.9% 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?: +19.2% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 119.8.
When were soba (dining out) prices in Japan at their highest?: Right now. The latest month, September 2026, is the highest reading in the series at 119.8 — 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).