School lunch (junior high)
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥12,540 Utsunomiya
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥80,580 Nagaoka
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
School lunch (junior high) costs ¥57,079 per year in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 54 surveyed cities, down 1.2% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for school lunch (junior high) reads 60.8 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, down 20.3% year on year and down 39.7% over five years.
School lunch (junior high) sits in the food group of Japan's CPI basket, with 617 monthly observations from April 1975 to August 2026. The series peaked at 105.1 in January 2020 and bottomed at 50.6 in April 1975; the latest reading is -42.2% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is -41.1%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 102.5 | +1.5% | 12 |
| 2016 | 103.2 | +0.7% | 12 |
| 2017 | 102.7 | -0.5% | 12 |
| 2018 | 102.6 | -0.1% | 12 |
| 2019 | 102.5 | -0.1% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | -2.4% | 12 |
| 2021 | 99.6 | -0.4% | 12 |
| 2022 | 99.6 | 0.0% | 12 |
| 2023 | 91.2 | -8.4% | 12 |
| 2024 | 82.0 | -10.1% | 12 |
| 2025 | 77.4 | -5.6% | 12 |
| 2026 | 66.6 | -14.0% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥57,079 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥57,092 |
| 2026-06 | ¥57,121 |
| 2026-05 | ¥57,095 |
| 2026-04 | ¥57,197 |
| 2026-03 | ¥56,570 |
| 2026-02 | ¥56,992 |
| 2026-01 | ¥57,274 |
| 2025-12 | ¥57,498 |
| 2025-11 | ¥57,499 |
| 2025-10 | ¥57,505 |
| 2025-09 | ¥57,587 |
| 2025-08 | ¥57,764 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does school lunch (junior high) cost in Japan?
- ¥57,079 per year, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 54 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest school lunch (junior high)?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Utsunomiya was cheapest at ¥12,540 and Nagaoka the most expensive at ¥80,580.
- How much have school lunch (junior high) prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, -20.3% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have school lunch (junior high) prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- -39.7% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 60.8.
- When were school lunch (junior high) prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 105.1 in January 2020. The latest reading is -42.2% 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).