How much does school lunch (junior high) cost in Japan?

¥57,068 per year, as of September 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 September 2026, Utsunomiya was cheapest at ¥12,540 and Nagaoka the most expensive at ¥80,437.

How much have school lunch (junior high) prices changed in Japan over the past year?

As of September 2026, -20.6% 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?

-40.0% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 60.5.

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 -42.4% 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).

Food · code 2183

School lunch (junior high) price in Japan

学校給食（中学校）

Average retail price

¥57,068per year-0.9% year on year

2026-09 · unweighted average of 54 surveyed cities

Surveyed specification: 中学校給食費，公立中学校，完全給食，２年生又は８年生

Cheapest surveyed city: ¥12,540 Utsunomiya
Priciest surveyed city: ¥80,437 Nagaoka

Price in your city:

¥61,336per year+7.5% vs national average#26 cheapest of 39 cities

See all 39 cities, cheapest first

#	City	Price (JPY) · per year
1	Utsunomiya	¥12,540
2	Kobe	¥32,470
3	Takamatsu	¥34,170
4	Nagasaki	¥48,400
5	Morioka	¥48,480
6	Saga	¥49,086
7	Otsu	¥51,330
8	Matsuyama	¥51,840
9	Kumamoto	¥52,274
10	Yamaguchi	¥52,472
11	Tsu	¥52,557
12	Yamagata	¥54,351
13	Hiroshima	¥55,200
14	Saitama	¥55,475
15	Kanazawa	¥56,139
16	Tottori	¥56,547
17	Fukui	¥57,470
18	Chiba	¥57,536
19	Kawasaki	¥57,600
20	Shizuoka	¥58,500
21	Kitakyushu	¥59,400
22	Sagamihara	¥59,443
23	Nagoya	¥59,634
24	Sendai	¥59,961
25	Yokohama	¥60,522
26	Sapporo	¥61,336
27	Hamamatsu	¥61,703
28	Akita	¥63,240
29	Kyoto	¥63,433
30	Tokushima	¥63,953
31	Matsue	¥64,216
32	Nagano	¥66,316
33	Okayama	¥67,408
34	Toyama	¥68,000
35	Kagoshima	¥68,526
36	Gifu	¥68,837
37	Niigata	¥69,509
38	Kochi	¥71,040
39	Miyazaki	¥75,368

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 ¥57,068 per year in Japan as of September 2026 — the unweighted average of 54 surveyed cities, down 0.9% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for school lunch (junior high) reads 60.5 (2020 = 100) in September 2026, down 20.6% year on year and down 40.0% over five years.

School lunch (junior high) sits in the food group of Japan's CPI basket, with 618 monthly observations from April 1975 to September 2026. The series peaked at 105.1 in January 2020 and bottomed at 50.6 in April 1975; the latest reading is -42.4% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is -41.4%.

Latest CPI

60.5

2026-09 (2020=100)

YoY %

-20.6%

5y change %

-40.0%

Change since 1975-04

+19.6%

Annual average index by year

Annual average consumer price index for School lunch (junior high) in Japan (2020 = 100)
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	65.9	-14.9%	9

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

Average retail price by month

2026-09	¥57,068
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

Frequently asked questions

How much does school lunch (junior high) cost in Japan?: ¥57,068 per year, as of September 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 September 2026, Utsunomiya was cheapest at ¥12,540 and Nagaoka the most expensive at ¥80,437.
How much have school lunch (junior high) prices changed in Japan over the past year?: As of September 2026, -20.6% 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?: -40.0% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 60.5.
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 -42.4% 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).