Room air conditioner
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥80,447 Fuchu (Tokyo)
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥117,380 Chiba
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
Room air conditioner costs ¥103,418 per unit in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities, up 12.4% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for room air conditioner reads 170.8 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, up 14.6% year on year and up 51.4% over five years.
Room air conditioner sits in the furniture & household group of Japan's CPI basket, with 500 monthly observations from January 1985 to August 2026. The series peaked at 538.8 in January 1985 and bottomed at 74.1 in December 2012; the latest reading is -68.3% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +86.1%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 93.3 | -0.6% | 12 |
| 2016 | 91.5 | -1.9% | 12 |
| 2017 | 93.7 | +2.4% | 12 |
| 2018 | 93.3 | -0.4% | 12 |
| 2019 | 98.3 | +5.4% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +1.7% | 12 |
| 2021 | 107.4 | +7.4% | 12 |
| 2022 | 116.4 | +8.4% | 12 |
| 2023 | 125.2 | +7.6% | 12 |
| 2024 | 137.7 | +10.0% | 12 |
| 2025 | 148.3 | +7.7% | 12 |
| 2026 | 162.2 | +9.4% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥103,418 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥102,387 |
| 2026-06 | ¥102,691 |
| 2026-05 | ¥105,830 |
| 2026-04 | ¥102,746 |
| 2026-03 | ¥97,965 |
| 2026-02 | ¥87,954 |
| 2026-01 | ¥86,061 |
| 2025-12 | ¥87,819 |
| 2025-11 | ¥90,951 |
| 2025-10 | ¥92,359 |
| 2025-09 | ¥89,045 |
| 2025-08 | ¥91,992 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does room air conditioner cost in Japan?
- ¥103,418 per unit, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest room air conditioner?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Fuchu (Tokyo) was cheapest at ¥80,447 and Chiba the most expensive at ¥117,380.
- How much have room air conditioner prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, +14.6% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have room air conditioner prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +51.4% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 170.8.
- When were room air conditioner prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 538.8 in January 1985. The latest reading is -68.3% 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).