Boys' school uniform
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥25,500 Kobe
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥54,670 Utsunomiya
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
Boys' school uniform costs ¥40,259 per garment in Japan as of March 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities. Measured as an index, the official CPI for boys' school uniform reads 120.1 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, down 0.4% year on year and up 16.8% over five years.
Boys' school uniform sits in the clothing & footwear group of Japan's CPI basket, with 680 monthly observations from January 1970 to August 2026. The series peaked at 121.1 in March 2025 and bottomed at 21.5 in January 1970; the latest reading is -0.8% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +24.6%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 91.1 | +2.1% | 12 |
| 2016 | 96.4 | +5.8% | 12 |
| 2017 | 97.3 | +0.9% | 12 |
| 2018 | 97.9 | +0.6% | 12 |
| 2019 | 97.5 | -0.4% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +2.6% | 12 |
| 2021 | 102.8 | +2.8% | 12 |
| 2022 | 106.3 | +3.4% | 12 |
| 2023 | 107.4 | +1.0% | 12 |
| 2024 | 109.7 | +2.1% | 12 |
| 2025 | 120.6 | +9.9% | 12 |
| 2026 | 120.1 | -0.4% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-03 | ¥40,259 |
|---|---|
| 2026-02 | ¥40,343 |
| 2026-01 | ¥40,275 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does boys' school uniform cost in Japan?
- ¥40,259 per garment, as of March 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest boys' school uniform?
- Among the surveyed cities in March 2026, Kobe was cheapest at ¥25,500 and Utsunomiya the most expensive at ¥54,670.
- How much have boys' school uniform prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, -0.4% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have boys' school uniform prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +16.8% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 120.1.
- When were boys' school uniform prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 121.1 in March 2025. The latest reading is -0.8% 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).