Cold medicine
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥1,505 Miyazaki
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥1,755 Tottori
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
Cold medicine costs ¥1,624 per box in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities, up 1.4% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for cold medicine reads 116.2 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, up 1.1% year on year and up 14.6% over five years.
Cold medicine sits in the medical care group of Japan's CPI basket, with 680 monthly observations from January 1970 to August 2026. The series peaked at 118.6 in November 1994 and bottomed at 33.1 in March 1974; the latest reading is -2.0% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +14.8%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 99.8 | +0.6% | 12 |
| 2016 | 99.3 | -0.5% | 12 |
| 2017 | 98.6 | -0.7% | 12 |
| 2018 | 99.2 | +0.6% | 12 |
| 2019 | 99.1 | -0.1% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +0.9% | 12 |
| 2021 | 99.7 | -0.3% | 12 |
| 2022 | 105.1 | +5.4% | 12 |
| 2023 | 114.1 | +8.6% | 12 |
| 2024 | 114.6 | +0.4% | 12 |
| 2025 | 114.7 | +0.1% | 12 |
| 2026 | 115.6 | +0.8% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥1,624 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥1,624 |
| 2026-06 | ¥1,623 |
| 2026-05 | ¥1,623 |
| 2026-04 | ¥1,615 |
| 2026-03 | ¥1,596 |
| 2026-02 | ¥1,577 |
| 2026-01 | ¥1,590 |
| 2025-12 | ¥1,583 |
| 2025-11 | ¥1,595 |
| 2025-10 | ¥1,587 |
| 2025-09 | ¥1,606 |
| 2025-08 | ¥1,602 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does cold medicine cost in Japan?
- ¥1,624 per box, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest cold medicine?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Miyazaki was cheapest at ¥1,505 and Tottori the most expensive at ¥1,755.
- How much have cold medicine prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, +1.1% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have cold medicine prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +14.6% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 116.2.
- When were cold medicine prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 118.6 in November 1994. The latest reading is -2.0% 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).