Eyeglasses
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥13,200 Fukushima
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥47,850 Nagoya
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
Eyeglasses costs ¥29,249 per set in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities, up 2.0% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for eyeglasses reads 105.0 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, up 4.3% year on year and up 5.7% over five years.
Eyeglasses sits in the medical care group of Japan's CPI basket, with 620 monthly observations from January 1975 to August 2026. The series peaked at 114.3 in December 1999 and bottomed at 72.5 in January 1975; the latest reading is -8.1% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +6.4%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 97.8 | +1.1% | 12 |
| 2016 | 98.1 | +0.3% | 12 |
| 2017 | 99.1 | +1.0% | 12 |
| 2018 | 99.3 | +0.2% | 12 |
| 2019 | 98.7 | -0.6% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +1.3% | 12 |
| 2021 | 98.7 | -1.3% | 12 |
| 2022 | 98.3 | -0.4% | 12 |
| 2023 | 96.4 | -1.9% | 12 |
| 2024 | 98.3 | +2.0% | 12 |
| 2025 | 100.6 | +2.3% | 12 |
| 2026 | 103.7 | +3.1% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥29,249 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥29,221 |
| 2026-06 | ¥29,359 |
| 2026-05 | ¥29,187 |
| 2026-04 | ¥29,259 |
| 2026-03 | ¥29,126 |
| 2026-02 | ¥29,084 |
| 2026-01 | ¥28,912 |
| 2025-12 | ¥28,889 |
| 2025-11 | ¥28,774 |
| 2025-10 | ¥28,744 |
| 2025-09 | ¥28,643 |
| 2025-08 | ¥28,680 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does eyeglasses cost in Japan?
- ¥29,249 per set, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest eyeglasses?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Fukushima was cheapest at ¥13,200 and Nagoya the most expensive at ¥47,850.
- How much have eyeglasses prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, +4.3% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have eyeglasses prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +5.7% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 105.0.
- When were eyeglasses prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 114.3 in December 1999. The latest reading is -8.1% 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).