Cram school (elementary)
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥9,900 Yamaguchi
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥57,750 Tokyo (23 wards)
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
Cram school (elementary) costs ¥22,806 per month in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 27 surveyed cities, down 4.1% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for cram school (elementary) reads 112.8 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, up 2.3% year on year and up 11.6% over five years.
Cram school (elementary) sits in the education group of Japan's CPI basket, with 260 monthly observations from January 2005 to August 2026. The series peaked at 112.8 in April 2026 and bottomed at 88.0 in January 2005; the latest reading is 0.0% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +16.2%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 96.9 | +1.4% | 12 |
| 2016 | 98.2 | +1.3% | 12 |
| 2017 | 97.2 | -1.0% | 12 |
| 2018 | 98.3 | +1.1% | 12 |
| 2019 | 99.6 | +1.3% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +0.4% | 12 |
| 2021 | 101.1 | +1.1% | 12 |
| 2022 | 101.5 | +0.4% | 12 |
| 2023 | 105.1 | +3.5% | 12 |
| 2024 | 108.0 | +2.8% | 12 |
| 2025 | 110.0 | +1.9% | 12 |
| 2026 | 112.4 | +2.2% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥22,806 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥24,476 |
| 2026-06 | ¥24,579 |
| 2026-05 | ¥24,579 |
| 2026-04 | ¥24,476 |
| 2026-03 | ¥24,674 |
| 2026-02 | ¥25,007 |
| 2026-01 | ¥24,765 |
| 2025-12 | ¥24,687 |
| 2025-11 | ¥24,687 |
| 2025-10 | ¥24,687 |
| 2025-09 | ¥24,687 |
| 2025-08 | ¥23,776 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does cram school (elementary) cost in Japan?
- ¥22,806 per month, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 27 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest cram school (elementary)?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Yamaguchi was cheapest at ¥9,900 and Tokyo (23 wards) the most expensive at ¥57,750.
- How much have cram school (elementary) prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, +2.3% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have cram school (elementary) prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +11.6% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 112.8.
- When were cram school (elementary) prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 112.8 in April 2026. The latest reading is 0.0% 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).