Printer ink
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥1,889 Mito
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥2,124 Kyoto
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
Printer ink costs ¥1,980 per piece in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities, flat from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for printer ink reads 110.7 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, up 0.2% year on year and up 10.5% over five years.
Printer ink sits in the culture & recreation group of Japan's CPI basket, with 260 monthly observations from January 2005 to August 2026. The series peaked at 110.7 in September 2025 and bottomed at 80.7 in January 2012; the latest reading is 0.0% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +27.5%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 85.0 | +1.8% | 12 |
| 2016 | 86.8 | +2.1% | 12 |
| 2017 | 89.9 | +3.6% | 12 |
| 2018 | 98.4 | +9.5% | 12 |
| 2019 | 98.8 | +0.4% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +1.2% | 12 |
| 2021 | 99.7 | -0.3% | 12 |
| 2022 | 103.2 | +3.5% | 12 |
| 2023 | 109.1 | +5.7% | 12 |
| 2024 | 109.8 | +0.6% | 12 |
| 2025 | 109.9 | +0.1% | 12 |
| 2026 | 109.9 | 0.0% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥1,980 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥1,979 |
| 2026-06 | ¥1,971 |
| 2026-05 | ¥1,972 |
| 2026-04 | ¥1,968 |
| 2026-03 | ¥1,973 |
| 2026-02 | ¥1,966 |
| 2026-01 | ¥1,962 |
| 2025-12 | ¥1,984 |
| 2025-11 | ¥1,977 |
| 2025-10 | ¥1,975 |
| 2025-09 | ¥1,986 |
| 2025-08 | ¥1,980 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does printer ink cost in Japan?
- ¥1,980 per piece, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest printer ink?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Mito was cheapest at ¥1,889 and Kyoto the most expensive at ¥2,124.
- How much have printer ink prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, +0.2% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have printer ink prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +10.5% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 110.7.
- When were printer ink prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 110.7 in September 2025. 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).