Memory card
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥5,997 Wakayama
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥21,053 Matsuyama
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
Memory card costs ¥13,979 per sheet in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities, up 48.6% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for memory card reads 105.7 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, up 31.1% year on year and up 18.9% over five years.
Memory card sits in the culture & recreation group of Japan's CPI basket, with 200 monthly observations from January 2010 to August 2026. The series peaked at 247.3 in February 2010 and bottomed at 78.0 in January 2026; the latest reading is -57.3% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is -24.1%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 153.5 | -8.5% | 12 |
| 2016 | 141.0 | -8.1% | 12 |
| 2017 | 135.6 | -3.8% | 12 |
| 2018 | 128.4 | -5.3% | 12 |
| 2019 | 114.9 | -10.5% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | -13.0% | 12 |
| 2021 | 90.0 | -10.0% | 12 |
| 2022 | 83.4 | -7.3% | 12 |
| 2023 | 82.5 | -1.1% | 12 |
| 2024 | 83.2 | +0.8% | 12 |
| 2025 | 82.6 | -0.7% | 12 |
| 2026 | 94.3 | +14.2% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥13,979 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥14,019 |
| 2026-06 | ¥14,239 |
| 2026-05 | ¥11,886 |
| 2026-04 | ¥11,557 |
| 2026-03 | ¥10,566 |
| 2026-02 | ¥9,864 |
| 2026-01 | ¥9,496 |
| 2025-12 | ¥10,036 |
| 2025-11 | ¥9,673 |
| 2025-10 | ¥9,797 |
| 2025-09 | ¥9,383 |
| 2025-08 | ¥9,405 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does memory card cost in Japan?
- ¥13,979 per sheet, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 47 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest memory card?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Wakayama was cheapest at ¥5,997 and Matsuyama the most expensive at ¥21,053.
- How much have memory card prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, +31.1% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have memory card prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +18.9% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 105.7.
- When were memory card prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 247.3 in February 2010. The latest reading is -57.3% 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).