Hand soap
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥540 Nagano
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥765 Tokushima
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
Hand soap costs ¥631 per 1,000 mL in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities, down 13.6% from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for hand soap reads 105.6 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, up 1.5% year on year and up 8.2% over five years.
Hand soap sits in the miscellaneous group of Japan's CPI basket, with 680 monthly observations from January 1970 to August 2026. The series peaked at 116.6 in May 1995 and bottomed at 54.0 in July 1972; the latest reading is -9.4% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +3.6%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 100.4 | +0.4% | 12 |
| 2016 | 101.1 | +0.7% | 12 |
| 2017 | 97.6 | -3.5% | 12 |
| 2018 | 95.8 | -1.8% | 12 |
| 2019 | 96.5 | +0.7% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +3.6% | 12 |
| 2021 | 98.3 | -1.7% | 12 |
| 2022 | 97.4 | -0.9% | 12 |
| 2023 | 100.5 | +3.2% | 12 |
| 2024 | 103.1 | +2.6% | 12 |
| 2025 | 104.1 | +1.0% | 12 |
| 2026 | 104.9 | +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 | ¥631 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥630 |
| 2026-06 | ¥632 |
| 2026-05 | ¥629 |
| 2026-04 | ¥625 |
| 2026-03 | ¥632 |
| 2026-02 | ¥633 |
| 2026-01 | ¥634 |
| 2025-12 | ¥633 |
| 2025-11 | ¥630 |
| 2025-10 | ¥630 |
| 2025-09 | ¥732 |
| 2025-08 | ¥731 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does hand soap cost in Japan?
- ¥631 per 1,000 mL, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 81 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest hand soap?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Nagano was cheapest at ¥540 and Tokushima the most expensive at ¥765.
- How much have hand soap prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, +1.5% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have hand soap prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +8.2% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 105.6.
- When were hand soap prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 116.6 in May 1995. The latest reading is -9.4% 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).