School bag
Average retail price
- Cheapest surveyed city
- ¥37,330 Hachinohe
- Priciest surveyed city
- ¥69,557 Fukuyama
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
School bag costs ¥55,160 per piece in Japan as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 80 surveyed cities, flat from a year earlier. Measured as an index, the official CPI for school bag reads 111.6 (2020 = 100) in August 2026, down 0.8% year on year and up 9.4% over five years.
School bag sits in the miscellaneous group of Japan's CPI basket, with 680 monthly observations from January 1970 to August 2026. The series peaked at 113.2 in July 2025 and bottomed at 11.5 in January 1970; the latest reading is -1.4% against that peak. Against ten years ago it is +24.0%.
Annual average index by year
| Year | Index | YoY % | Months |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 84.9 | +7.6% | 12 |
| 2016 | 90.1 | +6.1% | 12 |
| 2017 | 91.8 | +1.9% | 12 |
| 2018 | 94.8 | +3.3% | 12 |
| 2019 | 96.8 | +2.1% | 12 |
| 2020 | 100.0 | +3.3% | 12 |
| 2021 | 101.1 | +1.1% | 12 |
| 2022 | 102.4 | +1.3% | 12 |
| 2023 | 104.5 | +2.1% | 12 |
| 2024 | 108.5 | +3.8% | 12 |
| 2025 | 111.9 | +3.1% | 12 |
| 2026 | 112.0 | +0.1% | 8 |
Average of the monthly index values in each year (2020 = 100). Blank months are excluded.
Average retail price by month
| 2026-08 | ¥55,160 |
|---|---|
| 2026-07 | ¥55,226 |
| 2026-06 | ¥55,530 |
| 2026-05 | ¥55,534 |
| 2026-02 | ¥54,204 |
| 2026-01 | ¥55,111 |
| 2025-12 | ¥55,244 |
| 2025-11 | ¥55,553 |
| 2025-10 | ¥55,321 |
| 2025-09 | ¥55,557 |
| 2025-08 | ¥55,161 |
| 2025-07 | ¥55,400 |
| 2025-06 | ¥55,307 |
Frequently asked questions
- How much does school bag cost in Japan?
- ¥55,160 per piece, as of August 2026 — the unweighted average of 80 surveyed cities in the government's retail price survey.
- Which Japanese city has the cheapest school bag?
- Among the surveyed cities in August 2026, Hachinohe was cheapest at ¥37,330 and Fukuyama the most expensive at ¥69,557.
- How much have school bag prices changed in Japan over the past year?
- As of August 2026, -0.8% year on year, measured by Japan's official consumer price index (2020 = 100).
- How much have school bag prices changed in Japan over the past five years?
- +9.4% compared with the same month five years earlier. The index now reads 111.6.
- When were school bag prices in Japan at their highest?
- The series peaked at 113.2 in July 2025. The latest reading is -1.4% 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).