Japan’s High Cost of Living Pushes Homemade Curry to Over ¥400 Per Serving; Curry Price Index Survey Finds Cost to Increase in Future

The Yomiuri Shimbun

20:00 JST, April 11, 2025

One serving of homemade curry hit a record ¥407 in February, according to a survey by research firm Teikoku Databank, Ltd. released Thursday.

The price increased ¥88, or about 30% from the same period last year, exceeding ¥400 for the first time. The high cost of living is weighing heavily even on the budget-friendly curry dish.

The survey assumes the dish uses carrots, potatoes, onions, imported beef and Koshihikari rice. The cost of one serving of rice increased 1.8 times to ¥169 and the ingredients were 5% higher at ¥209, while the prices of curry roux and utilities remained the same.

Teikoku Databank has been providing a curry rice price index since July 2024 to make the impact of higher prices more easily understandable.

“High prices are also affecting curry, a national dish. The price is expected to rise to around ¥420 in March’s survey,” said a person overseeing the survey.

Food product manufacturers are trying hard to prevent consumers from turning away from curry.

Ezaki Glico Co. is proposing a budget-friendly dish that uses noodles instead of rice, such as curry udon. House Foods Group Inc. launched its Java Curry paste-type roux in February. Compared to solid roux, the new product can reduce cooking time to ¼ the original time.

“We hope that our time-saving product will encourage people to make curry at home,” said a person in charge of the product.