Rice up 3 times, carrots 4 times, cooking oil 2 times increase... Japan Curry Rice Index Hits All-Time High

Curry Rice Price Index Hits Record High in January at 3,900 Won
Soaring Costs of Rice, Vegetables, Meat, and Cooking Oil Threaten Household Food Budgets

Stock photo of curry rice unrelated to the article content

With the prices of rice, vegetables, and meat soaring sharply, the cost of making Japan's common people's dish, curry rice, has reached an all-time high. Over the past five years, rice prices, which recently caused a major crisis, have tripled, while carrots, potatoes, onions, and cooking oil have increased more than fourfold.

On the 11th, Aichi News reported this citing the curry rice price index released by the private research organization Teikoku Databank. The curry rice price index represents the cost of making one serving of curry rice and recorded 396 yen (3,900 won) as of January, marking a record high. Compared to December 2024, it rose by 79 yen (780 won), and compared to 2020, it increased by more than 120 yen (1,190 won). Aichi News analyzed that the price of rice needed for one bowl of curry rice rose from 92 yen (910 won) to 158 yen (1,570 won), and the vegetables and meat used in curry rose to 209 yen (2,000 won), impacting the overall price index.

The media introduced the price changes of main ingredients at an Indian-Nepalese restaurant between 2020 and 2025. According to this, carrots (10 kg) rose from 500 yen in 2020 to 2,000 yen in March 2025, a fourfold increase. Potatoes (10 kg) increased from 2,000 yen to 3,000 yen, onions (20 kg) rose from 1,000?1,500 yen to 3,000 yen. Cooking oil (16.5 kg) also doubled from 2,500 yen to 5,000 yen. Domestic rice (10 kg) tripled from 2,000 yen to 6,000 yen during the same period.

A restaurant official said, "There was a time when we bought 10 kg of carrots for 500 yen, but now it costs about 2,000 yen," adding, "Onions are used a lot in curry, so the price increase is very burdensome." He continued, "Seafood prices such as squid are also rising," noting, "The price of squid doubled from 140 yen per 100g in February 2019 to 280 yen in February 2025. The main causes are global warming and overfishing, which have reduced squid harvests."

A representative from Teikoku Databank predicted, "Prices will rise significantly this year compared to last year," and added, "The curry rice price index is likely to exceed 400 yen."