The Price of Lunch: How Much is Expensive in Japan?

Women Willing to Pay Higher

Eating out for lunch is a great way to take a break. When it comes to price though, in a survey in Japan, more than 30% of respondents said they felt “¥900–¥1,200” was expensive.

The survey was conducted by Line Research, the smartphone research platform service, in November 2025, receiving responses from 3,152 men and women aged between 15 and 69.

The survey asked respondents about eating out in restaurants for lunch, with the exception of bentō boxes and other takeout meals. The most popular answers for both men and women were that the price range of “¥900 to ¥1,199” could be considered expensive; overall half thought that ¥1,200 was expensive. Women tended to show more acceptance towards higher prices than men.

In the free response section of the survey asking about services and features that would make it worthwhile paying more, respondents emphasized wanting satisfaction beyond price via the conditions in the restaurant, such as “buffets and all-you-can-eat” (young man in his teens), “having set meals with a lot of small, varied dishes” (woman in her twenties), and “child-friendly, with easy access for strollers” (woman in her thirties).

Data Sources

• Lunch price survey (Japanese) from Line Research.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)