Going over your budget for food isn’t what you’d regularly do, right? That’s until you see a Wagyu beef ribeye. A lot of people wouldn’t mind paying a small fortune for that thing. It’s one of the best beefy treats you can have for a family dinner.
But how much does a Wagyu ribeye cost? It’ll cost you a lot, to be honest. That being said, there are a lot of good reasons for that. You’ll find all of them below, along with an answer to your question.

Quick answer for those in a hurry:

What’s So Special About Wagyu Beef?

Wagyu beef is globally praised for its tender taste, but it doesn’t stop here. This Japanese beef has excellent scores in four of the most important aspects of a steak: marbling, tenderness, color, and texture. It masters them all.

Wagyu beef is much juicier than your typical beef. Plus, the fat threads that run through it gives it a distinctive shape, along with a creamy pink color. Most beef pieces only have fat streaks surrounding their edges.

People also love Wagyu beef because it doesn’t take much effort to get done. The fat threads melt at low temperatures, which makes it easier for you to reach your desired level of doneness. This accounts for the delicious taste and the extra soft feel of the meat on your tongue. Believe me, your taste buds will thank you for it!

On top of all that, Wagyu beef isn’t risky for heart health in spite of its high fat content. The reason is simple; the amount of mono-unsaturated fat in Wagyu beef is higher than that of saturated fat, contrary to other types of beef.

Add to that the generous amount of fatty acids in Wagyu; they act as inflammatory agents once they enter your body.

Linoleic acid (LA), aka vitamin F, is one of those fatty acids. It has potent anti-carcinogenic and anti-inflammatory properties.

How Much Does a Wagyu Ribeye Cost?

10 years back, Wagyu beef was actually much more expensive than it is now. That’s if you could even get it, seeing as there was a ban on Japanese imports to America. Nowadays, Wagyu cows are being bred in America, which explains the substantial gap between current and past prices. They’re not being bred in the same way as Japanese ones, but we’ll get to that later.

Today, a Wagyu ribeye would cost about $50 per 7 ounces, which means a pound would be priced around $100. This translates to approximately $375 per a Wagyu ribeye. Of course, the prices can vary between different markets, but the gap is usually small.

Why Does Wagyu Beef Cost a Fortune?

Here’s the thing, while a typical American cow would cost around $2000, a Japanese Wagyu cow can cost up to $30,000. Who pays for that? It’s funny you should ask; it’s the consumer, no doubt!

The overall ridiculously high price of the cow translates to higher costs for each meal. That’s why you’ll find a significant price gap between Wagyu beef and any other beef at any restaurant you visit.

But the question here is, why do Wagyu cows cost that much?

It’s not like the cows go to school, but they do pass through a complex filtration process. The Japanese government supposedly oversees Wagyu production. Moreover, it carries out genetic tests regularly as an essential part of the process. Any cow that doesn’t meet the genetic standards set for it is simply not included in the reproductive lineup. My sincere apologies, cow!

So, the way these cows are grown plays a significant role in their pricing. The cows with higher DNA standards cost more. In case you’re wondering, no, you can’t go to a restaurant and ask for a low-rated cow.

The Health Value You’ll Gain From Paying That Much

Delicious, tender taste isn’t all that Wagyu beef has to offer. Japanese meat has a bunch of health benefits. If you’re going to pay that much, you might as well make the most out of it.

For starters, Wagyu beef contains a considerable amount of polyunsaturated fats, which lowers the amount of LDL cholesterol in your body. Too much LDL can cause clogged blood vessels, which raises the risk for a lot of heart diseases.

Moreover, Japanese beef contains conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which plays a minimal role in weight loss. More importantly, it lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes. Plus, it’s claimed to have an impact on reducing cancer risks.

Furthermore, Wagyu cows who feed on grass result in beef that has even more health benefits than regular. Simply because most cows consume growth hormones, but those don’t. Also, their beef has fewer calories, which reduces the risk of obesity and heart diseases.

Japanese Wagyu vs. American Wagyu – Which Costs More?

The short answer is, Japanese Wagyu costs more, way more! If you want to know the reason behind it, keep on reading.

American Wagyu cows aren’t purebred, contrary to Japanese ones. They’re mostly cross-bred of Wagyu and Angus beef, which also results in tasty meat if you’re wondering. Not only that, but they also go through simpler farming techniques.

Here’s one thing that you don’t know; crossbred Wagyu beef doesn’t have a specific percentage of DNA. It’s unregulated. Japanese Wagyu, on the other hand, is filtered and priced according to the DNA standards.

It also tastes a bit different in the sense that it’s not as fatty. This is a good thing for a lot of people because it means they could eat more without getting satiated.

Closing Thoughts

A wise person once said, give a man a Wagyu ribeye and he’ll conquer the world. Well, he didn’t specifically say that, but you get the point.

Wagyu ribeye costs a lot for one meal; that’s a fact. However, the buttery flavor combined with the tender feeling in your mouth will definitely be worth it. It wouldn’t hurt to pay a fortune every now and then and treat yourself to the world’s most luxurious ribeye.