A luxury for meat lovers: Here are the 5 most expensive steaks in the world and their prices

The fine marbling, the juicy, tender texture and rich flavor - all the hallmarks of a quality cut of beef. But the best premium steaks come at a hefty price. Japanese Wagyu beef is one of the most expensive meats on the market - a boneless, handcut ribeye steak of A5 Hokkaido wagyu beef will set you back $149 while you can expect to pay $349 for a 10 oz Kobe A5 wagyu ribeye steak

Wagyu is sourced from the four principal breeds of cattle: Japanese Black (Kuroge), Japanese Brown (Akage), Japanese Shorthorn (Nihon Tankaku) and Japanese Polled (Mukaku). The word “Gyu” means cow in Japanese, and is used in anything cattle-related so Gyusuji Nikomi is a stew made from beef tendons.

Different cuts of beef

The cheapest cut, bottom sirloin steak or rump steak is from the rear, hindquarter part of the cow and is leaner than other cuts. The strip steak (sometimes called New York strip or porterhouse steak) is also taken from the short loin but from the top part.

Moving up in quality and price, ribeye steaks are from the rib section of the forequarter. They are sometimes cut ‘bone-in’ and are flavoursome and tender.

And finally the tenderloin and filet mignon steaks - the finest grade of beef steaks, snake-shaped cuts of meat located either side of the spine. These are the most expensive cuts served in restaurants.

Wagyo beef is graded according to the amount of marbling (sashi) determined by the Beef Marbling Standard (BMS) which ranges from 1 (low marbling) to 12 (high marbling). Beef with a BMS of 8 or higher is rated as A5 - the highest grade of Wagyu.

The world’s most expensive wagyu beef steaks

So unsurprisingly A5 Wagyu steaks are the most expensive to buy. At specialist retailers, the Wagyu Shop, the most exclusive cut is the Miyazaki A5 Wagyu Beef Tomahawk Steak, world-renowned for its intricate, snowflake-like marbling and buttery, tender texture - one 4lb steak will set you back $699.

Coming in second is the Kobe Beef A5 Wagyu Beef Ribeye Steak, sourced from Hyogo Prefecture. A prime hand-cut 10 oz. 3/8″ thick steak costs $349.

Or why not go for the A5 Kobe Beef Wagyu Striploin Steak - slightly cheaper at $329 for a similar-sized cut. Kobe Tajima Beef must be officially certified A4 or A5 by the Kobe Beef Association to gain the Japanese chrysanthemum stamp of approval.

Still at the high end but slightly more economical is the Matsuzaka A5 Wagyu Top Sirloin Steak at $119.70 for a 0.86-pound cut or the Sendai Japanese A5 Wagyu Strip, which comes in at $249 for a 13 ounce cut - both available from the Holy Grail Steak Co.

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