Credit, Collections & Insolvency News
New data from Pure Cremation has revealed that the average traditional funeral now costs £4,562. A cremation funeral typically comes in at £4,232, while an average burial funeral reaches £6,065, with prices vary dramatically depending on location.
According to the data, Wales is the cheapest place to die, with a traditional funeral averaging £4,136. In London, the most expensive region, the same funeral costs almost £1,500 more at £5,710.
The gap widens further with burials. The North East is the cheapest place for a burial at £5,092 on average, while in London the cost almost doubles to £9,050. This steep jump is driven largely by burial plot prices, which average nearly £3,000 more in London (£5,064) than in the North East (£2,085).
The postcode lottery is only part of the story. The research also shows huge price differences within the same area, with families in the same area paying up to £3,600 more for the same funeral depending on which funeral director they choose.
In Scotland, for example, traditional funeral costs range from £2,868 to £5,896 – a £3,028 gap within a single region. In the Midlands, the cheapest option – at £3,737 – is £2,438 less than the most expensive at £6,175. And while London funeral directors charge the highest average fees in Britain at £3,146 (this does not include the burial or cremation fees or any costs relating to the body or celebrant), it’s Devon that hosts both the most expensive and the cheapest individual funeral directors in Great Britain – one charging £4,485 and another just £812. That’s a difference of £3,663 for the same services within the same county.
Ian Atkinson, Marketing Director at Pure Cremation, said “As we compiled this report, it became clear that just looking at a funeral director’s ‘standardised price list’ won’t give you the real cost in many cases.
“Funeral directors will put a price range next to some items, some will put ‘price on request’ next to some items, and there will often be a list of extras, such as ‘additional miles’ charges, that it is impossible for families to work out in advance.
“There remains far too much ambiguity around what’s included, what isn’t, and what families actually end up paying. That leaves grieving families vulnerable to hidden costs at the worst possible time. Our report aims to change that by giving families a fully transparent way to compare funeral prices in their area — so they know exactly what they’re paying for.”
What is clear is that the fee a funeral director charges is around 60% of the cost of a traditional cremation funeral, which may be why more and more families are turning to more affordable alternatives like a pure cremation.
Atkinson concluded, “A pure cremation gives families a dignified farewell without funeral director fees. There’s also no crematorium ceremony, so families can arrange a much more personal send-off, wherever and whenever they want.
“What’s more, because our price is the same wherever you live, it removes the postcode lottery that so often affects funeral costs. It takes away the pressure to make difficult decisions during an already painful time, while giving families the freedom to create a personal send-off whenever and wherever they choose.”
“At Pure Cremation, every person in our care receives the same respect and attention as they would in a traditional funeral. Our team performs every cremation with dignity, we have our own crematoria and state-of-the-art facilities and we personally return the ashes to families anywhere in mainland Britain.”
| Average Burial Cost | Average Cremation Cost | |
| Funeral Director charge | £2,544 | £2,544 |
| Council Burial and Plot Costs | £2,859 | |
| Fees you must pay (Crematorium Costs) | £1,008 | |
| Return of ashes | £18 | |
| Cost of Celebrant | £225 | £225 |
| Cost of Embalming | £165 | £165 |
| Additional limousine | £272 | £272 |
| TOTAL | £6,065 | £4,232 |
| *Average traditional funeral cost is a weighted average of £6,065(18%) and £4,232 (82%) = £4,562 |
| Region | Average Traditional Funeral Cost |
Average Burial Cost |
Average Cremation Cost |
| Scotland | £4,454 | £5,698 | £4,181 |
| North East England | £4,215 | £5,092 | £4,023 |
| North West England | £4,201 | £5,186 | £3,984 |
| Yorkshire & Humberside | £4,526 | £6,092 | £4,182 |
| East & West Midlands | £4,719 | £6,660 | £4,293 |
| South East & East of England | £4,746 | £6,317 | £4,401 |
| Wales | £4,136 | £5,270 | £3,887 |
| South West England | £4,351 | £5,223 | £4,159 |
| London | £5,710 | £9,050 | £4,976 |
| Average | £4,562 | £6,065 | £4,232 |
