How to cut cost in half as price of funeral rises to £4,285
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The average cost of a simple funeral has reached a record £4,285, with one in five families struggling to pay, annual figures show. The figure has risen 3.5% in a year, while the overall cost of dying has reached £9,797, according to the 21st SunLife Cost of Dying report.
The cost of a simple funeral – which includes an attended burial or cremation, funeral director, doctor and celebrant fees, a coffin and limousine – has risen by 134% from £1,835 in 2004. If funeral prices had risen at the same rate of inflation, the average cost today would be £3,211, SunLife calculated.
The total cost of dying – which also includes full send-off costs and probate fees – has increased by 1.4% to £9,797. The comparatively modest increase was due to the average cost of probate falling by almost £100 year-on-year. As probate fees are typically calculated as a percentage of the estate being managed, this is likely due to a variance in the average estate size of respondents rather than a decrease in professional fees, the report said. London remains the most expensive place to die, with the average funeral costing £5,449 – a 5.4% rise on last year and 27% more than the UK average.
The cost of direct cremations – a cremation without a funeral service – has risen for just the second time since tracking began in 2017, up 6.7% from £1,498 to £1,597. However, they still remain the cheapest type of funeral. Direct cremations, which saw higher numbers during the pandemic, now account for a fifth of all funerals, up from just 3% in 2019. Only 38% of people make provisions to cover the full cost of their funeral, causing "notable financial concerns" for one in five families, a survey for the study found.
