What is the average cost of a funeral in the uk?

According to SunLife's annual Cost of Dying Report, the cost of a funeral in the UK has increased on average by 1.7% to £4,184, with the ‘cost of dying’ now at £9,263 on average.

SunLife has tracked funeral costs across the UK in their annual ‘Cost of Dying’ reports since 2007. In SunLife's 2021 report, they have modified how the average cost of a funeral is calculated. It’s now weighted by the percentage of burials and cremations in the UK.

SunLife define basic funeral costs as including:

• cremation or burial fees
• doctor fees
• funeral director fees
• minister or celebrant fees

In the UK on average only 26% of funerals are burials with many choosing to be cremated instead. While the $4,184 figure for the average price of a funeral included both, should we split the two costs out it would look like the below;

• Average cost of a cremation is £3,885
• Average cost of a burial is £5,033

Also funeral prices vary from region to region, usually due to different crematorium fees and the varying prices funeral directors charge for their service. In the south west despite in 2020 seeing a 3% drop in the average funeral price we are still one of the most expensive areas when it comes to Funerals. On average in Somerset a funeral will set you back £4,500, not that far off of London's funeral prices.

How to avoid paying excess and reduce funeral costs

Look at having a simple cremation over a full burial service

A cremation offers a few benefits that a traditional burial service does not. Everyone is different and much of this is personal choice but here area  few things worth considering;

•  74% of all funeral services are cremation, this is usually due to the flexibility that this service offers and on average is almost 25% cheaper, enabling families to use that money for other expenses such as the wake.
• With a cremation there is no need to purchase additional items such as a headstone or a burial plot.
• Many are looking to cremation as a greener option due to the fact that a burial will disturb the earth, takes up space and usually involved a lot more travel to ensure a cemetery with adequate space.
• A cremation is a much more simple affair.
• Finally, flexibility a cremation enables many other ways to remember and say goodbye to your loved one, scattering their ashes in a location they always had a connection to, storing their ashes in an attractive burial urn or even giving them a dazzling send off sending their ashes far up into the sky as part of an incredible firework display.

Choose your funeral director wisely

While fee's such as doctors fees, crematorium fees and celebrant fees are set funeral directors are in charge of their own pricing and these prices can vary wildly. While it is indeed a very difficult time if you are unsure of which funeral director to use look around, read reviews and ask trusted friends.

At AJ Lock we are always committed to providing dignity for less, our fees are kept low and we aim to pull out all the stops in ensuring your loved one has the send off they deserve.