Price of a funeral worries families
AS THE nation paid tribute to the Queen at her funeral, the spiralling cost of living crisis continues to impact families planning final farewells for their own loved ones.
Research in SunLife’s annual Cost of Dying Report for 2022 shows that the average cost of a UK funeral in 2021 was £4056, a decrease of £128 since 2020, seen as a result of the government restrictions brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Some believe this could be due to people now having smaller, more private and intimate forms of remembrance. But latest stats still mean the cost of funerals has reached an average eyewatering £4,000-plus.
Our Cost of Living Campaign – Price Watch highlights the impact of rising bills and costs on our readers.
To calculate the £4,056 figure, SunLife defines basic funeral costs as including: Cremation or burial fees; Doctor fees; Funeral director fees; Minister or celebrant fees; Burials are still the most
Our
Cost of Living Campaign - Price Watch
highlights the impact of rising bills on our readers
expensive funerals in the UK, costing £4,927.
With the cost of living crisis further hitting people’s pockets, they say that people are only getting more worried about what happens when they pass away.
Sunlife’s 2022 report shows that the total cost of dying in the UK is £8,864 with the cost of dying including:
The funeral itself; Professional fees; Send off fees, including memorials, deceased estates notices, flowers, catering for the wake and further costs.
Comparing regions across the UK London saw the largest increase with funeral costs reaching on average £5,358 closely followed by North East England, which also saw funeral costs increase 2.3 per cent to £3,915, North West England with an increase of 1.4 per cent to £3,840 and Yorkshire and the Humber with a small increase of 0.7 per cent to £4,302. Funeral costs in London are 32 per cent above the national average.
Overall, funeral costs have increased dramatically in recent years. A contributory factor to rising costs is COVID-19, but as costs have risen to cope with the pandemic, the average cost of a traditional funeral has risen
alongside it. In order to cope with rising funeral costs many are opting to make savings by choosing a cheaper coffin and spending less on flowers.
As inflation drives up prices, crematoriums are also raising their prices to reflect the rising cost of fuel.
In some areas a basic cremation now costs more than £1,000.
That is on top of costs for transport, hiring a venue and the cost of floral tributes.