UK funeral prices are increasing at a rate three times faster than inflation, new data suggests. Pure Cremation's Cost of Funerals Research - a study of more than 270 funeral directors across England, Scotland and Wales - found that the average traditional funeral, which includes director's fees, the cost of the celebrant, embalming, returning the ashes, and an additional limousine (£276 up £4) and the cost of the of the burial and plot or crematorium fees, now costs £4,623. This represents a rise of £61 (1.3%) between January and March 2026.

The cost of goods and services is up 0.4% over the same period. The study also concluded that the cost of a cremation funeral has risen more sharply than that of a burial funeral. The average is now £4,293, up 1.4% on January, while the average burial has increased by 1% to £6,129, experts report. In addition, figures suggest that a "postcode lottery" is widening.

In January, the difference between the cost of a funeral in the cheapest (Wales - £4,187, up from £4,136) and most expensive (London - £5,826, up from £5,710) regions was £1,574 - that has now increased by £79 to £1,639.

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.

"Not only do funeral directors often put a price range next to some items, 'price on request' on others and lists of extras - such as 'additional miles' charges - making it difficult for families to work out in advance, but now we have found that many are failing to update even basic costs, like third-party crematoria fees. This is easy to update as it is standard, but some were out by as much as £366.

"Our research shows that, despite the CMA stepping in, there is still 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."

Region	Average Traditional Funeral Cost Jan 2026	Average Traditional Funeral Cost April 2026	£ Increase	% Increase
Scotland	£4,454	£4,549	£95	2.08%
North East England	£4,215	£4,241	£26	0.62%
North West England	£4,201	£4,247	£47	1.10%
Yorkshire and Humberside	£4,526	£4,616	£90	1.96%
East and West Midlands	£4,719	£4,743	£24	0.51%
South East and East of England	£4,746	£4,800	£55	1.14%
Wales	£4,136	£4,187	£51	1.23%
South West England	£4,351	£4,401	£51	1.15%
London	£5,710	£5,826	£116	1.99%
Average	£4,562	£4,623	£61	1.32%