Cremation Costs: What’s Mandatory and What’s Avoidable?

If you’re organising a cremation, either proactively for yourself through a funeral plan, or for a loved one at short notice, one of the main things that they worry about is cremation costs.

In this article, we will clarify the subject of cremation prices, answering questions like, “how much do cremations cost?” and “what is the average cost of cremation in the UK?”. We will also help you to reduce your cremation expenses, by explaining which costs are compulsory, and which are optional.

Key Takeaways

• The average cost of a UK cremation, according to SunLife, is £3,980.
• Direct cremation is the most affordable type of cremation.
• Cremation costs vary across the UK, with London generally being the most expensive.
• Cremation is usually more affordable than burial.
• There are ways to reduce cremation costs, such as forgoing optional expenses like catering and flowers.

How much does a cremation cost?

The cremation price you could end up paying depends on what cremation type you want to opt for. Do you want guests to be there, and, if so, how many? Or would you prefer it to be unattended? You might also need to spend some time thinking about whether or not you’d like to have the traditional elements of a funeral, such as a hearse, procession, pall-bearers, and so on. All of that will impact the final cremation cost you pay. 

According to the SunLife Cost of Dying Report for last year, the average cost of a cremation ceremony was £3,980, with the more specific ‘direct cremation’ thought to cost on average £1,597. They also estimate the average cost of a funeral in the UK (across all kinds of cremations and burials) at £4,285. When weighing up cremation against burial, you will also find that the former is usually significantly cheaper, which we will come to below. 

SunLife generally points to a 134% increase in the average cost of a funeral in the UK between 2004 and 2024. Against a general consumer price inflation of 75% during the same period, it’s clear that funeral costs are rising faster than others, getting more expensive more quickly.

Let’s now break down some of those cremation costs. 

Cremation costs breakdown

There are different kinds of fees that relate to the cost of cremation: costs that we call either ‘compulsory’ or ‘avoidable’ depending on what they concern.

Compulsory costs are those which apply to every funeral, no matter what kind it is, where avoidable costs could be skipped depending on the preference of the person organising the funeral. Below are two tables which show some of the average costs for expenses in these two categories.*

If you’d like to read about some of these compulsory and avoidable costs in more detail, you can do so by clicking the link. As we can see, if the average cost of a cremation in the UK (according to SunLife) is £3,980, then, once the essentials have been paid for, the price can be brought down a good bit by forgoing some or all of the ‘avoidable costs’. 

*Figures for ‘Avoidable Costs’ taken from the SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2025.

What is the average cost of a cremation in the UK?

The average cost of a cremation ceremony  in the UK, according to SunLife, is £3,980. It’s important to bear in mind that there’s a lot of room for variation with the cost of cremations because where you are in the UK and whether or not you want a ‘direct cremation’ can make the price higher or lower. 

The list above shows us the potential to add or reduce the cost for cremation depending on whether certain elements are included in the service.

What are the cremation costs near me?

It will come as no surprise to learn that the place in the UK with the most expensive cost to cremate is London, averaging £5,449. The place in mainland Britain with the lowest costs of cremation is South West England, with an average price of £3,966.

Location affects funeral costs in the UK. When you buy a cup of coffee in London, you could pay as much as £5, whereas it’s still possible to get one in Glasgow for £1.50. The same dynamics apply to the price of cremation.

Some national providers, like Aura, will provide a fixed price for their cremation services regardless of where you are in mainland Britain, so there are ways to mitigate the impact of location on the question of how much cremation costs.

The cost of cremation vs burial

The average cost of a burial in the UK in 2023 was £5,077, rising 5.9% from the previous year. Cremation, as we know, is a less expensive form of funeral than burial. That’s because when we opt for a cremation vs burial, we’re avoiding some big costs, such as a fee for the plot where we are buried, and also for our headstones. 

With a headstone, there’s a lot of scope for fluctuation in price, as the materials, details, size, and epitaph can all be customised. It’s important to note that, if you’re interested in a prepaid funeral plan, it will not cover the cost of your burial plot and headstone, among other things, so make sure you understand what you’re getting for your money.

How can I reduce the cost of cremation?

With a little bit of creativity, it’s possible to minimise, or completely eliminate, a lot of the individual costs that contribute to a high overall price, keeping your funeral costs down.

Instead of having a catered wake at a hotel or a local pub, why not organise something at home and ask the guests to contribute by bringing a dish or a bottle of something? Everyone can still come together in the aftermath of a funeral to remember their loved one, but you don’t need to stress about paying a large bill at the end. You can then use the money you’ve saved to organise a more special event later.

Floral tributes, according to Funeral Guide, can cost anywhere between £40 and £400, and many of us don’t realise how expensive things like that can be until we are forced to think about it. If a floral display is something you can go without at your funeral, it’s possible to create the same effect with a hand-gathered bouquet of garden or wild flowers; a sprig of Rosemary symbolising remembrance; or a single white rose can be just as impactful, and a lot cheaper.

What is the cheapest form of cremation?

The cheapest form of cremation in the UK is called direct cremation. It’s a form of cremation that has become much more popular among British people in recent years for three main reasons:

• the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented us attending funeral ceremonies in person
• the cost-of-living crisis, which has left many families struggling to afford traditional funeral
• and the decline of religion in the UK, with people less interested in religious or traditional funeral formalities.

A direct cremation doesn’t have any guests or a detailed service. It doesn’t typically include traditional formal elements like hearses, pallbearers, or funeral processions. The focus is on the cremation process and on honouring the person who has died in as concise and dignified a way as possible, on their terms. There’s more scope for personalisation in the way the ceremony unfolds, but equally, it allows people an understated option without any fanfare, if that’s what they prefer.

Aura’s direct cremation funerals for those organising one now start at £1,195, whereas our direct cremation funeral plans start at £1,695.

Paying for direct cremation

Depending on the provider you opt for, there may well be numerous different ways to pay. With Aura, you can pay the cost of your direct cremation plan in one go, or in instalments over one or two years, depending on what you prefer. 

Regardless of whether you pay all at once or in monthly instalments, your final price will be the same; that’s not necessarily the case with other providers, many of whom will charge interest for their monthly payments.

It goes without saying that, whether you’re opting for a simple direct cremation, or a more traditional funeral, funerals can be expensive. The pressures of paying for one can bring a lot of turmoil into our lives at a moment when we could be vulnerable with grief. If you find yourself struggling to find a way of paying for a funeral, there are some bereavement support schemes out there which could help you. 

The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) runs two schemes for the benefit of those in need: the Bereavement Support Payment and the Funeral Expenses Payment. You may also be able to access your loved one’s bank or building society account in order to pay funeral costs directly from funds held there; this can be done by obtaining a Grant of Probate. These methods could help you to claim back funeral costs.

You can find some helpful information from Money Saving Expert which talks about what to avoid when shopping for a funeral plan. For instance, they recommend steering clear of plans which let you pay in fixed monthly instalments until you are 90 years old, or until you die, as these are technically not funeral plans, but a form of over-50s life insurance.

Prepaid direct cremation costs

Different plan providers will cover different things with their funeral plans, with costs like burial plot and headstone not typically included in burial funeral plans. Aura’s funeral plans are all inclusive, meaning that, even for expenses like oversized coffins and urgent-collection fees, there will be nothing left to pay for you or your family when the time comes.

Whether or not you opt for a funeral plan, the best thing you can do is to make sure that you are well informed, so that you can come to a measured decision that works for you. If you have any questions at all for our team, we’d be delighted to hear from you over the phone; you can give us a call on 0800 066 3346, or you can simply request a free quote on our website.