Last updated: May 25, 2026
The cost of a simple attended funeral continues to vary across the UK. Where you live can change what you pay by more than £1,000.
The most expensive areas to organise a funeral
London continues to be the most expensive area to hold a funeral, with the price of a simple attended funeral reaching £4,897 – 58% higher than the least expensive region.
The South East & East of England remains the second most expensive region of the UK to arrange a simple attended funeral with average costs of £4,173.
This is closely followed by the East and West Midlands, with average simple attended funeral costs reaching £4,222.
The South West of England is the fourth most expensive region to organise a simple attended funeral at £3,892.
Yorkshire and the Humber is a close fifth, with the average simple attended funeral costing £3,717 to arrange. This is under the national average of £3,828, but just barely.
Most affordable areas to organise a funeral in the UK
Similar to previous years, Northern Ireland has the lowest funeral prices in the UK. The average cost of a simple attended funeral here is £3,105. Other areas where average simple attended funeral costs are below the national average include:
• North East England – average cost of £3,411
• Wales – average cost of £3,459
• Scotland – average cost of £3,655
• North West England – average cost of £3,748
Price of burials
The cost of a new burial plot can increase these prices even further. The cost of a burial plot is not included in funeral plans, as these prices are set by the private cemetery operator or the local council and not the funeral director. The price ranges from an average of £886 in Northern Ireland to £4,863 in London.
Protect against rising funeral costs
At Golden Charter, we offer a range of funeral plans that allow you to organise your funeral arrangements in advance and specify your wishes.
Our funeral plans also fix the funeral director’s services at today’s prices and include an allowance towards third party costs at the time of the funeral.
Third party costs cover services that aren’t controlled by the funeral director, such as cremation fees or the cost of the officiant to lead the funeral service. So while the cost of a new burial plot might not be included in your funeral plan, the allowance will cover part of this cost.
Funeral plans are a way to help get peace of mind for you and the ones you care about. You can find out more about our range of plans and their costs here.
Alternatively, our friendly UK-based team is here to answer your questions from 9am-5pm, Monday-Friday. Give them a call, free, on 0800 090 2258.
An independent funeral director can also help guide you through your choices. Search for your nearest Golden Charter approved funeral director in your area on our website – and don’t forget to look for the Golden Charter seal.
*All statistics in this article were taken from the SunLife Cost of Dying Report 2026
