Attended funerals in London cost more on average than anywhere else in the UK, a report has found.
Financial services company SunLife has found that a funeral in London costs 27% more than the average for the UK, which was £4,285 in 2024.
In London, however, it was £5,449 — a 5.4% increase from the year before and 58% higher than in the least expensive region, Northern Ireland.
According to the firm’s Cost of Dying report, seven out of 10 regions in the UK have found funeral costs rise in the last year.
Concerns have been raised about funeral poverty, with charity Quaker Social Action saying it can “rob people of their ability to grieve.”
Lindsay Mace, who leads on work to tackle funeral poverty, told the BBC: "We hear so often from people that they don't have the mental space to grieve because all they can do is think about how they're going to pay the costs.
"Faced with these costs that they can't afford people sometimes use their rent money to pay a funeral deposit or they will cut back on food or not pay essential bills just trying to scrape that money together."
Families and individuals on certain government benefits are entitled to a subsidy — a Funeral Expenses Payment to help cover some of the costs.
However, of those who receive a Funeral Expenses Payment, the subsidy covers approximately 46% of the total funeral costs, on average, the SunLife report found.
The report found 18% of families experience notable financial concerns when paying for a funeral. On average, they have to find almost £2,371 to cover the costs.
Most of them find the money by delving into their savings and investments (33%), using a credit card (24%), or borrowing from a friend or relative (23%). The number of people selling belongings to cover the cost has risen again, now at 19%.
Jordan Flynn, from SunLife, said the capital had the fewest people making provision for their own funerals, but the highest number of funeral organisers citing financial concern.
Mr Flynn advised getting quotes from a few different funeral directors and seeking advice on how to bring costs down.
A Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) spokesperson said: "Losing a loved one is devastating and we understand the financial impacts it can have on families.
"The DWP Funeral Expenses Payment scheme makes a contribution towards the cost of a funeral arranged by someone who is in receipt of certain income-related benefits. It also offers an additional £1,000 to meet other funeral expenses."
