Cremation costs

How much does a cremation cost?

On average a cremation costs £3,858*, this includes professional services, doctors fees, minister or officiants fees and cost of the cremation. Cremations are usually cheaper than burials, as burial plots can be expensive. If you’re arranging a cremation service for a loved one you need to consider the costs for the following:

• funeral directors services
• the crematorium
• funeral flowers
• the wake

Cremation costs breakdown

We’re open and honest about the costs of our funerals and here to support your decisions on what’s right for you. To help you understand the costs of a cremation funeral service, we've broken these down below:

• funeral directors’ fees - on average costs £2,687* these make up the biggest cost of a funeral and includes the coffin, a hearse, collection and care of the deceased, plus professional services
• doctors’ fees - this fee is charged to certify the death which costs £164* (doctors' fees aren't applicable in Scotland)
• clergy or officiate fees - in the UK these cost on average £169*
• cremation fees - as these costs vary depending on where you live in the UK, you can find an estimate by using our funeral cost calculator

How to reduce the cost of a cremation

If you’d like to arrange a cheaper cremation or have a certain budget let us know. We have different options available if this is something you need.

By having a cheaper option this in no way affects our care and attention to detail, we have outstanding levels of care which we provide for yourself and your loved one.

Direct Cremation

There is no funeral service but a simple, unattended cremation. The Direct Cremation with Cortege option offers the extra service where the hearse passes your home, which enables you to take a moment to pause, reflect and say goodbye.

Direct Cremation costs £1,310. If you're in Scotland it costs £1,230, as the laws around doctor's certificates are different.

With the added cortege and traditional oak coffin, this funeral choice costs £1,910. If you're in Scotland it's £1,830.

Simple Funeral

This allows you to keep funeral costs down, but also gives you the flexibility to personalise the funeral with additional services.

The cost of the Simple Funeral including additional cortege and Celebration of Life Service is £2,745 in England and Wales, and is £2,525 in Scotland, excluding third party fees.

Cremation costs compared to burial costs

Cremation is usually the cheaper option when arranging a funeral, as there isn't the added cost of purchasing a burial plot.

If you’d like to purchase a small plot to have the ashes buried, this is still much cheaper than purchasing a grave plot. On average the cost of a burial is £1,117* more expensive than a cremation.

Call your local Co-op funeral director

If you’d like to discuss the different cremation service options, your local funeral director will be able to advise and help you.

*SunLife (2020), Cost of Dying Report, sunlife.co.uk/costofdying2020