Cost-of-dying crisis hits home as funeral prices rocket 5.3%

The cost of living isn't the only thing going up — so is the cost of dying.

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Families spend an average of £4,510 on a traditional attended funeral, according to SunLife’s Cost of Dying Report for 2026, up 5.3% on last year. That's the biggest annual increase since 2016. Once sendoff costs such as memorials, catering, venue hire and flowers are added, total spend hits £5,822.