Funeral Costs in Essex
Funeral Cost Index compares 208 funeral directors in and around Essex, with 146 CMA Standardised Price Lists captured, 136 of them with published prices. The median direct cremation costs £1,435 (range £975–£2,115); the median attended funeral director's charges run £2,995. Figures come from each provider's own published price list and do not include third-party costs such as crematorium, burial plot, minister or celebrant fees.
Data compiled by Peter Langdon FCA
Local pricing intelligence
- Median direct cremation
- £1,435
- Direct cremation range
- £975 to £2,115
- Median attended funeral
- £2,995
- Attended funeral range
- £1,420 to £3,506
- Funeral directors compared
- 208
- Most recent capture
- 19 Oct 2026
FD charges only
136 with published prices
latest local price list
Attended funeral figures normally show funeral director charges only and may exclude crematorium, burial, minister, celebrant or doctors’ fees.
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How we keep this trustworthy
Source
Local figures are calculated from captured CMA Standardised Price Lists from funeral directors in the area. Medians and ranges are labelled separately from estimates and third-party fees.
Freshness
Most recent price list captured 19 October 2026. Based on 136 published price lists from 208 indexed funeral directors within 25 miles.
Accountability
We do not arrange funerals, sell paid rankings, or accept commission for placement. Corrections are reviewed against the provider’s public price list.
Primary sources
Prices can change and packages differ. Always confirm the current price, what is included, availability, and any third-party costs directly with the funeral director before deciding.
Publisher credentials
Funeral Cost Index is published by Peter Langdon FCA through Indexeli Intelligence Limited. Peter is listed in ICAEW’s Find a Chartered Accountant directory, and the project applies an accountancy-led approach to public-interest price transparency, source evidence, correction handling, and clear separation between captured prices and estimates.
View Peter Langdon’s ICAEW directory profile · ICAEW does not endorse, verify, or operate Funeral Cost Index.
Download the underlying data: Essex funeral prices (CSV). Free for public-interest use with attribution to Funeral Cost Index.
Quick answer
The median direct cremation in Essex costs £1,435 (10% below UK average). The median attended funeral is £2,995 (funeral director’s charges only). Based on 125 published direct cremation prices and 136 attended funeral prices from 208 indexed funeral directors within 25 miles.
Build an itemised estimate for Essex with the funeral cost calculator.
Price range across 136 Essex providers
- Direct cremation · n=125
- £1,435median
- Attended funeral (FD only) · n=136
- £2,995median
Typical £1,240–£1,775 (middle 50%)
Full range £975–£2,115
Typical £2,575–£3,213 (middle 50%)
Full range £1,420–£3,506
Total cost of an attended cremation in Essex
The funeral director’s charge plus the third-party crematorium fee — the disbursement that Standardised Price Lists exclude.
- Median funeral director charge (attended)
- £2,995
- Crematorium fee — Maldon Fields Cermatorium Crematorium (3.8 mi)
- + £1,195
- Modelled total (sum of the local median and the nearest captured crematorium fee, not a quote; excl. doctors’/celebrant fees)
- £4,190
Crematorium fee captured May 2026 from the operator's published fee list. The crematorium nearest Essex is used as a local reference. The 10 crematoria with a captured fee within 25 miles charge £880 to £1,425 for a standard attended cremation. Doctors’ and minister or celebrant fees are additional; the funeral cost calculator uses a £300 celebrant estimate (not a captured price) for the celebrant.
Crematoria serving Essex
10 crematoria within 25 miles of Essex, nearest first. Cremation fees are the third-party charge paid to the crematorium, separate from the funeral director’s fee.
| Crematorium | Distance | Standard cremation fee |
|---|---|---|
| Maldon Fields Cermatorium CrematoriumMaldon Fields Cermatorium | 3.8 mi | £1,195 |
| Chelmsford CrematoriumChelmsford | 6.9 mi | £1,265 |
| Three Counties CrematoriumBraintree | 10.4 mi | £1,335 |
| Dunmow CrematoriumUttlesford | 10.8 mi | £1,100 |
| Basildon & District CrematoriumBasildon & District | 14.4 mi | £1,425 |
| Colchester CrematoriumColchester | 14.8 mi | £1,110 |
| Southend-on-Sea CrematoriumSouthend-on-Sea | 14.8 mi | £880 |
| Bentley CrematoriumBrentwood | 16.4 mi | £1,375 |
| South Essex CrematoriumSouth Essex | 21.3 mi | £1,250 |
| Harlow CrematoriumHarlow | 22.0 mi | £1,425 |
Standard fees are for a full attended cremation, captured from published crematorium fee lists; each crematorium page names the source and capture date, including where a fee comes from a funeral director’s reproduction of the list. Unattended (direct) cremation slots are usually lower.
Essex vs UK
Median funeral director charges, like-for-like.
| Service | Essex median | UK median | Essex vs UK |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct cremation | £1,435 | £1,595 | 10% below UK average |
| Attended funeral (FD only) | £2,995 | £2,900 | 3% above UK average |
Direct cremation range in Essex: £975 to £2,115.
Published direct cremation prices in Essex
Five captured provider prices within 25 miles of Essex, ordered by published direct cremation price.
- 1.L.E. Brand & Sons Ltd£975
- 2.D J Cotton & Sons Funeral Directors Limited£999
- 3.D J Cotton & Sons Funeral Directors Ltd£999
- 4.J Edwards Funeral Directors£1,100
- 5.F P Guiver & Sons Ltd - Rochford£1,200
Always confirm the price directly with the funeral director and read the full Standardised Price List before deciding.
Market structure in Essex
- Funeral directors indexed
- 208
- Independent vs chain
- 159 / 49
- Published-price coverage
- 70%
Within 25 miles
independents / chain branches
146 of 208 have a CMA SPL captured
Funeral directors near Essex
East of England Co-op Funeral Service
115b Newland Street, WITHAM, ESSEX · CM8 1BE
Independent / unclassified
2.7 mi
No price list captured
- Direct cremation
- —
- Attended (FD only)
- —
- Professional fee
- —
2.7 mi
No price list captured
- Direct cremation
- —
- Attended (FD only)
- —
- Professional fee
- —
2.8 mi
Captured 5 Oct 2026
- Direct cremation
- £1,645
- Attended (FD only)
- £2,995
- Professional fee
- £810
Source price list captured from the funeral director's published CMA Standardised Price List.
2.8 mi
Captured 2 May 2026
- Direct cremation
- £1,545
- Attended (FD only)
- £2,695
- Professional fee
- £725
Source price list captured from the funeral director's published CMA Standardised Price List.
2.9 mi
Captured 16 Sept 2026
- Direct cremation
- £1,240
- Attended (FD only)
- £3,265
- Professional fee
- £845
Source price list captured from the funeral director's published CMA Standardised Price List.
3.3 mi
Captured 16 Sept 2026
- Direct cremation
- £1,850
- Attended (FD only)
- £3,365
- Professional fee
- —
Source price list captured from the funeral director's published CMA Standardised Price List.
3.5 mi
No price list captured
- Direct cremation
- —
- Attended (FD only)
- —
- Professional fee
- —
Bakers Funeral Services t/a A.G. Smith Funeral Directors
Eves Corner Danbury, Chelmsford, Essex · CM3 4QB
Independent
3.5 mi
Captured 16 Sept 2026
- Direct cremation
- —
- Attended (FD only)
- £1,885
- Professional fee
- £600
Source price list captured from the funeral director's published CMA Standardised Price List.
Danbury Co-operative Funeral Directors
57a Main Road, CHELMSFORD, ESSEX · CM3 4NG
Independent / unclassified
3.5 mi
No price list captured
- Direct cremation
- —
- Attended (FD only)
- —
- Professional fee
- —
4.0 mi
No price list captured
- Direct cremation
- —
- Attended (FD only)
- —
- Professional fee
- —
4.0 mi
Captured 16 Sept 2026
- Direct cremation
- —
- Attended (FD only)
- £1,885
- Professional fee
- £600
Source price list captured from the funeral director's published CMA Standardised Price List.
East of England Co-op Funeral Service
13-15 Market Hill, MALDON, ESSEX · CM9 4PZ
Independent / unclassified
4.0 mi
No price list captured
- Direct cremation
- —
- Attended (FD only)
- —
- Professional fee
- —
Adam and Greenwood Funeral Home LLP
166 High Street, MALDON, ESSEX · CM9 5BX
Independent / unclassified
4.3 mi
Captured 16 Sept 2026
- Direct cremation
- £1,850
- Attended (FD only)
- £3,365
- Professional fee
- —
Source price list captured from the funeral director's published CMA Standardised Price List.
4.3 mi
Captured 16 Sept 2026
- Direct cremation
- £1,850
- Attended (FD only)
- £3,365
- Professional fee
- —
Source price list captured from the funeral director's published CMA Standardised Price List.
G Collins and Sons Funeral Directors Limited
4 The Street, WITHAM, ESSEX · CM8 1RH
Independent / unclassified
4.8 mi
No price list captured
- Direct cremation
- —
- Attended (FD only)
- —
- Professional fee
- —
5.4 mi
Captured 5 Oct 2026
- Direct cremation
- —
- Attended (FD only)
- £2,580
- Professional fee
- £1,485
Source price list captured from the funeral director's published CMA Standardised Price List.
Secure Haven Funeral Directors
1 Hospital Approach, Chelmsford, Essex · CM1 7FA
Independent / unclassified
5.7 mi
Captured 16 Sept 2026
- Direct cremation
- £1,349
- Attended (FD only)
- £2,255
- Professional fee
- £750
Source price list captured from the funeral director's published CMA Standardised Price List.
Baddow Co-operative Funeral Directors
348 Baddow Road, CHELMSFORD, ESSEX · CM2 9RA
Independent / unclassified
5.7 mi
No price list captured
- Direct cremation
- —
- Attended (FD only)
- —
- Professional fee
- —
Paul J King Funeral Directors
6 Corporation Road, CHELMSFORD, ESSEX · CM1 2AR
Independent / unclassified
6.0 mi
No price list captured
- Direct cremation
- —
- Attended (FD only)
- —
- Professional fee
- —
Chelmsford Co-operative Funeral Directors
78 Broomfield Road, CHELMSFORD, ESSEX · CM1 1SS
Independent / unclassified
6.0 mi
No price list captured
- Direct cremation
- —
- Attended (FD only)
- —
- Professional fee
- —
Showing 20 of 208 providers within 25 miles. Use postcode search for the full list.
Compare specific funeral types in Essex
Useful funeral cost guides
What goes into a funeral cost in Essex?
A funeral in the UK has two parts: the funeral director’s charges (their professional fee, the coffin, the hearse, and the care of the deceased), and third-party fees known as disbursements (cremation or burial fees, doctors’ fees, and any clergy or celebrant fees). The prices shown above cover only the funeral director’s charges, drawn from each provider’s published CMA Standardised Price List.
A direct cremation is an unattended cremation with no service. It is usually the lowest-cost option, and funeral directors that offer it must publish its price under the CMA Order. An attended funeral includes a service at a crematorium or place of worship.
Funeral costs in nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
How much does a funeral cost in Essex?
The median attended funeral in Essex is £2,995 for the funeral director's charges only, based on 136 published attended funeral prices from CMA Standardised Price Lists captured up to October 2026. Third-party fees are paid separately. For a cremation, the nearest crematorium with a captured fee, Maldon Fields Cermatorium Crematorium (3.8 miles away), charges £1,195 for a standard attended cremation, captured May 2026 from the operator's published fee list. A burial instead adds a median new grave of £1,229 plus a median adult interment fee of £1,097 (resident rate where published), from the published fee schedules of 56 burial authorities, mainly in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and northern England; no London authorities captured yet (captured by Funeral Cost Index in June 2026). Doctors' and minister or celebrant fees are extra.
How much is a direct cremation in Essex?
The median direct cremation price in Essex is £1,435 (all-in, including the cremation fee), ranging from £975 to £2,115 across 125 published direct cremation prices (last captured October 2026). Source: Funeral Cost Index, sourced from each provider's CMA Standardised Price List.
Which funeral director in Essex has the lowest published direct cremation price?
L.E. Brand & Sons Ltd publishes the lowest direct cremation price in the Essex area at £975, captured from their CMA Standardised Price List on 16 September 2026. Price is one factor - Funeral Cost Index does not rank providers by quality or recommend any specific funeral director.
Which funeral director in Essex has the lowest published attended funeral price?
H J Paintin Ltd publishes the lowest attended funeral director's charges in the Essex area at £1,420, captured from their CMA Standardised Price List on 16 September 2026. That covers funeral director services only - third-party crematorium, doctors' and clergy fees are billed separately.
Is Essex more expensive than the UK average?
Essex's median direct cremation (£1,435) is 10% below UK average (UK median £1,595). Both medians come from published CMA Standardised Price Lists captured by Funeral Cost Index.
Is Essex more expensive than the UK average for an attended funeral?
Essex's median attended funeral director's charges (£2,995) are 3% above UK average (UK median £2,900). Both medians come from published CMA Standardised Price Lists captured by Funeral Cost Index. These are funeral director services only; third-party fees are paid separately.
How many independent and chain funeral directors operate in Essex?
Funeral Cost Index indexes 208 funeral directors in and around Essex: 159 independents and 49 chain-owned branches (Co-op Funeralcare, Dignity, Funeral Partners), with chains making up 24% of local providers.
When was Funeral Cost Index's Essex pricing data last updated?
Funeral Cost Index last captured a price list from a Essex-area provider in October 2026. We re-capture published CMA Standardised Price Lists on a rolling schedule; individual providers may update prices independently. Always check the live price list before deciding.
Where can I see the full published price list for a funeral director in Essex?
Every provider profile on Funeral Cost Index links to that funeral director's own published CMA Standardised Price List, the source document for the prices shown. Open any provider in the Essex listing and follow the 'view original' link under its price table to read the provider's own document.
What is a CMA Standardised Price List?
Under the CMA Funerals Market Investigation Order 2021, every funeral director in the UK must publish a Standardised Price List showing the price of an attended funeral and, where offered, a direct (unattended) cremation, with a breakdown of the funeral director's professional fees, transport, care of the deceased, coffin, and third-party disbursement charges. Because the format is fixed by the CMA, like-for-like comparison is reliable for the first time.
Prices sourced from each provider’s published CMA Standardised Price List, where available. Always verify directly with the funeral director before making decisions.