Ownership analysis
Funeral chain premium by region
This table compares median published funeral prices for larger corporate funeral groups against independent funeral directors by UK region. It uses the latest captured CMA Standardised Price List for each provider where ownership and prices are available.
The prices behind these medians were captured April–November 2026.
| Region | Chain providers | Independent providers | Chain direct | Independent direct | Direct difference | Chain attended | Independent attended | Attended difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| East Midlands | 61 | 54 | £1,240 | £1,575 | -£335 | £3,265 | £2,615 | +£650 |
| East of England | 109 | 131 | £1,545 | £1,625 | -£80 | £3,265 | £2,575 | +£690 |
| London | 102 | 92 | £1,645 | £1,445 | +£200 | £3,265 | £3,088 | +£178 |
| North East | 61 | 59 | £1,240 | £1,497 | -£257 | £3,265 | £2,105 | +£1,160 |
| North West | 123 | 137 | £1,645 | £1,495 | +£150 | £2,995 | £2,175 | +£820 |
| Northern Ireland | 0 | 10 | Limited data | £1,643 | Limited data | Limited data | £2,150 | Limited data |
| Scotland | 89 | 139 | £1,545 | £1,640 | -£95 | £3,140 | £2,463 | +£678 |
| South East | 273 | 154 | £1,595 | £1,595 | No difference | £3,265 | £2,750 | +£515 |
| South West | 108 | 140 | £1,545 | £1,664 | -£119 | £2,995 | £2,590 | +£405 |
| Wales | 29 | 73 | £1,645 | £1,595 | +£50 | £2,995 | £2,201 | +£795 |
| West Midlands | 82 | 127 | £1,393 | £1,595 | -£202 | £3,265 | £2,360 | +£905 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 80 | 89 | £1,645 | £1,568 | +£78 | £3,140 | £2,475 | +£665 |
Methodology
Corporate chain includes providers classified as Co-op, Dignity or Funeral Partners. Independent includes providers classified as independent. Unknown ownership is excluded from this analysis.
Medians are shown only where there are at least three published prices for the region and ownership bucket. A capture under review (a figure outside the range we publish, or a document that is not a price list) is left out. The figures are funeral director charges from published price lists and may exclude crematorium, burial, minister, celebrant and other third-party fees.
For local authority-level data, see funeral costs by council area.