Costs
How much does a cremation cost in the UK?
By Peter Langdon FCA · Last updated 7 June 2026 · Based on 6,509 published CMA Standardised Price Lists
Quick answer
The cost of a cremation in the UK depends on which of two routes you choose. A direct (unattended) cremation has a median all-in price of £1,595 (range £712 to £3,035 across 3,018 price lists), which already includes the cremation fee. An attended cremation funeral has a median funeral director’s charge of £2,900 (FD charges only), with the crematorium’s cremation fee paid separately on top (median £1,149 across 329 crematoria, captured May–November 2026).
What a cremation costs in the UK — at a glance
| Statistic | Direct cremation | Attended cremation (FD only) |
|---|---|---|
| Median price | £1,595 | £2,900 |
| 25th percentile (lower-cost end) | £1,240 | £2,495 |
| 75th percentile (higher end) | £1,795 | £3,265 |
| Published range | £712–£3,035 | £840–£4,800 |
| Sample size | 3,018 providers | 3,491 providers |
Direct cremation figures are all-in (they include the cremation fee). Attended cremation figures are the funeral director’s charges only — the crematorium cremation fee, doctors’ and any clergy or celebrant fees are paid separately. All figures from the most recent CMA Standardised Price List published by each funeral director.
How much does an attended cremation cost?
An attended cremation — a funeral with mourners present and a service at the crematorium — has a median funeral director’s charge of £2,900, with the middle 50% of providers between £2,495 and £3,265 across 3,491 published CMA Standardised Price Lists. That figure is the funeral director’s charges only. On top of it you pay the crematorium’s cremation fee, set by the crematorium (median £1,149 across 329 crematoria, captured May–November 2026), plus doctors’ fees and any celebrant or clergy fee. Added together, that is a modelled £4,349 (a sum of medians, not a captured or quoted price): the median funeral director's charge for an attended cremation (£2,900, 3,491 CMA Standardised Price Lists, captured April–November 2026), the median crematorium fee (£1,149, 329 crematoria, captured May–November 2026) and a £300 celebrant estimate (not a captured price).
The two ways to pay for a cremation
“Cremation cost” covers two quite different products. A direct cremation is an unattended cremation with no service: the funeral director collects the deceased, provides a simple coffin, transports them to the crematorium, and returns the ashes. Under the CMA Funerals Market Investigation Order 2021, its published price must include the cremation fee, so the figure you see is all-in.
An attended cremation is a traditional funeral with mourners present and a service at the crematorium. The price funeral directors publish for this is their own charges only — the professional fee, care of the deceased, a coffin and the hearse. The crematorium’s cremation fee is then added separately as a third-party disbursement.
The crematorium fee, explained
The crematorium fee is set by each crematorium, not the funeral director; UK crematoria charge a median of £1,149 (middle half £995–£1,300) across 329 UK crematoria, from published crematorium fee lists captured by Funeral Cost Index in May–November 2026. For an attended cremation, you pay it on top of the funeral director’s charges shown above. For a direct cremation it is already bundled into the published all-in price. This is the single biggest reason an attended cremation’s funeral director charge looks lower than the total you actually pay: the cremation fee, doctors’ fees and any celebrant or clergy fee all sit outside it.
Why cremation prices vary so much
Direct cremation is the most variable line on the Standardised Price List: captured all-in prices run from £712 to £3,035, with a middle half of £1,240–£1,795 (n=3,018). National specialist operators running centralised, unattended services publish prices at the lower end, while traditional local funeral directors include wider collection radius, the option to view the deceased, and a chosen ash-return container — and their published prices reflect that. Attended cremation charges differ with premises, staffing, coffin specification and ownership group; the middle half of attended charges runs £2,495–£3,265.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a cremation cost in the UK?
There are two routes. A direct (unattended) cremation has a median all-in price of £1,595 across 3018 published CMA Standardised Price Lists, including the crematorium's cremation fee. An attended cremation funeral has a median funeral director's charge of £2,900 across 3491 price lists; the crematorium's cremation fee (median £1,149 across 329 crematoria, captured May–November 2026, set by the crematorium and not the funeral director) is paid separately on top. All funeral director figures are from published price lists captured by Funeral Cost Index.
How much does an attended cremation cost in the UK?
An attended cremation — a funeral with mourners and a service at the crematorium — has a median funeral director's charge of £2,900 across 3491 published CMA Standardised Price Lists captured by Funeral Cost Index, with the middle 50% between £2,495 and £3,265. The crematorium's own cremation fee (median £1,149 across 329 crematoria, captured May–November 2026, set by the crematorium and not the funeral director) is paid separately on top, along with doctors' fees and any celebrant or clergy fee. Added together, that is a modelled £4,349 (a sum of medians, not a captured or quoted price): the median funeral director's charge for an attended cremation (£2,900, 3,491 CMA Standardised Price Lists, captured April–November 2026), the median crematorium fee (£1,149, 329 crematoria, captured May–November 2026) and a £300 celebrant estimate (not a captured price).
How much is a cremation only, or direct cremation?
A cremation only — also called direct cremation or an unattended cremation — has a median UK price of £1,595, ranging from £712 to £3,035 across 3,018 published price lists. This price is all-in and includes the cremation fee. Source: each provider’s CMA Standardised Price List.
What is the difference between the cremation cost and the crematorium fee?
The crematorium fee is the third-party charge the crematorium makes for the cremation itself, set by each crematorium, not the funeral director; UK crematoria charge a median of £1,149 (middle half £995–£1,300) across 329 UK crematoria, from published crematorium fee lists captured by Funeral Cost Index in May–November 2026. For an attended cremation it is paid separately as a disbursement on top of the funeral director's charges. For a direct cremation, the CMA Order requires the published price to already include the cremation fee, so the all-in figure is directly comparable.
Does cremation cost less than burial?
In almost all cases, yes. A cremation avoids buying a grave and paying an interment fee: UK burial grounds charge 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). See our cremation vs burial guide for the full comparison.
Where do these cremation prices come from?
Every funeral director figure on this page is drawn from a provider's published CMA Standardised Price List — the document each UK funeral director is legally required to display. We capture them, normalise them, and publish them on each provider's profile page. Crematorium fees come from a separate Funeral Cost Index capture of published crematorium fee lists (median £1,149 across 329 crematoria, captured May–November 2026), shown with its source and capture date on each crematorium page.
Where can I see cremation prices near me?
Use the UK postcode search to find providers in your area, or browse funeral costs by city.
Related guides
Find UK cremation prices near you
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Funeral director prices on this page are aggregated from each provider’s published CMA Standardised Price List, most recent capture 9 November 2026. The crematorium cremation fee range is contextual. Always verify directly with the funeral director and crematorium before making decisions.