How we calculate funeral costs

Last updated 28^th January 2026 by the SunLife Content Team
3 min read

Every year, SunLife commissions research into funeral costs with Critical Research, a leading market research company. This takes place between May and July and is published in our Cost of Dying Report the following January.

Working out average funeral costs

The average funeral costs used in our funeral cost calculator are based on two parts. First, the cost of a funeral with a cremation or burial. And secondly, the cost of any extras chosen by you.

The funeral cost calculator offers three funeral types to choose from. These are traditional attended funeral, simple attended funeral and direct (unattended) funeral. The costs for these are based on quotes from 100 funeral directors.

A traditional attended funeral includes:

1. Funeral director services:
   1. Collection of the deceased from a 20/25 mile radius
   2. Care and dressing of the deceased
   3. Making arrangements – booking the crematorium, burial site and doctor (if needed), and dealing with all essential paperwork
   4. Use of the chapel of rest for viewing the deceased during working hours
   5. Transport of the deceased and family to and from the funeral site. Includes a hearse and one limousine, one director and four pall bearers
   6. A mid-range, oak veneer coffin
2. Clergy or celebrant fees
3. Doctors fees for certification (Northern Ireland only)
4. Cost of the cremation or burial
5. A service for mourners to attend at the crematoria or cemetery

A simple attended funeral includes:

1. Funeral director services:
   1. Collection of the deceased from a 20/25 mile radius
   2. Care and dressing of the deceased
   3. Making arrangements – booking the crematorium, burial site and doctor (if needed), and dealing with all essential paperwork
   4. A low-range, wood-effect coffin
2. Clergy or celebrant fees
3. Doctors fees for certification (Northern Ireland only)
4. Cost of the cremation or burial
5. A service for mourners to attend at the crematoria or cemetery

A direct funeral includes:

1. Funeral director services:
   1. Collection of the deceased from a 20/25 mile radius
   2. Care and dressing of the deceased
   3. Making arrangements – booking the crematorium, burial site and doctor (if needed), and dealing with all essential paperwork
   4. A low-range, wood-effect coffin
2. Doctors fees for certification (Northern Ireland only)
3. Cost of the cremation or burial

A direct funeral does not include a service and cannot usually be attended by anyone.

The calculator gives an indication of funeral costs in your area, but actual costs will vary.

We get the average cost of extras chosen by you from a survey of 1,500 people who have recently organised a funeral. As these are optional extras, not every funeral organiser spent money on each thing. So some of these average costs are based on a small sample size, and could be less accurate than others.