The war in Iran is pushing up the cost of living in the UK but it is also driving up the \u201ccost of dying\u201d as higher gas prices feed through to funerals.<\/p>\n
A report has found the average cost of a funeral in Britain is running ahead of inflation, with the war seemingly partly to blame as it has pushed up the price of gas used in crematoriums.<\/p>\n
The average traditional funeral now costs \u00a34,623, which is up 1.3%, or \u00a361, since January, according to the study of more than 270 funeral directors across England, Scotland and Wales.<\/p>\n
That is estimated to be well above the rate of inflation for the same period, said the funeral provider Pure Cremation, which published the research.<\/p>\n
The data showed that the cost of a cremation funeral \u201chas risen more sharply than a burial funeral,\u201d which the study said was \u201clikely [to be] linked to the rising cost of fuel as a result of the Iran war\u201d.<\/p>\n
The average cremation is now \u00a34,293 \u2013 up 1.4% on January\u2019s figure. Meanwhile the average burial is up by 1% to \u00a36,129.<\/p>\n
The Bank of England said that between December 2025 and February this year (the most recent month available), UK prices increased by 0.1% overall. Meanwhile, the most recent official data showed annual UK inflation running at 3%<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most cremators in the UK are fuelled using gas \u2013 either natural gas or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). However, there are a small number of electric cremators, and the government said recently<\/a> that more were expected to be installed in the next few years.<\/p>\n