The cost of a funeral in the town is more than £200 below the national average, according to the latest research from Royal London’s National Funeral Cost Index.
Nationally, the price of funerals has risen by 0.7 per cent since 2018, adding £28 to the average cost of being laid to rest, which is now £3,785.
In their report, Royal London said the rise was due to an increase in burial and cremation costs as funeral directors’ fees have actually decreased by 1.1 per cent between 2018 and 2019.
But in Tunbridge Wells, the cost of a funeral remains relatively low compared to national prices at £3,518.
The average cost of a burial in the town is £3,816 and the cost of a cremation, £3,220.
Unsurprisingly, London has the highest funeral costs in the country with the average price of being laid to rest in the capital is over a £1,000 more than it is in Tunbridge Wells, at £4,939.
Funerals in the South East cost on average £3,669.
On releasing their report, Royal London warned of the amount of money people are borrowing to pay for the burials and cremations of loved ones, with around 74,000 people in the UK struggling with ‘funeral debt’.
The Government’s Funeral Expenses Payment is meant to help individuals on a low income to pay for funerals but bereaved families who struggle with funeral costs are taking on around £1,990-worth of debt, the report found.
Funeral expert at Royal London, Louise Eaton-Terry, said: “As bereaved families continue to take on thousands of pounds of debt to pay for their loved ones’ funerals, support from the state remains woefully inadequate.
“The Government have tinkered around the edges and made some improvements to the Funeral Expenses Payment benefit, but the fact remains that the fund does not cover the full cost of a simple funeral.”
