The cost of cremation in France could increase by almost 35% in the next two years. The reason: the increase in the price of gas.
Rising energy prices impact all areas of our lives, but also, and we think less of it, death. The funeral environment is very dependent on gas, especially for the practice of cremation. According to a study published this week by the specialized price comparator “Best funeral directors”, the cost of being cremated could increase by almost 35% in the next two years. In question, the increase in the amount of the gas bill for funeral directors, which has been multiplied by seven compared to the beginning of 2021. According to the study, the share of gas in the price of a cremation currently corresponds at around 20%.
Until now, cremation has been a less expensive alternative to conventional burial. It is necessary to count on average 3770€ today for a cremation. A funeral, on the other hand, amounts to at least €3534, to which additional costs must be added. Ceremony fees (250€), marblework (320€ to 3320€), cost of the concession, etc. cremation is increasingly favored by the French from a decade. Between 2010 and 2022 the percentage of people choosing this type of funeral rose from 32% to 42%.
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For the past ten years, dying has become more and more expensive
According to the head of a funeral agency interviewed by our colleagues from Parisian, this curve in favor of cremation could be reversed. “The costs have already doubled in ten years. If the cost of gas gets involved, it will end up being more expensive than burial.” But if gas bills are driving up the bill, the death market has already seen its prices skyrocket for nearly a decade. A study carried out by UFC-Que Choisir in 2019 already noted an increase of nearly 14% in the amount to be paid for a burial between 2014 and 2019.
The association also pointed the finger in this study at the abuses of certain funeral directors. This rise of nearly 14% on the bill was indeed more than 3.5 times higher than inflation at the same period. The association then put 470 companies on notice to comply with the regulations following the observation of flagrant abuses during the creation of quotes.