These are the average funeral costs per region in France
Normandy has the highest average cost and Occitanie has the lowest
Costs include organising and managing a funeral, together with the ceremony
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The average cost of a funeral can vary significantly by region in France, reaching more than €5,000 in some areas, a new study shows.
The report by at-home ageing alliance Silver Alliance and independent funeral software solution group Simplifia, first published by Le Parisien, studied 50,000 death files to evaluate average costs.
It found that the average cost of a funeral in 2023 in France was €4,730.
This cost is made up of the price of organising and managing a funeral, at an average of €2,895. This may or may not include the cost of the ceremony, which averages around €700.
The cost of the coffin and its accessories (cushions, emblems, screw covers, handles etc) is added to this, at an average cost of €1,343.
On top of this, added extras and optional services can also stack up. The average cost of floral arrangements, the publication of a death announcement, a memorial, or help with administrative formalities can cost an average of €1,115 on top.
Read also: What is cost of average funeral in France?
Read also: Explainer: burials, cremations and funerals in France
Regional variations
The average cost of a funeral can vary wildly depending on the region, the study found.
Normandy has the highest cost, at €5,350; while Occitanie has the lowest, at €4,362.
In order of cost, the rest of the regions come in at:
Ile-de-France: €5,317
Pays de la Loire: €5,156
Centre-Val de Loire: €5,026
Brittany: €5,019
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté: €4,956
Grand Est: €4,782
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: €4,764
Hauts-de-France: €4,632
Nouvelle-Aquitaine: €4,452
Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur: €4,399
Cremation vs burial
Cremation and burial costs are similar. The study found that the average cost of a funeral for someone who is cremated is €4,434, compared with €5,044 for someone who is buried.
This is largely because a cremation does not require a burial plot, a headstone, or other costs associated with burial in the ground.
Read also: Are low-cost cremations available in France as they are in the UK?
Who pays for these costs?
Typically, funeral costs are paid for by the family of the deceased. This can be onerous for families, especially as the average cost can easily exceed more than three times the average monthly retirement pension (€1,400) in France.
In some specific cases - for example, someone whose family has no way of paying, as well as a civil servant, a job-seeker, or a state pensioner - the costs of a funeral may be topped up with government assistance.
