Never mind the cost of living; have you seen what it costs to die around here?

"That'll be £1,270, please, sir. Coffins are extra."

Never mind today’s increase in the cost of living – have you seen what it costs to die around here? Inflation does not stop with the last breath, and basic burial costs vary more than house prices from one part of Britain to another.

The cheapest are as low as £50 but the most expensive hit an eye-watering £1,270. Nor is the division on a simple north/south basis, as is the trend with house prices.

Strangely, two of the 10 cheapest places to be buried are in the constituencies of former Chancellors of the Exchequer. Nigel Lawson’s former seat at Blaby, Leicestershire, came in with a rock bottom quote of £50 for a basic interment, while John Major’s former seat at Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, was fourth cheapest of 255 local authorities surveyed with a charge of £115.

By contrast, the most expensive place for a basic burial was Lichfield, Staffordshire, which charged £1,270 – or more than 25 times as much as Blaby – while Elmbridge, Surrey, was not far behind with costs of £1,138 according to funeral plan provider Avalon.

Bear in mind these figures do not include additional costs such as having a vicar, priest or other religious representative in attendance and you can see why some chose to save up for the dread event. Recent research by Mintel suggests a basic funeral now costs more than £2,600 but a church service and flowers would push this above £3,000.

Before the Welfare State set out to care for people from cradle to grave, saving up for a decent send off was the basis of many life companies’ business. But soaring taxation and the death of the savings habit put an end to that.

Now former Norwich Union manager Mike Cooper, managing director of Avalon, reckons there may be a gap in the market. Fewer than three in 10 of the people who die in Britain are now buried – and rising costs are a major factor in families choosing cremation.

He said: “As space dwindles and fees grow, the number of burials is expected to decrease rapidly. It seems that dying has become a very expensive business.

“While the traditional funeral is still part of our cultural fabric, burials are now out of reach for many of the population. It’s no surprise that cremation is by far the most popular choice for funerals.”

No wonder more people have started saving again toward paying for one of life’s few certainties. As rising inflation and taxation, coupled with frozen or falling earnings continue to squeeze living standards, relying on the children to do you proud could prove a mistake.