How Much Does a Funeral Cost?
A funeral typically costs between $6,280 and $8,300.
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Being buried is more expensive than being cremated because there's an extra cost for a cemetery plot and a headstone, which is usually around $7,500. That totals nearly $16,000 for the funeral and burial. A cremation without a funeral is generally the cheapest option, costing about $1,250.
How much is a funeral, burial and cremation?
A funeral itself costs around $8,300. For a funeral and a cremation, the cost is about $6,280.
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Breakdown of funeral costs
Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Funeral before burial | $8,300 |
| Cemetery plot and headstone | $7,475 |
| Funeral with cremation | $6,280 |
| Cremation only | $1,250 |
Cost of a funeral before a burial
The typical cost of a funeral with an open casket is $8,300.
Item |
Median cost
|
|---|---|
| Transfer of remains | $395 |
| Embalming | $845 |
| Cosmetic services | $295 |
| Casket | $2,500 |
| Printed materials | $195 |
| Funeral services fee | $2,495 |
| Facility fee for viewing | $475 |
| Facility fee for funeral ceremony | $550 |
| Hearse | $375 |
| Service vehicle | $175 |
| Total | $8,300 |
-
Transfer of remains: $395
This is the cost for bringing the deceased to the funeral home before any funeral services.
-
Embalming: $845
Embalming is the process of preserving the body of the deceased before the funeral or viewing.
-
Cosmetic services: $295
Preparing the body can include makeup, dressing, grooming and placing the deceased in the casket.
-
Casket: $2,500
A casket usually costs about $2,500, but prices change depending on the type of casket you buy. Metal caskets are cheaper than wooden caskets. The cheapest options are rental caskets and green burial caskets.
-
Printed materials: $195
Funeral homes can arrange and print memorial cards, obituary pamphlets, guest books and other printed materials.
-
Funeral services fee: $2,495
This covers funeral planning, coordinating with the cemetery, getting the burial permit, publishing obituaries and getting copies of the death certificate.
-
Facility use for viewing: $475
This fee pays for having a viewing or visitation at the funeral home. This is a less formal gathering where the deceased is often displayed in the casket.
-
Facility use for funeral ceremony: $550
When a funeral happens at the funeral home, there is a cost for using the facilities.
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Hearse: $375
The hearse is used to take the deceased to the cemetery and also to the funeral if it's held somewhere other than the funeral home.
-
Service vehicle: $175
A car service is often used by the immediate family to follow the hearse.
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Extra funeral costs
Additional costs for flowers, wreaths and a burial vault can total $2,445.
Item |
Median cost
|
|---|---|
| Flowers | $600 |
| Wreath | $150 |
| Vault | $1,695 |
| Total | $2,445 |
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Flowers and wreaths: $750
Costs for flowers and wreaths can vary widely depending on where you live and the type of arrangements you choose.
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Burial vaults, also known as grave liners: $1,695
This is the outer container that a casket is placed in at the burial site. It's made of reinforced concrete and prevents the weight of the earth from caving in over time. Burial vaults are not required by law, but some cemeteries require them.
Cost of a burial plot and headstone
You'll generally pay around $7,475 for a headstone, burial plot and the burial itself.
Item |
Median cost
|
|---|---|
| Burial plot | $2,800 |
| Headstone | $3,000 |
| Interment | $1,675 |
| Total | $7,475 |
-
Burial plot: $2,800
The cost of a single burial plot costs $2,800 nationally, but costs can vary widely. Where the plot is affects how much you pay, and plots tend to cost more in cities or places with high costs of living. Public cemeteries are cheaper, with single plots costing between $525 and $2,500. At a private cemetery, single plots can cost between $2,000 and $5,000.
-
Headstone: $3,000
An upright headstone costs between $2,000 and $3,000. You'll pay more for elaborate grave markers or memorial benches, while you'll pay less for a flat headstone.
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Interment: $1,675
Cemeteries charge a fee for the process of placing the casket in the ground, called an interment fee. This can include excavating the grave site, preparing for the burial service and ongoing care of the grave.
Cost of a funeral with cremation
The typical cost of a funeral and cremation is $6,280.
This kind of funeral still has a viewing and might have an open casket. That means there are still costs to prepare the body and for the funeral events.
Item |
Median cost
|
|---|---|
| Transfer of remains | $395 |
| Embalming | $845 |
| Cosmetic services | $295 |
| Printed materials | $195 |
| Funeral services fee | $2,495 |
| Facility use for viewing | $475 |
| Facility use for funeral ceremony | $550 |
| Cremation container | $160 |
| Cremation fee | $400 |
| Urn | $295 |
| Service vehicle | $175 |
| Total | $6,280 |
-
Transfer of remains: $395
This transportation cost covers the process of bringing the deceased from where they passed away to the funeral home.
-
Embalming: $845
Embalming prepares the body of the deceased for the funeral and viewing. If you don't plan to have a viewing for your loved one, you won't have to pay this cost.
-
Cosmetic services: $295
This can include makeup, grooming, dressing and placing the deceased in the casket.
-
Printed materials: $195
Funeral homes can print things like memorial cards, guest books and obituary pamphlets for the viewing, visitation or funeral.
-
Funeral services fee: $2,495
This is a base price that funeral homes charge to have a funeral. The charge can't be declined, and it changes depending on where you live and the funeral home you use. It covers funeral planning, paperwork such as the death certificate, and publishing the obituary.
-
Facility use for viewing: $475
This fee covers the cost of a viewing or visitation that's held at the funeral home. This less formal event happens prior to the funeral, and the deceased is often displayed in a casket.
-
Facility use for funeral ceremony: $550
This is a facility fee for funerals that are held at the funeral home.
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Cremation container: $160
Cremation containers are made entirely of wood or other combustible material. Unlike a standard casket, a cremation casket doesn't have metal, which allows the casket to turn to ash during the cremation process.
-
Cremation fee: $400
This is the fee that a crematorium charges for the cremation process.
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Urn: $295
An urn is a container that holds the ashes after the deceased is cremated. There is a wide variety of urns at a range of prices.
-
Service vehicle: $175
Immediate family members may use a service vehicle to travel to and from a funeral home or church for a visitation, viewing or funeral service.
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It's cheaper to have a cremation than a burial. Even though many of the funeral costs are the same, the urn and cremation casket cost less overall than a casket used for burial. Plus, cremation gives you the option to avoid the costs of burial plots and headstones.
Extra costs with a cremation
Just like with a funeral and burial, there are often optional extra costs for a cremation funeral. For example, you may want flowers for the viewing, visitation or funeral. Flowers generally cost between $500 and $700.
Cost of a cremation only
A cremation that doesn't include a funeral costs around $1,250.
If you plan to have memorial services somewhere other than a funeral home, you can avoid the fees that funeral homes usually charge.
Item |
Median cost
|
|---|---|
| Transfer of remains | $395 |
| Cremation container | $160 |
| Cremation fee | $400 |
| Urn | $295 |
| Total | $1,250 |
-
Transfer of remains: $395
This is the transportation cost for bringing the deceased to the funeral home or crematorium.
-
Cremation container: $160
This is a container made of cardboard or fiberboard that the deceased's body is placed in before cremation.
-
Cremation fee: $400
This covers the cost of the cremation process.
-
Urn: $295
An urn holds the ashes of a cremated loved one. Urns come in a variety of shapes, sizes and prices.
How to pay for funeral costs
Life insurance policies and savings are the most common ways to pay for a funeral. Because funerals can be expensive, planning ahead for your funeral or the funeral of a loved one can help you prepare.
Life insurance: If your loved one had a life insurance policy, you could get some money shortly after their death. Depending on the policy, this could be a lump sum of $25,000, $100,000 or even millions. That money can be used to pay for the funeral, to settle medical bills or for anything else the beneficiary decides.
As long as the policy has a beneficiary listed, the lump-sum payment is usually made within a few days or weeks. Sometimes, life insurance policies can be set up to pay a funeral home directly. In that case, the beneficiary gets what's left of the death benefit after the funeral is paid for.
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Burial insurance: Also called funeral insurance, this is a type of life insurance designed to cover just end-of-life expenses. Policies usually pay out $25,000 or less, which is smaller than a typical life insurance payout.
Payable-on-death account: This is a type of bank account that lets anyone set aside funds for end-of-life services. The money in the account doesn't need to go through probate, where a will is verified, which means it's easier and faster to access. The beneficiary usually just needs a death certificate to get the money.
Veterans benefits: All eligible veterans can get a free burial in a national cemetery. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) also offers a burial allowance that can range from $300 to $2,000, a cemetery plot allowance of $734 to $978, and a headstone allowance of $195 to $290.
Social Security payment of $255: A one-time payment called the lump-sum death payment is available for the surviving spouse or child of someone who has been receiving Social Security benefits. In most cases, the funeral home will help you complete the paperwork to receive this.
Monthly Social Security benefits for the surviving family: Based on how long the deceased person worked, the surviving spouse or children may be eligible for monthly survivor benefits.
Frequently asked questions
Is $10,000 enough for a funeral?
$10,000 will usually cover the cost for the funeral itself, but it may not cover the added costs of burial and a headstone. You should plan to have about $16,000 to cover the entire process. If you or your loved one chooses cremation, your costs will usually be lower and will depend on if you choose to have a viewing or not before the cremation process.
What is the most expensive part of a funeral?
The most expensive part of a funeral is usually the cost for a burial plot and headstone. A burial plot costs about $2,800 while headstones cost around $3,000. Caskets cost around $2,500. The fee that the funeral home charges for the service is also expensive at $2,495.
How much does a burial plot cost?
Burial plots usually cost between $525 and $5,000. Public cemeteries usually have cheaper plots than private cemeteries, and plots are usually cheaper in areas that have lower costs of living.
Sources
Sources for funeral cost info include:
Other sources include Congress.gov, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) and the Social Security Administration (SSA).
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