Funeral Expenses: The Breakdown

04.16.2025 | Category: Costs and Calculators

Average funeral costs for a typical funeral with burial or cremation in the U.S., including viewing, hearse, casket and services.

Funerals can be expensive, whether they involve burial or cremation.

According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the median cost of a funeral In 2023 with viewing, burial and a burial vault (vaults are typically required by a cemetery) was $9,995.

And that doesn’t include what you’ll pay for options like a grave marker, cemetery fees, flowers or an obituary, out-of-pocket expenses that can easily add up to thousands more dollars.

Here’s a breakdown of the funeral costs of both a viewing with burial and a viewing with cremation as provided by the National Funeral Directors Association.

Median National Cost of Adult Funeral with Viewing and Burial

Item	In 2023
Nondeclineable basic services fee	$2,495
Removal/transfer of remains to funeral home	$395
Embalming	$845
Other preparation	$295
Use of facilities/staff for viewing	$475
Use of facilities/staff for funeral ceremony	$550
Hearse	$375
Service car or van	$175
Printed materials	$195
Subtotal without casket and vault	$5,800
Metal burial casket	$2,500
Vault	$1,695
Total with vault and casket	$9,995

Median National Cost of Adult Funeral Viewing and Cremation

Item	In 2023
Nondeclineable basic services fee	$2,495
Removal/transfer of remains to funeral home	$395
Embalming	$845
Other preparation	$295
Use of facilities/staff for viewing	$475
Use of facilities/staff for funeral ceremony	$550
Service car or van	$175
Printed materials	$195
Cremation fee	$400
Subtotal without cremation casket and urn	$5,825
Alternative cremation container	$160
Urn	$295
Total with cremation casket and urn	$6,280