Funeral Expenses: The Breakdown
Funerals can be expensive, whether they involve burial or cremation.
According to the National Funeral Directors Association, the median cost of a funeral in 2017 with viewing, burial and a burial vault (vaults are typically required by a cemetery) was $8,755.
And that doesn’t include other funeral costs such as a grave marker ($1,500), monument ($2,500), flowers ($300) and obituary ($500).*
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 2017 |
---|---|
Non-declinable basic services fee | $2,100 |
Removal/transfer of remains to funeral home | $325 |
Embalming | $725 |
Other preparation of the body | $250 |
Use of facilities/staff for viewing | $425 |
Hearse | $325 |
Service car/van | $150 |
Basic memorial printed package | $160 |
Metal casket | $2,400 |
Subtotal | $7,360 |
Vault | $1,395 |
Total with vault | $8,755 |
Median National Cost of Adult Funeral Viewing and Cremation
Item | In 2017 |
---|---|
Non-declinable basic services fee | $2,100 |
Removal/transfer of remains to funeral home | $325 |
Embalming | $725 |
Other preparation of the body | $250 |
Use of facilities/staff for viewing | $425 |
Hearse | $500 |
Service car/van | $150 |
Basic memorial printed package | $160 |
Cremation fee (if firm uses a third-party crematory) | $350 |
Cremation casket | $1,000 |
Urn | $275 |
Total | $6,260 |
* Costs are the national average based on the 2019 PriceFinder database provided by Everest Funeral Concierge.
459260