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Funeral prices

What Costs Are Associated With a Traditional Funeral Service?

This post provides price ranges for many of the items associated with a traditional funeral service.  Reviewing these considerations will help you identify the type of funeral service most appropriate for your budget.

A traditional funeral service can cost nearly $10,000

While the average funeral costs nearly $7,500, many traditional funerals cost in excess of $10,000.  Here are the main components typically associated with a traditional funeral:

    • casket: $2,300
    • funeral director’s basic services fee: $1,400
    • embalming and body preparation: $600
    • viewing / visitation ceremony: $400
    • funeral ceremony: $450
    • transportation (pick up body, limousine, and hearse): $625
    • miscellaneous (certificates, permits, music, clergy, obituary, register book, service folders, obituary, flowers): $500
    • grave site $1,000
    • fee to dig grave site $500
    • headstone $1,500

The above costs represent national averages for many of the costs associated with a traditional funeral service.  Your actual costs could be higher (or lower) based upon geographic location, the funeral home you select, and the actual items you purchase.

If you would like to save money the next time you need to make funeral arrangements, you can search and compare local funeral home pricing at Parting.com.

Get Smart About Funeral Prices

I'll admit that gathering information about funeral prices is harder than it should be.  In addition, funeral homes and cemeteries are subject to different requirements when it comes to providing you with information about their prices and options.

Funeral prices are not set in stone

If you only take away one thing from this article it should be this: funeral prices can vary greatly from one funeral home to the next.  This means a funeral service at one funeral home can cost thousands of dollars more than a similar service held at another funeral home right down the street….so it pays to shop around!

Why most people don't compare funeral prices

Unfortunately, most people do not compare prices between funeral homes.  This is understandable for a couple of reasons:

    • We don’t like to talk about or plan for death
    • Funeral plans often need to be made quickly - this can be especially burdensome when the death was unexpected
    • Most people simply do not know enough about funeral planning to even know what questions to ask or what items to compare
    • No one wants to be perceived as being cheap when it comes to making funeral arrangements for a loved one

However, you should approach the process of buying funeral goods and services just like you would any other major purchase - take the time to educate yourself as to the options and prices available in the marketplace.

Save Money on Funeral Costs by Making Arrangements at a Low-Priced Funeral Home and Cemetery

Many people don’t realize that prices can vary greatly between funeral homes.   Over just the last three years many family-run funeral homes (and local cemeteries) have been taken-over by big global corporations.  These big corporate funeral homes often keep the original owner’s family name on the door so they don't scare away their old customers.  Unfortunately, these corporations often raise prices by 30% to 50%.

Don't just the pick the same old funeral home

This is why you should NOT automatically use the same funeral home you have used in the past UNTIL you check to see if they have SINCE become part of one of the big funeral corporations – as so many have!

Questions?