Death is not a terrible thing, it's an inevitable thing. It's hard for us to plan a funeral of our loved one. However, in recent years, more and more people are facing this issue head on and are planning their loved one's funeral in advance and knowing how much it will cost to hold the funeral. We recommend learning about funeral costs and planning well in advance to help you save the expenses. The cost of a funeral can range from $7,000 to $50,000, so what is involved in a funeral that costs money? Let's find out how much does a funeral cost in this guide.
The average cost of a burial is $8,000, while the cost of a direct cremation is around $2,000. When it comes to other services such as watching the cremation process and holding a memorial service, the average cost of a cremation is $6,500. One of the highest costs for a burial is casket, with the average wooden casket costing around $3,000, and metal caskets being more expensive. The range of funeral costs depends on your state and funeral size. The cost of a funeral includes the cost of a hearse, funeral home service fees, casket, headstone, and cemetery. Some people are partially reimbursed for the cost of the funeral by purchasing life insurance. Most people tend to spend more than they advance on funerals because their feelings for their deceased loved ones cloud their judgment. They want their deceased loved one to leave this world happily, so they will make the funeral as lavish as possible.
When we shop for household items in our daily lives, we shop around to find the best value for money. However, when we hold a funeral, few of us will constantly compare prices. Why not? Funerals are often more expensive and can be a significant expense for families who are struggling financially. That's why it's important to know in advance how much each item of the funeral will cost. But funeral costs are often opaque, and most funeral homes don't publish the costs involved. So you will need to call different funeral homes to request a detailed list of prices and corresponding services. The National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) has conducted a survey to calculate the average cost of a funeral. We list some of the data in this article as follows:
Average adult funeral costs with burial in 2021 (Based on 2021 Median Reported GPL Prices)
Basic service fee $2300
Casket $200
Vault $1500
Transfer of remains to funeral home $350
Embalming a dead body $775
Printed materials (basic memorial package) $183
Service car or van $150
Hearse $350
Use of facilities/staff for viewing $450
Use of facilities/staff for funeral ceremony $515
Average adult funeral costs with cremation in 2021 (Based on 2021 Median Reported GPL Prices)
Basic service fee $2300
Removal of remains to funeral home $350
Embalming a dead body $775
Cremation Urn $200
Casketing, cosmetology, dressing, gromming,etc $275
Use of facitilities/staff for funeral ceremony $515
Use of facitilities/staff for viewing $450
Service car or van $150
Printed materials (basic memorial package) $183
Funeral cost by State
Hawaii - $15,203
California - $10,727
Oregon - $10,424
New York - $10,355
Massachusetts - $10,270
Maryland - $9,921
Alaska - $9,913
Connecticut - $9,689
Rhode Island - $9,247
New Jersey - $9,154
If you are concerned about paying too much for the funeral, you can choose direct cremation. Direct cremation means saving a lot of money on the funeral process by burning the remains directly. You will save a lot of fees such as casket, pallbearers, cosmetology, etc. More and more people will plan their funeral costs in advance to save the burden on the remaining loved ones. There are many ways to help save money on funeral costs. Let's go deeper to read.
Ways to pay for funeral cost
- Purchase life insurance. You pay the monthly cost of the insurance and your beneficiaries receive a benefit upon your death. The approval process is simple: provide proof of death to the appropriate insurance agency.
- Apply for benefits from the state. Some localities can provide funeral benefits for low-income people, but it depends on your local government policy.
- Veteran's benefits. If your dying loved one was a veteran, you can apply for a free state cemetery and the appropriate pension. Some places have veterans' death benefits.
- Crowdfunding. If you really can't afford a funeral, you can start a donation and ask your community or friends for help.
- Pay-on-Death (POD) accounts, where payments are made to designated beneficiaries once the account owner dies. You can set aside funds in this account for your funeral and the beneficiary will receive the funds upon presentation of a death certificate.
How to save cost on funeral?
- Choose direct cremation.The average cost of direct cremation is $2,000, which means no cosmetic hairdressing or embalming of the body can be done. The cost of cremation includes the cost of cremating the body as well as the cost of purchasing an urn.
- Purchase your own urn or casket instead of purchasing one from the funeral home. You can choose a wooden casket, a metal one, or a biodegradable casket, which varies from material to material.
- Ask different funeral homes about their prices and compare them to each other. Since prices in the funeral industry are not transparent, the same service provided by different funeral homes may well be 1.5 times more expensive for one than the other.
- Make your own funeral plan. Hiring a professional funeral planner often costs a considerable amount of money, if you can plan the whole process of the funeral yourself, it will save you a lot of money. You can read " How to hold a cremation ceremony?".
- To decorate the casket yourself, we can buy some bouquets ourselves instead of using the ones provided by the funeral home. Or rent your own large vehicle to transport the body.
Except for the funeral costs we mentioned above, most people will also choose to purchase memorial jewelry to memorize their lost loved one, though it's not necessary. Custom urn necklace for ashes is becoming popular these days. If you are going to plan a funeral, we hope this article can help you.
