11 Typical Funeral Expenses

by Susan Evans

Here is a list of the average costs of funeral items and services, based on information from the National Funeral Directors Association .

Please contact your local funeral directors for a General Price List for prices in your area.

Average Costs of Commonly Selected Services

If you request more than one of these, pricing obviously increases.

  1. Nondeclinable basic services fee: $2195
  2. Removal/transfer of remains to funeral home: $310
  3. Embalming: $750
  4. Other preparation of the body: $250
  5. Use of facilities/staff for viewing: $425
  6. Use of facilities/staff for funeral ceremony: $500
  7. Hearse: $340
  8. Service car/van: $150
  9. Basic memorial printed package: $175
  10. Metal casket: $2,500
  11. Vault: $1,495

Median Cost of a Funeral With Viewing and Burial

  • without vault: $7,640
  • with vault: $9,135

Note – This list of 2019 averages doesn’t include cemetery and burial costs.

WHN TIP – Lowering Funeral Costs: Read our top advice from our readers and funeral directors.


For More Information

Federal Trade Commission – Funerals: A Consumer Guide
The site has useful information about funerals and pre-planning. The FTC works to ensure that the nation’s markets are vigorous, efficient and free of restrictions that harm consumers.

ICFA’s Funeral Consumer Guide
The site has information on burials, cemeteries, embalming, organ donation, grief and other related areas. The International Cemetery and Funeral Association (ICFA) has more than 6,000 members in over 25 countries.

National Funeral Directors Association Consumer Resources
The site has i
nformation to help those mourning the loss of a loved one with ways to cope with their grief, ideas for memorial services and funerals and a way to locate their local NFDA Member Funeral Director. National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA) is the world’s leading funeral service association, serving 19,700 individual members who represent more than 10,000 funeral homes in the United States and internationally.

Photo Credit: Erik-Jan Leusink

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