How Much Do Funerals Cost?
To help answer this question let’s take a look at the cost of some of the larger funeral arrangement expenditures. Focusing on just these few items is a good place to look to save money when pre-planning your funeral.
First on most people’s list is a casket and rightly so. They are sometimes referred to as coffins or burial cases. Caskets are one of the most costly items involved with burial. Caskets can be made of wood, metal, cardboard and even plastic. Wood or Metal caskets are the most expensive with top quality models going for $3,500 to $12,000. Lower quality wood coffins range from $350 to $800. According to the National Funeral Director Association in 2006 the average price for a metal casket was $2,255.
Next at the top of list is the traditional funeral burial package fee. The traditional burial package fee service typically includes embalming, removal of body from place of death, preparing the body for visitation, storage, viewing, funeral ceremony and ultimate delivery to the cemetery. Depending on where you live the casket and vault may or may not be included in the package. With some investigation, you will find a wide range of prices quoted. A low priced burial package can range from $2,700 to $3,200. On the high end you will likely be quoted from $5,000 to $6,500. Obviously, with such a wide range of pricing this is a good place to save and maximize available funds.
The summary chart below lists the average price of typical items needed for a traditional funeral. Your actual pricing can vary greatly depending on location.
Burial Vault – $2,000
Grave Plot – $5,000
Grave Marker/Monument – $1,700
Embalming – $600
Hearse – $350
Graveside Service – $450
Grave Opening & Closing – $700
With a Funeral Insurance Policy and preplanning you can easily save your family a significant amount of money. Funeral Planning now eliminates the pressure of your loved ones making quick decisions based on emotion. There are some great companies that can help you save online.
Click here to learn how a Burial Policy can help you offset final expenses and Funeral Costs.