What Funerals Cost

Funeral costs vary widely and depend on the type of funeral chosen. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that the average cost of a basic funeral with burial is around $6,500, but can easily exceed $10,000 if additional services are included, such as obituaries, flowers, and receptions. The cost of cemetery plots is on the rise, too, because of increasing land and maintenance costs. Cremation, a less-expensive option, is the choice of about one in three Americans. "No-frills" cremations can cost between $400 and $1,800; additional services can drive the cost to close to $5,000.

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Support for this Web site was provided by a grant from The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Princeton, New Jersey. www.rwjf.org