Typical U.S. price
$9,995
Median prices from the funeral industry's own 2023 survey. Cemetery costs, such as the plot, opening the grave and the headstone, are extra.
| Basic services feeThe one fee you can't turn down | $2,495 |
| Moving the body to the funeral home | $395 |
| $845 | |
| $295 | |
| $475 | |
| $550 | |
| Hearse | $375 |
| Service car or van | $175 |
| $195 | |
| $2,500 | |
| $1,695 |
Source: National Funeral Directors Association, 2023 General Price List Study
Prices vary a lot between funeral homes in the same town. Cheap Funeral compares published prices by state.
Last checked .
In the estimator's figures, a funeral with a viewing and burial costs the most and direct cremation costs the least. The estimator above uses typical national prices. For real prices near you, check Cheap Funeral's state pages and ask each funeral home for its General Price List.
Quick facts
- A funeral with a viewing and burial, including a vault, had a median price of $9,995 (NFDA, 2023 General Price List Study).
- A funeral with a viewing and cremation had a median price of $6,280 (NFDA, 2023 General Price List Study).
- The basic services fee, the one charge a family can't turn down, had a median of $2,495 (NFDA, 2023 General Price List Study).
- Direct cremation had a median price of $1,995 (Asurgo, funeral costs by state, median of 919 price lists, August 2026).
Your next step
- Cheap FuneralFuneral prices in your stateFuneral homes with the lowest prices on file in each state, and the state's median prices.
- FuneralUSFind a funeral homeSearch funeral homes by ZIP code, city or state.
- Cheap FuneralHow to read a funeral home price listWhat a General Price List must show and how to compare two of them.
- Cheap FuneralHelp paying for a funeralThe Social Security death payment, VA burial allowances and other help.
Questions people ask
- What is the cheapest way to have a funeral?
- In the figures above, direct cremation costs the least, then immediate burial. Both leave out the viewing and the ceremony with the body present.
- Can a funeral home refuse a casket I bought online?
- No. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, a funeral home can't refuse to handle a casket or urn you bought elsewhere.
- Is embalming required by law?
- No, not for every death. The FTC says no state law requires routine embalming.
More questions
- Can I get funeral prices over the phone?
- Yes. Funeral homes have to give you price information by phone if you ask.
About these numbers
How much does cremation cost without services?
Cremation without services is called direct cremation. The estimator above shows a typical price, with its source. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, a direct cremation has no formal viewing, visitation or ceremony with the body present.
You can still hold a memorial service later, without the body, wherever you like.
Prices vary a lot between funeral homes in the same city. Cheap Funeral lists the direct cremation prices on file for funeral homes in each state.
Which funeral costs can you say no to?
Most of them. The FTC Funeral Rule lets you buy only the goods and services you want. Funeral homes have to give you prices over the phone if you ask, and a General Price List you can keep.
- Embalming. No state law requires routine embalming for every death.
- A casket for cremation. Funeral homes that offer cremation must tell you that alternative containers are available, and make them available.
- The funeral home's own casket or urn. A funeral home can't refuse to handle one you bought somewhere else.
Where do these estimates come from?
The estimator uses national figures, with the source shown next to each one. They are typical prices, not a quote. A funeral home's own current price list tells you what it charges.
Before you pay, the funeral home has to give you a written statement with everything you chose, the price of each item and the total.