How much does a funeral cost in 2024?

Funerals come with a hefty price tag — but a life insurance policy can help to cover the costs.

In the US, funerals often cost thousands of dollars — and that doesn’t include flowers, obituaries and other upgrades to celebrate your life. Your spouse, parents, children or siblings will need to cover those expenses immediately after your death, which is where a life insurance policy can provide peace of mind.

What is the average cost of a funeral in the US?

It depends on whether you opt for a burial or cremation.

The average cost of a funeral and burial is $8,300 up from $7,848, according to the latest data from the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA). If you get a vault — required by many cemeteries — that number rises to $9,995. The average cost of a funeral and cremation is a little lower: $6,280.

What costs are involved with a funeral?

Depending on the type of funeral you choose, you may have to pay for a range of services and materials. The NFDA compiled the average price breakdown across the US, but you could pay more or less based on where you live.

Item	Cost	Description
Metal casket	$2,500	The average casket made from metal, fiberboard, fiberglass or plastic casket costs $2,500. But some mahogany, bronze and copper caskets can set you back as much as $10,000, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
Funeral service fee	$2,459	This fee covers the cost of the funeral home or cemetery’s labor and equipment.
Vault	$1,695	The price of the protective enclosure the coffin rests in.
Cremation casket	$1,310*	The cost of the combustible container required for the cremation process.
Embalming	$845	The process of preserving a human body is often required for open-casket services or if the remains are set to be transferred interstate.
Funeral home staff	$550	An optional fee for enlisting the funeral home staff to assist with this service.
Facility usage	$475	If you want to use the funeral home’s chapel for the viewing, you’ll pay this fee.
Cremation fee	$400	The cost of cremating the body. Most funeral homes don’t have crematoriums, so they need to outsource this to a third-party.
Hearse	$375	The charge for the vehicle used to transport the body from the funeral home to the cemetery.
Transportation	$395	The price of transferring the body to the funeral home or morgue.
Urn	$295	The price of the urn to hold the remains after they’ve been cremated.
Cosmetic preparations	$295	Funeral homes charge a fee for any cosmetic preparation relating to makeup application, clothing and hairstyling.
Memorial service extras	$195	The cost of printing pamphlets, prayer cards and other materials for the funeral.
Service vehicle	$125	The fee for transporting family members to and from the funeral.

Other funeral costs to consider

This breakdown doesn’t factor in cemetery costs or other items you may use to make the funeral memorable. These could drive up the price of a funeral significantly and include:

• Burial plots. A plot could cost between $1,000 and $4,000 depending on the city the cemetery is located in and whether it’s a public or private site.
• Headstones and grave markers. These are made to order and can cost anywhere from $199 for a simple headstone to $5,000 for an upright headstone and $10,000 or more for elaborate monuments and statues.
• Flowers. The cost of adorning the casket or ceremony with funeral flowers comes down to the type of flowers you want.
• Obituary. The price of publishing an obituary in a newspaper or on a website varies between publications.

The cost of cremation vs. burial

The average cost of cremation across the US is $6,280, compared to $8,300 for a burial. To reduce the price even more, you can elect for a “direct cremation,” which skips the funeral service beforehand. This is the most economical option since the only material thing you’ll pay for is an urn.

Related: Compare burial insurance for funeral costs

Who is most likely to be researching the average cost of a funeral?

Finder data suggests that women aged 65+ are most likely to be researching this topic.

Average funeral costs by region

The cost of a funeral varies across the country. These are the average funeral costs by region, according to the NFDA’s 2023 General Price List Survey.

Region	States in region	Average cost of a funeral with burial	Average cost of a funeral with cremation
New England	CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT	$8,985	$7,023
Middle Atlantic	NJ, NY, PA	$8,573	$6,103
South Atlantic	DE, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC, WV, VA	$8,023	$6,103
East South Central	AL, KY, MS, TN	$7,615	$5,858
West South Central	AR, LA, OK, TX	$7,912	$5,890
East North Central	IL, IN, MI, OH, WI	$8,280	$6,120
West North Central	IA, MN, KS, MO, ND, SD, NE	$8,280	$6,713
Mountain	AZ, CO, ID, MT, NV, NM, UT, WY	$7,390	$5,505
Pacific	AK, CA, HI, OR, WA	$7,835	$5,812

How does life insurance help pay for a funeral?

Your beneficiaries can use the payout from your life insurance policy to cover your funeral costs.

If you don’t have coverage yet, look into final expense life insurance — a permanent policy specifically designed to pay for end-of-life costs, like a funeral, burial and unpaid medical bills.

These policies are usually marketed to seniors over age 65. They are limited to smaller amounts ranging from $5,000 to $25,000 and don’t require a medical exam.

Is prepaying for a funeral an option?

Yes. You can purchase preneed insurance through a funeral home. With this policy, you can arrange as much or as little of your funeral as you like — some people simply choose their plot, while others plan the entire ceremony and burial.

Depending on the funeral home, you can either pay for the policy in one lump sum or request a 3-, 5- or 10-year payment plan. The costs vary, but this coverage is capped at $25,000.

Related: Learn about average life insurance rates for 2023

Bottom line

Between the ceremony and burial or cremation costs, funerals can be expensive. But having a life insurance policy can spare your family from scrambling for the money needed to lay you to rest.

To ease that financial burden on your family, compare life insurance policies.