How much will a funeral cost?
Pick burial or cremation. We start with the national median price and take off anything you have saved.
Base prices are NFDA 2023 national medians and do not include cemetery costs. Prices where you live may be higher or lower.
What funerals cost in 2023
The National Funeral Directors Association found the national median cost of a funeral with viewing and burial was $8,300. With viewing and cremation, it was $6,280. Cemetery costs like the plot and headstone are extra.
More families now pick cremation. NFDA projected the cremation rate at 63.4% for 2025.
Under the FTC Funeral Rule, funeral homes must give you an itemized price list so you can pick only what you want. Read how much does a funeral cost for more.
Tips to lower funeral costs
Ask every funeral home for its itemized price list. The FTC Funeral Rule says they must give it to you.
You can buy a casket or urn somewhere else. The funeral home cannot charge you a fee to use it.
Direct cremation with no viewing usually costs the least. A memorial service can still happen later, at a church or at home.
Common questions
Is embalming required?
Usually no. The FTC says no state law requires it for every death.
Does Social Security help?
It pays a one time $255 to a surviving spouse or child who qualifies.
Leave them memories, not bills
Final expense plans are small, simple and many need no exam. See what one costs for you.
About 3 in 4 people guess life insurance costs more than it does. LIMRA 2026