---
title: Funeral Cost Calculator: Burial and Cremation | Coverfolk
url: https://coverfolk.com/funeral-cost-calculator
updated: 2026-10-08
---

# How much will a funeral cost?

Pick burial or cremation. We start with the national median price and take off anything you have saved.

Estimated total

$8,300

Funeral home (burial)**$8,300**

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](/answers/how-much-does-a-funeral-cost) for more.

## Sources

1. [2023 NFDA General Price List Study Shows Inflation Increasing Faster than the Cost of a Funeral (NFDA)](https://content.nfda.org/news/media-center/nfda-news-releases/id/8134/2023-nfda-general-price-list-study-shows-inflation-increasing-faster-than-the-cost-of-a-funeral)
2. [NFDA Releases 2025 Cremation and Burial Report (NFDA)](https://content.nfda.org/news/media-center/nfda-news-releases/id/9786/nfda-releases-2025-cremation-burial-report-comprehensive-insights-to-guide-the-future-of-funeral-service)
3. [The FTC Funeral Rule (FTC)](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/ftc-funeral-rule)
4. [Shopping for Funeral Services (FTC)](https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/shopping-funeral-services)

## 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.