The most reliable national benchmark is the National Funeral Directors Association's 2023 General Price List study: a median of $8,300 for a funeral with viewing and burial, and $6,280 for a funeral with viewing and cremation, before cemetery costs. Direct cremation costs much less, but prices vary widely between funeral homes. Here is how to read the numbers and how to compare quotes before you talk to any funeral home.
NFDA's 2023 study is the most recent national median we could confirm. Cemetery charges, headstones, flowers, and obituaries are not included, and they add more than most families expect.
- Funeral with viewing and burial: median $8,300 (2023), including a metal casket, before cemetery costs
- Funeral with viewing and cremation: median $6,280 (2023), including the cremation fee, an alternative container, and an urn
- Direct cremation (no viewing or service): usually the lowest-cost option, but prices vary widely, so ask each provider for its price list
- Under the FTC Funeral Rule, every funeral home must give you accurate prices by phone and a price list in person — you are not required to buy a package.
There is no single national price because funeral costs vary by city, funeral home, cemetery, and the type of service you choose. The figures above are national medians, not quotes. The best way to avoid surprises is to compare written price lists from two or three providers.
What Is the Average Funeral Cost?
NFDA surveys its member funeral homes every two years. Its 2023 General Price List study found that the median funeral with viewing and burial cost $8,300, up from $7,848 two years earlier, and the median funeral with viewing and cremation cost $6,280, up from $5,810. A median is the middle price: half of the funeral homes charged less and half charged more.
| Funeral type | 2023 national median | What the median includes | What it leaves out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Viewing and burial | $8,300 | Basic services fee, transfer of remains, embalming and preparation, a metal casket, facilities and staff for a viewing and ceremony, a hearse, a service car, and a basic printed memorial package | Cemetery interment, grave marker, and cash-advance items such as flowers and an obituary |
| Viewing and cremation | $6,280 | The same services, plus the cremation fee, an alternative cremation container, and an urn (an alternative container instead of a casket, and no hearse) | Interment of ashes, memorial markers, and cash-advance items |
| Direct cremation | Not published by NFDA | Usually the basic services fee, transport and care of the body, and the cremation, with no viewing or service | Varies by provider, so check what the advertised price includes |
Because the burial median leaves out the cemetery, the total for a burial is higher once you add a plot, the grave opening and closing, a vault if the cemetery requires one, and a headstone. Those charges come from the cemetery, not the funeral home, and they vary a great deal by location. Source: NFDA, 2023 General Price List Study.
What Makes Up the Cost of a Funeral?
Families are often quoted a single package number, but the real total is built from many separate pieces. The largest categories are usually:
- Funeral home basic services fee: staff, overhead, and coordination
- Transfer and transport: bringing the body into care and using a hearse if needed
- Preparation: embalming, dressing, cosmetics, or refrigeration
- Merchandise: casket, urn, memorial cards, guest books, flowers
- Cemetery costs: plot, opening and closing, vault, liner, and marker
- Other costs: obituary publication, death certificates, clergy honorarium, reception food
That is why two funerals in the same town can differ by several thousand dollars even if the family thinks they are buying something similar.
What the Price List Must Show, and What You Can Decline
Under the FTC Funeral Rule, a funeral home must give you a General Price List with the price of each item, and you pay only for what you choose. Ask for it before you decide anything. Here is how the main items work:
| Item | What it is | Can you decline it? |
|---|---|---|
| Basic services fee | Staff, overhead, permits, and coordination | No. It is the one fee you generally cannot decline, and it is added whichever options you choose. |
| Embalming | Preservation of the body | Usually yes. The price list must say that, except in certain special cases, embalming is not required by law. A provider needs your approval before embalming for a fee. It may be needed for some arrangements, such as a viewing. |
| Viewing, ceremony, and graveside service | Use of the facility and staff | Yes. You can hold a service elsewhere. |
| Casket | The container for burial | You can buy it elsewhere. A funeral home cannot refuse to handle a casket or urn you bought, or charge a fee for it. |
| Direct cremation or immediate burial | Disposition with no viewing or service | These are separate price-list items, so you can choose them instead of a full-service funeral. |
| Cemetery plot, opening and closing, vault, marker | Charged by the cemetery or a monument company | Priced separately from the funeral home. Ask the cemetery which items it requires. |
The funeral home must also show casket and outer burial container prices on separate lists before it shows you any items. Compare the total of everything you plan to buy, not single line items.
How Location and Provider Affect Funeral Costs
Where you live and which funeral home you choose both change the price. NFDA reports regional medians in its study, and cemetery charges vary even more than funeral home charges. Cemetery land in dense cities is limited and priced accordingly, so the same grave can cost many times more in a major metro cemetery than in a rural one.
The funeral home matters as much as the region. A 2016 survey by the Funeral Consumers Alliance and the Consumer Federation of America of 142 funeral homes in 10 metro areas found that prices for the same direct cremation varied widely within every area. It also found that 22% of the homes advertised a direct cremation price that left out the cremation itself, which could add $200 to $595. That survey is older, so use it as a reminder of what to check, not as a price guide.
Before you choose, ask each provider for its General Price List, and confirm in writing what the quoted price includes. The Funeral Cost Calculator gives a planning estimate for your region, but it is not a quote.
Why Burial Usually Costs More Than Cremation
The burial process involves more physical items and more third-party charges. A casket alone can cost thousands of dollars. Then there is the cemetery plot, the grave opening and closing fee, and often a vault or liner. Cremation can still become expensive if you add a full viewing and service, but direct cremation usually removes the biggest cost drivers.
For the side-by-side breakdown, read Cremation vs. Burial.
What Usually Raises the Price Fastest
- Choosing a premium casket or elaborate urn
- Using the funeral home's venue for multiple events
- Buying flowers, printed programs, and reception items through one provider without comparing prices
- Adding cemetery and headstone costs late in the process
- Not asking for the itemized General Price List up front
How to Reduce Funeral Costs Without Making the Service Feel Cheap
You do not have to spend the most to create something meaningful. The biggest ways to reduce the total are:
- Compare two or three funeral homes before choosing one
- Consider direct cremation if budget matters most
- Use a simpler casket or buy one from a third party
- Hold the memorial somewhere meaningful outside the funeral home
- Keep the obituary shorter for print and post the full version online
If eligible surviving family members claim it promptly, Social Security's $255 lump-sum death benefit can offset some immediate costs. Veterans may also qualify for free burial in a national cemetery through the VA.
If you need a more tailored estimate, use the Funeral Cost Calculator before talking to providers.
Pre-Need Funeral Planning: Locking In Today's Prices
Pre-need planning means purchasing funeral services in advance — usually directly through a funeral home — before a death occurs. The primary benefit is price protection: you pay at today's rates and the funeral home agrees to provide those services regardless of what prices are when the time comes.
Most pre-need contracts are funded through a trust account or insurance policy held by the funeral home. If the funeral home closes or is sold, some states have guarantee funds that protect pre-need contracts, but coverage levels and portability rules vary widely. Ask for written confirmation of how funds are held and what your state's protections are before signing anything.
There are meaningful risks to understand. An irrevocable pre-need contract generally cannot be canceled or refunded — which matters if your finances change or if you move to a different city. A revocable contract can typically be canceled and funds returned, but state rules vary. Before signing, confirm whether the contract is portable — that is, whether a funeral home in your new city would honor it if you relocate.
Financial Assistance for Funeral Costs
Most families pay for funeral costs from life insurance proceeds, from the estate, or out of pocket. But several assistance programs are worth checking early — especially when the death was unexpected and funds are limited.
Social Security Lump-Sum Death Payment
The Social Security Administration pays a one-time $255 lump-sum death payment to the surviving spouse who was living with the deceased, or to a child who qualifies for Social Security benefits on the deceased's record. It does not go to the estate generally, and it must be applied for — it is not automatic. Apply within two years of the death by calling SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or visiting SSA.gov/benefits/survivors. For a full overview of Social Security benefits after a death — including survivor benefits for spouses and children — see Social Security After a Death.
Veterans Burial Benefits
Eligible veterans may receive burial at no cost in a national cemetery, plus a government-furnished headstone or grave marker and a burial flag. The VA also provides a burial allowance in some cases. Its current rates are up to $2,000 toward burial for a service-connected death on or after September 11, 2001, and, for other eligible deaths on or after October 1, 2026, $1,032 toward burial and $1,032 toward a plot. Families must apply — call 1-800-827-1000 or visit cem.va.gov for eligibility details. See our full guide to VA burial benefits for exact allowance amounts, eligibility rules, and how to apply.
State and County Burial Assistance
Most states and counties offer a burial assistance or indigent burial program for low-income families who cannot cover funeral costs. Benefit amounts vary widely — from a few hundred dollars in some counties to more substantial coverage in others. Contact your county's Department of Social Services or Health and Human Services to ask about eligibility. Many programs must be applied for within a short window after the death, so act quickly if you think you may qualify.
FEMA Funeral Assistance
Following a presidentially declared major disaster, FEMA may provide funeral assistance for qualifying deaths caused by the disaster. Apply through DisasterAssistance.gov or call 1-800-621-3362. More details are at fema.gov.
Life Insurance and Other Sources
If the deceased carried life insurance, death benefits are often paid within weeks of a completed claim, though timing varies by insurer, and they can cover most or all funeral costs. File claims immediately — do not wait until after the service. If there is no coverage and family finances are stretched, crowdfunding platforms are now widely used for funeral costs. For a full breakdown of the lowest-cost legal options, read What If You Can't Afford a Funeral?
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average cost of a funeral?
According to the National Funeral Directors Association's 2023 General Price List study, the median funeral with viewing and burial cost $8,300, and the median funeral with viewing and cremation cost $6,280. The burial median includes a metal casket and a hearse but excludes the cemetery plot, grave opening and closing, headstone, flowers, and obituary, which can add several thousand dollars.
How much does cremation cost?
NFDA's 2023 median for a funeral with viewing and cremation was $6,280, including the cremation fee, an alternative container, and an urn. Direct cremation, with no viewing or service, usually costs much less, but NFDA does not publish a national median for it and prices vary widely between funeral homes. Some advertised direct cremation prices leave out the cremation fee itself, so ask what is included.
What is included in funeral home fees?
Funeral home fees typically include a basic services fee that you generally cannot decline, transportation of remains, preparation or refrigeration, a viewing or visitation, the funeral ceremony, and use of the facility. Caskets are priced separately. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, funeral homes must provide an itemized price list and cannot require you to buy a package.
Can I negotiate funeral costs?
You can choose which items to buy. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, you have the right to a General Price List from every funeral home, and you can decline any item except the basic services fee. Getting prices from two or three funeral homes is legal and common, and prices for the same services can differ a lot. You can also buy your own casket: a funeral home cannot refuse to handle it or charge a fee for it.
What financial assistance is available for funeral costs?
Options include: Social Security's $255 lump-sum death payment (for eligible survivors), state and county burial assistance programs for low-income families, veterans' burial benefits through the VA, life insurance proceeds, and crowdfunding. Some funeral homes offer payment plans. For a calmer first step, see what to do if you can't afford a funeral.
Helpful planning tools and providers
These are good next steps if you are comparing options or still building a budget.
We reviewed this page against official government, court, regulator, and primary-source materials where available. Exact procedures can still vary by state, county, institution, or provider.