The average cost of a funeral in the US is roughly $9,000 to $10,000, although the number varies considerably depending on the type of funeral. The average cost has risen considerably from just a decade ago when it was around $6,000. The cost of the average funeral includes, but is not limited to the following;
– Service – Coffin – Transportation – Plot – Flowers – Headstone – Vault Protection
The service can be conducted in a chapel which is usually rented even when at the funeral home or graveside. There are different types of caskets that are designed to resist the intrusion of underground insects and animals as well as being made from different materials. Vault protection is additional protection around the coffin that is designed to keep out the water, insects, and other intrusions. The headstone does not have to be ordered immediately, but is generally part of the funeral costs and usually ranges from $1,000 to $2,000.
The actual plot is usually the least expensive depending on the cemetery with some going for as little as $100 to $200. Other costs such as flowers, printing of the programs, and a priest or preacher leading the service are optional and may add a few hundred dollars to the overall cost of the funeral.
There are a number of ways to save money when it comes to funeral expenses. One is to skip the service at the chapel and have it at the grave. This will save on rental fees and reduce the costs noticeably. You can also cut out the flowers and have the funeral director or someone lead the service for free. It is true that the main cost of the funeral which includes the coffin or casket is something that cannot be avoided, although you can choose the least expensive model.
However, the most obvious and often used is a local cremation service. A cremation costs a fraction of the money compared to a funeral with many funeral homes offering the service for a few hundred dollars. However, a cremation is exactly that, the disposal of the body without any plot, burial, headstone, service, flowers or anything else which includes the urn. You can find urns at local retail stores for around $50.
