Cremation Costs
The National Funeral Directors Association (NDFA) released a Cremation and Burial report in 2019 that breaks down cremation costs and other statistics from the funeral industry.
These statistics not only display funeral costs and burial costs but also trends in recent years.
We’ve taken a look at the latest report and it shows just how important a burial insurance policy is for those not wanting to burden their family with the cost of a cremation and burial.
How much does cremation cost?
The rate at which people choose a cremation surpassed burials in 2015. This is likely due to a number of reasons but perhaps the number one is the cost. So, how much does a cremation cost? According to the NDFA’s report in 2019, the median cost of a funeral with cremation is $5,150.
NFDA calculates the median cost of a cost of a funeral with cremation by totaling the costs of the following items: basic services fee, removal/transfer of remains to funeral home, embalming and other preparation of the body, use of facilities and staff for viewing and a funeral ceremony, use of a service car/van, basic memorial printed package, and cremation fee. The median cost does not include a cremation casket or container, which is generally required to ensure safe and respectful handling of the decedent’s body. The cost also does not take into account the price of an urn, vault, cemetery monument/marker costs or other miscellaneous cash advance charges.
National Median Cost of an Adult Funeral with Viewing and Cremation in 2019
Item:
Nondeclinable basic services fee
Removal/transfer of remains to funeral home
Embalming
Other preparation of the body
Use of facilities/staff for viewing
Use of facilities/staff for funeral ceremony
Service car/van
Printed materials (basic memorial package)
Cremation fee (if firm uses a third-party)*
Total Without Cremation Casket and Urn
Cremation casket
Urn
Total With Cremation Casket and Urn
Price:
$2,195
$350
$750
$255
$425
$500
$150
$175
$350
$5,150
$1,200
$295
$6,645
*71.1% of respondents use a third-party crematory (i.e., the funeral home does not own a crematory)
How much does a funeral cost?
The NDFA reported the median cost of a burial funeral to be nearly $8,000. This price does not include the cemetery plot, which could vary from a couple hundred to a couple thousand depending on who owns the land. That’s not to mention one or two additional requests would push the price even further into the tens of thousands of dollars.
As you can see, cremation costs are a couple thousand dollars cheaper. If you still prefer the traditional route, the best way to make sure your family can afford it would be a burial insurance policy.
How much is burial insurance?
Compared to pre-paying thousands of dollars of funeral or cremation costs, a small monthly payment for burial insurance seems more flexible doesn’t it?
And that’s the beauty of one of these policies. You don’t have all your money tied up in one funeral home. You can purchase a policy large enough to take care of your funeral and other final expenses. The benefactor is a loved one of your choosing, not a funeral home.
The cost of a policy is going to vary greatly on your age, health, and coverage amount. But there are guaranteed issue policies in which virtually everyone is accepted.
And our service can find you agents licensed in your state who can help you find cheaper policies with the benefits you need.
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