Compare Funeral Costs Options - Side by Side
There are only five realistic choices: direct cremation, water cremation, direct burial, or a full-service funeral with cremation or burial. Pick your state and see what each one actually costs, and what you get for the money.
Compare your options
Costs across the US
Direct cremation
Cheapest optionSurveyed data$2,300typical
Cremation with no service or viewing. Ashes returned to the family.
Water cremation
Estimated$2,800typical
Alkaline hydrolysis instead of flame. Same simple process, gentler footprint.
Legal in about half of US states
Direct burial
Estimated$4,000typical
Burial soon after death with no service or viewing, in a basic casket.
Before the cemetery plot and grave opening, which add $2,000–$6,000.
Cremation with full service
Estimated$6,300typical
Viewing and ceremony before the cremation, with embalming and staff.
Burial with full service
Estimated$8,300typical
The traditional funeral: viewing, ceremony, casket and graveside burial.
Before cemetery costs. Plot, vault and grave opening add $3,000–$7,000.
Choose your state above for local figures.
Direct-cremation figures are our surveyed state ranges. Other options are estimates: national medians (NFDA General Price List study and industry reporting) adjusted to your state’s price level. Burial figures exclude cemetery costs. Always confirm itemized prices with local providers.
What each option actually includes
The price gaps make sense once you see what is and isn’t in the bill. Everything below the first row adds services, and cost, on top of the same basic care.
| Option | Viewing & ceremony | Embalming | Casket | Cemetery plot needed | Ashes returned | Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct cremation | — | — | — | — | ✓ | About 1–2 weeks |
| Water cremation | — | — | — | — | ✓ | About 1–2 weeks |
| Direct burial | — | — | ✓ | ✓ | — | Within days |
| Cremation with full service | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | ✓ | About 1–2 weeks |
| Burial with full service | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — | About 1 week |
A memorial service can be added after any cremation option, at home, graveside, or anywhere else, for far less than a funeral-home ceremony. That’s why many families choose direct cremation and hold their own goodbye.
Common questions
What is the cheapest funeral option?
Direct cremation is the cheapest option in every US state. The typical price is around $2,180 nationally, and it starts as low as $525 in the cheapest states. Direct burial is usually the cheapest burial option, but the cemetery plot and grave opening add $2,000 to $6,000 on top of the funeral home's price.
Why does a traditional burial cost so much more?
A full-service burial stacks every major cost together: embalming and viewing, ceremony facilities and staff, a purchased casket, and then the cemetery's charges for the plot, the burial vault, and opening the grave. The funeral home portion alone runs around $8,300 at the national median, before any cemetery costs.
Is water cremation legal in every state?
No. Alkaline hydrolysis (water cremation) is legal in about half of US states, and a few of those have no licensed providers operating yet. Where it is offered, it typically costs a few hundred dollars more than flame cremation. Our comparison tool shows the legal status for your state.
Do the burial prices include a cemetery plot?
No. Like the funeral industry's own price surveys, the burial figures shown are the funeral home's charges only. A cemetery plot, vault, and grave opening are billed separately by the cemetery and typically add $3,000 to $7,000, more in major metro areas.
How these figures are built
Direct-cremation prices come from our own 50-state Direct Cremation Price Index. The other options are estimates: national medians from the NFDA General Price List study, adjusted to each state’s price level and clearly labeled as estimates. Burial figures exclude cemetery charges, which are billed separately.
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