Few things in this life are free, and that includes dying. Whether you prepare for it or leave the burden to your friends and family, someone must pay for your final expenses and funeral. And if nobody does, you will be subject to a pauper’s funeral courtesy of the state.
That is why we took the time to rank our favorite final expense and burial insurance companies—we do the research, and you reap the rewards. We aim to make it as easy as possible for you to get the insurance to take care of your funeral and pay for your burial.
How Much Does Each Aspect of a Funeral/Burial Cost?
Embalming
Most people in America choose to have their body embalmed before burial. This procedure involved draining the body of fluids and filling it with formaldehyde-based chemical solutions. This helps keep your body looking normal until the funeral and is particularly necessary if you are having a body viewing.
Total Cost: $300-800
Cosmetic Preparations
In addition to embalming, most people do cosmetic preparations for a body before the viewing. This involves makeup, hair styling, and cosmetic reconstruction if you have been in an accident or had a degenerative illness.
Total Cost: $200-500
Headstone
A headstone is an important marker for your burial plot. It will be the place where your loved ones come to remember you. The price range for this varies wildly, depending on how immaculate a headstone you want.
Total Cost: $500-5000
Casket
Just like a headstone, the price of a casket varies largely, depending on how opulent you want yours to be. Did you know some caskets even have an oxygen tank and cell phone inside them in case you’re accidentally buried alive? Okay, supposing you won’t go that far, caskets still have a wide range.
Total Cost: $500-5000
Funeral Costs
Many different costs may be associated with the actual funeral. Here is a rough breakdown of potential costs:
| Item | Cost |
| Flowers | $200-700 |
| Officiate and staff services | $1000-3000 |
| Transportation of Body & family | $30-600 |
| Viewing (funeral home rental fees) | $300-600 |
| Funeral staff at graveside | $300-500 |
| Chair set up graveside | $100-200 |
| Food for reception | $500-2000 |
Refrigeration
Your body will wait in a refrigerator until the day of your funeral. You will be charged per day for this. On average, funerals happen five days after someone dies.
Total Cost: $375 ($75/day)
Cemetery Plot
This depends on the location of your burial plot. If you want to be buried in a cemetery that is in high demand, you can expect to pay a premium.
Total Cost: $1000-4500
Opening/Closing fees
Opening and Closing fees refer to the actual amount it costs to dig the grave and lower the casket.
Total Cost: $500-800
On the high side, we’ve already reached $24,275, and that’s before we consider the Cost of things like obituary, lost wages, final care hospital bills, travel expenses of out-of-town guests, and so on. We haven’t even added the Cost of the plot of land where you will be buried!
Prepare In Advance
Consider your options if you don’t know how you will afford a funeral.
You can run final expense and burial insurance quotes to determine how much either simplified issue vs. guaranteed issue life insurance will cost. Burial insurance for seniors does not have to break the bank.
A small $10,000 whole life insurance policy should more than cover burial costs. Your loved ones will thank you for caring for your final expenses and burial costs.
How We Can Help
We can shop from over a dozen final expense insurance companies to help you get the best coverage based on your specific needs.
Give IBUSA a call today to see how we can help.
