Latest 2026 figures put a funeral with viewing and burial at about $9,170 without a vault and $11,040 with a vault, versus about $6,940 with viewing and cremation. A median is the midpoint price, with half of surveyed prices higher and half lower. Those funeral-home medians do not include the cemetery bill. Families still pay separately for the plot, opening and closing, vault or liner, and marker.
Table of Contents
- What the funeral-home median covers
- Burial versus cremation in 2026 dollars
- What the cemetery adds
- How to compare prices and get help
What the funeral-home median covers
The National Funeral Directors Association reported $8,300 in its 2023 price study for a funeral with viewing and burial, and $6,280 with viewing and cremation. Those figures rose 5.8% and 8.1% over two years. The medians cover funeral-home goods and services only.
They exclude the cemetery plot, opening and closing, monument or marker, and cash advances like flowers and obituaries. That exclusion matters because full burial totals run thousands higher. Always ask whether a quoted median or package includes cemetery and third-party costs.
Burial versus cremation in 2026 dollars
Adjusted for 10.46% funeral-expense inflation, Parting Stone analysis puts the 2023 medians at about $9,170 for burial without vault, $11,040 with vault, and $6,940 for cremation in its inflation-adjusted estimates. The 2023 vault-inclusive burial median was $9,995. The gap reflects casket, embalming, viewing, and burial services.
Cremation with viewing still includes many funeral-home services, but avoids casket burial costs. Use these figures for comparison, not as a guaranteed price. Medians mask wide regional and provider variation, and no newer NFDA survey existed by mid-2026.
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What the cemetery adds
In 2026 a single cemetery plot averages $1,000-$5,000, and reaches $15,000 or more in major metros, according to Gravepedia in its 2026 burial-plot guide. Plot plus opening and closing often totals $2,000-$7,500. Vaults or liners add roughly $900-$2,500 when the cemetery requires them.
Markers average about $2,500. Get cemetery fees in writing before choosing a funeral package. A lower funeral-home price can be offset by higher cemetery requirements.
How to compare prices and get help
Providers must give an itemized General Price List at the start of in-person planning, says the Federal Trade Commission on its Funeral Rule page. Providers must also show a Casket Price List before viewing caskets and an Outer Burial Container Price List before viewing vaults. For non-service-connected deaths on or after Oct.
1, 2025, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs pays up to $1,002 burial allowance plus up to $1,002 plot allowance outside national cemeteries. Service-connected deaths receive up to $2,000. Compare all-in quotes from local price lists rather than relying on national figures alone.
- Take the General Price List at the start of every in-person visit
- Ask for casket and vault lists before viewing those items
- Buy only wanted goods, except the non-declinable basic-services fee
- Use a third-party casket without penalty or handling fee
- Ask for prices by phone before visiting
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