Burial, Cremation, or Other Options

What Do You Need to Know to Make the Right Decision?

You will probably have to use a funeral home whether or not you choose burial or cremation of a loved one.  Other options may not require it.

BURIAL

Service Fees – Each funeral home charges a service fee, which is not optional.  It covers the expenses of:

• Planning the funeral
• Obtaining permits 
• Procuring the death certificate
• Preparing death notices for publication
• Holding the remains
• Arranging for burial with a cemetery
• Compensating the Funeral Director and/or staff members $2,000.00

Optional Fees – Some fees may seem necessary but are actually optional, depending on the situation. 

• Embalming and preparing the body.  Embalming is not required when a body will be buried soon after death.
• Rental of the funeral home for calling hours, service, and/or funeral
• Transferring the body to another location, such as a church or cemetery
• Using a hearse or limousine(s) $3,100.00  

Casket and Vault – Discussion of a casket and vault deserves a separate section.  These items are among the more expensive items related to the burial of a body.  Regardless of how much money is spent on a loved one’s casket or vault, however, their body will eventually decay and become dust. 

Basic casket: $2,000

Mahogany or metal caskets: $10,000

Burial vault: $1,000 — $10,000

NOTE: If a cemetery requires one or both containers, you could search online retailers.  A casket or vault from these retailers will cost less than at a funeral home, the quality will be comparable, and delivery can be made directly to a mortuary.  

Additional Fees – A funeral home could charge for prayer cards, soloists, an organist, a member of the clergy, and flowers.  If the charge were not immediately available, the business must give you a good–faith estimate.  A provider could charge additional fees for transporting a body to another funeral home (for example, out–of–state) or receiving a body from another funeral home.

Burial — It is common practice to place the body in a casket for burial. You are not required to do so in any state, though some cemeteries do.  As mentioned above, you can investigate other businesses from which to purchase a casket and vault if needed.

A nominal fee for preparing a body for burial is $10,000.  This fee could be higher, especially in affluent locations.

CEMETERY PLOT

Cemetery Plot – If following the traditional means of burial, securing a cemetery plot is a necessity.  Do not leave it to your family to figure it out.  Make the decision while healthy.  Is there a particular location at which you wish to be buried? Do you wish to be buried near other family members?  Do you want to be placed in a mausoleum? Do you want an upright marker or one that is in the ground?  Does it matter to you if fresh flowers or only artificial flowers can be placed at your gravesite?

Like the casket and vault, a cemetery plot can be among the more expensive parts of burial, with costs varying throughout the United States.  And the plot itself is not the only cost!  Costs in the Midwest will be considerably less than those in the Northeast.  Plot costs range from $500 to $2,500 to $15,000 to $20,000 in more affluent areas of the country.  Opening and closing of a grave can run from $400 to $1,000 to $1,200 to $2,500.  Headstones vary in cost from $2,000 to whatever one wants to spend.  Inscription fees are often extra, especially when a person passes.  Inscribing the month, day, and year on a family member’s headstone in 2025 cost a relative of mine $750.

CREMATION

Cremation – of a loved one will also require a funeral home.  The Cremation Association of North America is a good source for information.  The website explains the types of cremation, that is, Flame-Based versus Alkaline Hydrolysis, the process, and other components of the cremation process, including transportation of the body and remains.

Definition – “Cremation is the mechanical, thermal, or other dissolution process that reduces human remains to bone fragments. Cremation also includes processing and pulverization of the bone fragments into pieces that are usually no more than one-eighth inch.”

Process – The Cremation Association of North America provides an extensive description of the process on its website.  Anyone interested in learning how a body is cremated would benefit from reading the description.  Documentation of chain of custody is maintained in that every step of the process is monitored, and any business charged with the cremation of human remains must document the process according to state law.

Glossary – An extensive glossary of terms relating to cremation can be found on the website of the Cremation of North America and is worth studying when considering the cremation of a loved one.

Traditional Burial versus Cremation – The choice of cremation over a traditional funeral and burial has been gaining in popularity.  In 2025, 63.4% of families chose cremation as the final disposition of a family member.

Cost – Cost is one of the major reasons that many choose cremation rather than a traditional funeral and burial.  But the costs of cremation can vary widely.  Costs for cremation break down into two categories.  According to USFunerals Online, direct cremation includes transportation, cremation, urn, and return of ashes for a cost of $795 to $2,500.  With the addition of a service before or after cremation, the cost ranges from $3,000 to $6,500.  If a family desires additional services such as an officiant, organist, memory cards, and the like, the costs would increase. 

OTHER OPTIONS

Atypical means of the disposition of human remains have been in place for years, while others have become available more recently.  Some of these approaches may necessitate use of a funeral home and/or crematorium.

Burial at Sea – This method of burial has been used for centuries worldwide and at least 150 years for members of the United States military who have died at sea.  If this is a person’s choice, an investigation of the laws and regulations of the state and Federal government would be advisable.

Scattering Ashes at Sea – Disposing the ashes of a loved one at sea has become more common over the past 25 years.  There are businesses that specialize in this type of service.  Regardless, any family honoring the wishes of a loved one must consider the regulations in place.  For example, some states mandate that ashes must be dispersed at least three miles from shore in water of a particular depth.

Anatomical Donation – An individual can make arrangements to donate their body to science upon their death.  This could be an attractive alternative to further medical research.  In Arizona, Florida, and Nevada, for instance, Whole Body Donation through the United Tissue Network fulfills this type of service.  After the body is studied to advance medical research, usually for a period of four to six weeks, the program completes transportation, cremation, return of remains, and paperwork at no cost to the family.  A family can honor the memory of their loved one in whatever way they see fit.  Science Care provides similar services in numerous other states.  If you are interested in taking this approach, check whether your state allows this disposition of a body.

Emerging Approaches – Alkaline Hydrolysis (water cremation) and natural organic reduction (human compositing) have become available, with the former more common than the latter.

CONCLUSION 

There is much to consider when deciding on the final resting place of your loved one.  I can tell you from personal experience that it is far easier to have plans in place while the person is alive rather than to wait until their death.  I have dealt with both scenarios.  Take care of as many aspects of the disposition of your body upon your passing.  Your loved ones will be inestimably thankful.

WORKS CONSULTED

“Average Cost of Cremation 2026/State Pricing Guide.” US Funerals Online: Connecting People with Funeral Services Nationwide. Accessed July 20, 2026. https://www.us-funerals.com/what-is-the-average-cost-of-a -cremation/.

“Cemetery Costs by State: What to Expect in 2025.” FuneralUS. Accessed July 20, 2026. https://www.funeralus.com/blog/cemetery-costs-by-state-what-to-expect-in-2025.

“Cremation Process.” Cremation Association of North America, 2000-2026. Accessed July 20, 2026. https://www.cremationassociation.org/cremationprocess.html.

Funeral Costs and Pricing Checklist, Federal Trade Commission Consumer Advice. Federal Trade Commission.  Accessed May 10, 2026. https://consumer.ftc.gov/articles/funeral-costs-pricing-checklist.

“Funeral Costs in the United States (2025 Services): Average Prices and 12 Smart Ways to Save,” Titan Casket, accessed May 14, 2026, https://titancasket.com/blogs/funeral-guides-and-more/funerals-cost-and-how-to-save?srsltid=AfmBOor13HZpkBOemP1Ue7ZEbdiAHW9yuv0h5yEEu2ZXvHcyGBl6drQM

“How Much Does a Burial Vault Cost?” Trigard. Accessed May 25, 2026. https://www. https://www.trigard.com/blog/burial-vault-cost/.

Mitford, Jessica. American Way of Death Revisited. Vintage Press, 2000.

“Science Care is a Body Donation Program.” Science Care. Accessed July 20, 2026. https://www.sciencecare.com/.

“Whole Body Donation in Florida.” United Tissue Network. Accessed July 20, 2026. https://www.unitedtissue.org/whole-body-donation.