Average Cost Of A Funeral
In New Mexico, the average cost for a funeral in 2021 is $6,793. Nationally, the average is around $7,000, with prices rising above $9,000 if you include a vault.
What costs go into a funeral?
These include things like the basic service fees, merchandise fees, and cash advances needed to secure the service and speakers you want.
Those costs cover the permit and administrative fees, the transportation, preparation and embalming of the body, funeral home fees, and equipment at the gravesite. They also include costs for the casket or burial container, funeral flowers, clergy, and musicians.
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What do I need to buy for a funeral?
- Casket ($2,400 or up to $10,000 for expensive materials)
- Funeral service fee ($2,100)
- Funeral home rental ($500)
- Funeral home staff ($500)
- Vault ($1,395)
- Cremation casket ($1,000)
- Embalming ($725)
- Urn ($275)
- Cosmetic services ($250)
- Hearse ($325)
- Transportation ($325)
- Transportation for the family ($150)
- Pamphlets and materials ($160)
Why are funerals so expensive?
Funeral homes can charge a number of fees associated with your services, including the cost for renting the space, the labor of staffing, and fees for the specific agenda, whether it is a viewing, a wake, a funeral service, etc. Each service has a cost, as do all materials associated with funerals, from pamphlets to the plot of land you will be buried in. Even if you opt for cremation, if you wish to have a service and funeral procession, your loved ones will need to take care of the charges for most of the related costs of a burial, minus the vault, plot of land, and equipment needed for burial.
Can I get around some of these costs?
While funerals are expensive, they are a memorial to the death of a loved one. If it’s important to you that your loved ones not be burdened with heavy costs for your funeral, you can find some help with funeral planning. Start with finding out the costs and figures of all of the local funeral homes. You have the right to ask for an itemized list of charges. Once you select your funeral home, you can start choosing which services or materials you want to be used.
Nearly every piece is customizable, from the music to the pamphlets or memory cards to the cremation urn, casket, and headstone. Selecting ahead of time allows you to make these choices to suit your wishes. This also allows you to see the price of each item and choose which are important to you, which can be a cost-saving measure.
How can I plan for the costs of a funeral?
Funeral planning is a forward-thinking way to prepare for the expenses your family will incur at the end of your life. At Poarch Insurance, we can help you set this plan in place and find a final expense policy that works for you.
For more information about the costs of funerals and planning your own, speak with Poarch Insurance.