How we calculate this.
The National Funeral Directors Association publishes biannual pricing surveys. The 2023 survey lists national medians for each major service type. Costs vary across the country, but the four U.S. census regions (Northeast, Midwest, South, West) track closely with funeral and cremation prices: the Northeast tends to run highest, the South tends to run lowest, the Midwest is below national, and the West is moderately above.
We use your ZIP code (or selected state) to identify your region, then apply the regional multiplier to the national median for the service type you picked. The range we show (low to high) reflects the typical spread in pricingwithin a region, not just the median — some funeral homes charge well above the median, others well below.
What this estimate does not include:
- Cemetery costs beyond what’s baked into the burial estimates (plot, opening & closing, marker)
- Cash advance items (obituary, flowers, clergy, hairdresser, musicians)
- Embalming if you decline it — it’s rarely required and you can save $500 to $1,200 by saying no
- Casket markup if you bring your own (federal law forbids the home from charging a handling fee)
- Free benefits like the Social Security $255 lump sum and VA burial allowance, which can reduce the out-of-pocket figure
What to do with the number.
Use it as a sanity check. If a funeral home quotes you 30% to 50% higher than the regional estimate, that’s a flag to ask why or get a second quote. If they quote you in line with the estimate, the home is probably honest on pricing — though you should still compare line items against two more homes before signing.
Two related guides:
- The full cost-of-a-funeral pillar walks line by line through what you’re actually paying for at a typical funeral home.
- 10 tips for a cheap funeral has the specific moves that knock thousands off the bill regardless of region.
- How to find a good funeral home in your area walks through the 30-minute phone tour for collecting three General Price Lists and comparing them.
- National Funeral Directors Association — 2023 General Price List Survey, national medians
- U.S. Census Bureau — four-region geographic classification
- Regional pricing variance: industry reports + state-level filings (typical ±10–15% from national)
- Federal Trade Commission — Funeral Rule (16 CFR Part 453) for the right to a General Price List