How Much Does A Cremation Cost?

How Much Does A Cremation Cost?

Knowing how much a cremation costs is important, because this is an important aspect of the process. Some people opt for a burial, others go for a cremation. That’s an imperative thing to focus on, because both options have their own pros and cons. Knowing which is the right one in your situation is very important, since it will eliminate a lot of concerns. Which does bring the question, what is the true cost of a cremation? Let’s find out.

The average cremation cost in the US

Data acquired from the National Funeral Directors Association shows that the average cost for a cremation in the US is just $5150. We say just that because the burial and funeral costs are $9139 on average. So there is quite the difference to keep in mind here, since a cremation is usually less expensive. With that in mind, your location will differ and the costs related to that will vary too.

Even if you just want a cremation without a funeral service, then that can be $1000 and up to $4000 in North Carolina, for example. But there are other services which add up to a cremation, so the overall costs can be quite high, depending on the situation and what you need.

What costs are included in the cremation process?

There are actually quite a lot of different costs that you need to keep in mind here. Each one of them can add up. Of course, not all cremation features are mandatory, but it’s up to you to choose what works in your case and what doesn’t.

Embalming

Depending on you, it’s possible to opt for embalming. This helps preserve the body for a prolonged time period, which is certainly a thing to keep in mind. When you find a funeral home, it doesn’t hurt to ask about embalming services. Some of them even include such services, which is obviously a thing to focus on. It is up to you though, this is obviously not mandatory.

Cosmetic services

These are also optional, but the idea here is that the deceased person’s looks get a bit spruced up. That’s nothing too much, just a bit of enhancement, but it does help and it will provide some amazing results in the end. It’s definitely going to take a bit to adapt and adjust to this, but at the end of the day it’s totally worth it and a thing to keep in mind. Again, you don’t really have to do so unless you absolutely want to.

Cosmetic services can be around $250 or more and they do include styling for the hair and makeup, sometimes even dressing the deceased person in the jewelry and clothing they chose. It’s quite a versatile service to keep in mind, and one that a lot of people tend to use too. Which is exactly why you need to take it into consideration.

Transportation

The body needs to be transported from the deceased person’s home to the memorial service and then to the cremation center. Some funeral homes offer cremation on-site, others don’t. If they lack such a feature, then you will have to think about transportation costs, which is definitely something to focus on. It’s not an overly expensive thing, but it does matter and you do need to take it into account as much as you can.

Memorial or funeral service

In some cases, you will notice that people want to make the funeral service even more complex. All those extra things like having a specific song, paying for musicians or renting a building for the funeral service does add up to quite a bit of money. It’s definitely up to you to think about all the extras you want. Those are not mandatory, obviously, but it’s a good idea to check them out for yourself and in the end that’s how you get the best possible result and experience.

Casket

The cremation process doesn’t really involve a casket. It’s also why a cremation is less expensive. Since a casket can be anywhere from $1000 to $40000 if you want the very fancy, gold plated ones, it’s safe to say that going without a casket is the better option. You’re still getting a good result anyway without the casket. But if you want a casket, you can buy one, the only thing is that it can get quite expensive, so that’s definitely one of the things to think about in a situation like this.

Urn

Yes, you do need to purchase an urn, and there are different urn options to keep in mind here. Some urns are inexpensive, but there are some like antiques or precious stone urns that can end up costing thousands of dollars. Just like all the other options, you can keep it simple, or you can go for the very complex route. That’s definitely the thing to keep in mind, and in the end you will be very happy with the results and experience.

With that being said, some people just take the ashes and scatter them in a meaningful place. That’s certainly an option, especially if you want to enjoy the best results and also plan everything the way you want. It might take a bit of a trial and error to ensure the entire process is managed accordingly, but it will be worth it. Think about your budget, and then you can see if and what urn is necessary here.

Funeral expense planning

The first thing you want to focus on is what kind of services were desired by the deceased person. Of course, you can also find a few ways to cut down the costs if you want, which is always a good thing. It’s imperative to ensure that you always avoid any rush and implement every system the way it should be implemented. What we recommend here is to take your time and ensure that you think about all the pros and cons that come from something like this. Remember, not all funeral costs are essential. But if it’s something that the deceased person wanted, you might very well have to do it.

You also want to study what cremation packages are available. Do you want to go with a custom package or one of the currently available cremation packages? Believe it or not, some cremation packages will actually help you save money. So it makes a lot of sense to see the options and benefits, and then the results can be second to none. You always want to take your time, and once you do that you will be more than happy with the way everything works out.

Conclusion

As you can see, cremation can be an option, but it does come with its fair share of add-ons that you need to think about. Since they are not mandatory usually, it’s up to you to find which is the ideal option. Studying the market is very important here, because once you do that it becomes a lot easier to figure out what option is the best. The fact that cremation is actually cheaper when compared to a funeral shows it might be an option to pursue, but it’s up to you!

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