Licensed Life & Health Insurance Agent · Serving clients by phone · Se habla español
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Final expense
By Enok Columbie, licensed Life & Health agent · NPN 16449444 · Updated November 2026
According to the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), the national median cost of a funeral with a viewing and burial was $8,300 in 2023, or $9,995 with a burial vault. A funeral with a viewing followed by cremation had a median cost of $6,280. These figures do not include cemetery costs, such as a plot or headstone.
The NFDA figures reflect typical funeral home charges, such as the basic services fee, transferring the body, preparation, use of the facility for a viewing and ceremony, a hearse, and a casket for burial or a container and urn for cremation. Your total depends on the choices you make.
Funeral prices vary by state, city and funeral home, and by the services you choose. Under the Federal Trade Commission’s Funeral Rule, funeral homes must give you an itemized price list, so you can compare and choose only what you want.
Many families start with the cost of the funeral they want, add cemetery costs, and then add any bills they don’t want to leave behind. A licensed agent can help you compare options by phone. Rates vary by age, health, state and plan.
Usually. In the NFDA’s 2023 data, the median cost of a funeral with a viewing and cremation ($6,280) was lower than one with a viewing and burial ($8,300). Direct cremation without a viewing usually costs less.
No. Medicare does not pay for funeral or burial costs. Social Security pays a one-time death payment of $255 to an eligible surviving spouse or child.
Yes. Some people buy a preneed plan from a funeral home. Others buy final expense insurance, which pays cash to a beneficiary who can use it for any expense. We can help you compare.
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“I started this agency so seniors could talk to one licensed person who explains the options and respects the budget — in English or Spanish.”
Enok Columbie, Founder · Licensed Life & Health agent
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