Why Is the Cost So Different in Cremation & a Regular Burial?
The cost of living increases each year and so does the cost of dying. The difference between costs associated with traditional burial as opposed to cremation are staggering. When faced with decisions surrounding the death of a loved one, many people are still reeling from the loss and are unprepared to deal with these options. It's important to plan ahead and let your loved ones know your preferences in advance.
Other People Are Reading
-
Burial
-
Burial can involve a number of expenses, including embalming, casket choice, type of burial (e.g., lawn crypt, entombment, single or double-depth grave plot and headstone). While a grave plot is simply a hole dug in the earth to house the casketed remains, a lawn crypt lines that hole with steel-reinforced concrete. A double-depth grave plot allows for two caskets to be buried in the same grave, such as a husband and wife. Entombment refers to the coffin being placed in an above-ground structure called a mausoleum. Some of these structures house only one family, while others serve as the final resting place for many different people. For instance, Marilyn Monroe is buried in a public mausoleum at Westwood Village Memorial Park. In 2011, the average cost of a traditional burial is approximately $6,500.
Cremation
-
The expenses involved in cremation are more flexible than those involved with burial. For instance, embalming is only necessary if you plan to have a viewing prior to cremation. A coffin may be rented for that purpose as well. Otherwise, the body is placed in a plain wooden box for cremation. Your loved one's cremated remains may then be buried in a grave plot, entombed in a columbarium or returned to you. Columbariums are like mausoleums (and are often located inside mausoleums), and they contain niches to hold urns. You may also scatter the ashes in a scattering garden at the cemetery, or keep them in an urn at home. The average cost of cremation is $1,000.
-
"Green" Burial
-
In recent years a less expensive burial option has been offered, referred to as "natural" or "green" burial. This option eliminates embalming, expensive coffins and concrete vaults. Instead, the body is either wrapped in a shroud or placed in a biodegradable container, such as a cardboard, pine or wicker coffin, then buried. This permits the body to decompose naturally and much more quickly than with traditional burial. Proponents also argue that the chemicals used with traditional burial pollute the environment, and cremation burns fossil fuels and pollutes the atmosphere, so green burial is more environmentally sound. Green burial costs approximately $2,500.
Funerals
-
Regardless of which option you choose (burial, cremation or green), you may still choose to have a funeral or memorial service. This would include the use of the mortuary or cemetery facility, attendance by the facility's staff, printed programs, flowers and the death certificate. Such costs can vary between $2,000 to $3,000.
-
References
Resources
- Photo Credit a dark grave image by Stephen Orsillo from Fotolia.com
