Guides

Independent, plain-English guides to funeral costs, planning, and your rights. Every price on this site carries its source — see our methodology for how the estimates are built.

Costs & data

How Much Does a Funeral Cost in 2026? The Full Breakdown

Modeled national estimates for all six service types, what is included and excluded, and why quotes vary so much.

Funeral Costs by State 2026: All 50 States + D.C.

Every jurisdiction compared side by side, with modeled traditional-burial and direct-cremation figures.

How Much Does Cremation Cost in 2026?

Cremation with a service vs. direct cremation: what each includes and what drives the price.

How Much Does a Burial Plot Cost?

The cemetery bill is separate from the funeral home: plots, opening and closing, and perpetual care.

How Much Does a Headstone Cost? Markers vs. Monuments

Flat markers vs. upright monuments, engraving, installation, and the veteran headstone benefit.

Why Funeral Cost Figures Disagree

2023 vs. 2026 dollars, medians vs. averages, and surveyed prices vs. modeled estimates — explained.

Green Burial & Human Composting: Costs and Where They’re Legal

Natural burial, composting (14 states as of 2026), and what each costs.

Caskets: What They Cost and Your Right to Buy Elsewhere

Metal, wood, and cremation caskets in plain English — plus the Funeral Rule right no seller can take from you.

Urns: Types, Costs & Where to Buy

Metal, wood, biodegradable, and keepsake urns — types, sizing, and your right to buy anywhere.

Aquamation: Costs & Where It's Legal

Alkaline hydrolysis explained — where it is legal, what providers charge, and how it compares to cremation.

What to Do When Someone Dies: The First 48 Hours

A calm, ordered checklist: pronouncement, who to call, choosing a funeral home, and paperwork.

How to Compare Funeral Homes & Read the Price List

Your Funeral Rule rights, how to compare General Price Lists line by line, and red flags.

How to Pay for a Funeral: VA, Social Security & Aid

VA burial benefits, the $255 Social Security payment, FEMA limits, county aid, and life insurance.

Prepaid Funeral Plans: Pros, Cons & Traps

What prepaying locks in, where the money sits, and the questions to ask before you sign.

Who Has the Legal Right to Make Funeral Arrangements?

The usual priority order, why a written designation beats it, and what happens when families disagree.

Funeral Service Types Explained

Traditional burial, burial with vault, cremation with service, direct cremation, direct burial, green burial.

Scattering Ashes: Laws, Costs & How to Do It

Where you can legally scatter ashes — EPA rules, park permits, private land, and what it costs.

Body & Organ Donation: How It Works

How organ and whole-body donation work, what it costs the family (usually nothing), and how it affects funeral plans.

Obituary Costs: Newspaper Prices & Free Alternatives

Why newspaper obituaries cost hundreds of dollars, and the free alternatives most families miss.

Veterans Burial Benefits: Full 2026 Guide

VA burial allowances, free national cemetery burial, headstones and markers, and how to apply.

Transporting Remains Across State Lines: Rules & Costs

Burial transit permits, airline cargo rules, and what it costs to move remains across state lines.

Your Rights Under the FTC Funeral Rule

Prices by phone, the General Price List, itemized statements, and what no one can require you to buy.

Funeral Glossary in Plain English

Embalming, vaults, caskets, GPLs, cash advances and more — about 30 terms, no jargon.

Last updated 2026-09-23.