The two lowest-cost ways to handle a death are usually direct cremation and immediate burial. Both happen soon after death, with no embalming and no viewing, and the FTC says both usually cost less than a traditional full-service funeral. You can still hold a service. It just happens without the body present, or at the graveside.
If you want a traditional funeral, you can still bring the price down a lot. The federal Funeral Rule gives you the right to see prices, pick only what you want, and bring in a casket or urn from somewhere else.
It's normal to want to keep the cost down. A simple arrangement can still come with a service that means something.
What are the lowest-cost options?
We read the General Price Lists (GPLs) of funeral homes across the country between September 19 and October 23, 2026. Here's what the simplest options cost on those lists.
| Option | Homes checked | Middle (median) price | Middle half of homes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct cremation | 1,674 | $2,695 | $2,016 to $3,309 |
| Immediate burial, family provides the casket | 1,446 | $3,795 | $2,995 to $4,714 |
| Immediate burial, with the home's casket | 1,435 | $5,260 | $4,199 to $6,338 |
These prices already include the funeral home's basic services fee. For immediate burial, the cemetery is a separate bill (the grave, opening and closing it, and any liner the cemetery requires). Our guide on how much a burial costs walks through that side.
Direct cremation
With direct cremation, the body is cremated shortly after death, without embalming. The family gets the ashes back and can hold a memorial whenever and wherever they like.
No state or local law requires a casket for cremation, according to the FTC. A funeral home that offers direct cremation must offer an alternative container, a simple box made of unfinished wood, pressed wood, fiberboard or cardboard, and make it available.
Prices for the same service can be far apart in one city. In Los Angeles, our page shows 55 checked price lists, with direct cremation from $1,030 to $5,650 and a middle price of $2,555 (lists checked by October 23, 2026). See the Los Angeles cremation prices. A few calls can make a real difference. Our direct cremation guide covers what's included.
Immediate burial
Immediate burial means the body is buried soon after death, with no viewing, usually in a simple container. A graveside service can be added. The GPL has to show a separate immediate burial price for when the family provides the casket. On the lists we checked, the middle price was $3,795 for immediate burial with the family's casket, and $5,260 with a casket from the home. Our guide to immediate burial explains each price line.
Donating the body
Whole-body donation to a medical school or research program is another route some families take. What a program covers, such as transport or cremation afterward, differs from one to the next, so ask each program directly. Our guide to donating your body to science explains how it works.
How can you lower the cost of a traditional funeral?
A few steps make the biggest difference.
- Compare price lists. Funeral homes must give you prices over the phone if you ask, and a GPL to keep when you visit. Call two or three homes and ask for the same items from each. Our guide to comparing funeral home prices and how to read a General Price List can help.
- Choose items one by one. You can buy only the arrangements you want. You don't have to accept a package that includes things you don't want.
- Decline embalming where you can. The FTC says embalming generally isn't necessary or legally required if the body is buried or cremated shortly after death. The middle embalming price on the lists we checked was $910. See embalming costs and when it's required.
- Bring your own casket or urn. A funeral home can't refuse a casket or urn you bought somewhere else, and it can't charge you a fee to use it. On the lists we checked, the middle price for a home's least expensive casket was $1,195. Read more in casket prices.
- Skip the outer burial container if the cemetery allows it. No state law requires a vault or liner. Many cemeteries do, to keep the grave from caving in. If yours does, ask whether a grave liner meets the rule, and the FTC says buying one from a third-party dealer may cost less than from a funeral home or cemetery. The middle price for a home's least expensive liner or vault was $1,495.
- Hold the service later. A memorial service can happen without the body present, at the graveside or later. It can be at home, a park or a place of worship. Our guide to a simple memorial service has ideas.
One fee you can't avoid is the funeral home's basic services fee, which covers the services common to every funeral, whatever you choose. The middle price on the lists we checked was $2,800. It's already counted in the direct cremation and immediate burial prices above.
Can you get help paying?
Depending on where you live and who died, there may be public or charitable help. Our guide to funeral financial assistance lists where to look.
If the person was a veteran, a VA national cemetery provides the gravesite, opening and closing, perpetual care, and a headstone or marker at no cost to the family. Funeral home charges are still the family's.
VA may also pay a burial allowance: for a death on or after October 1, 2026, VA's page lists $1,032 toward burial and $1,032 toward a plot, and up to $2,000 when the death was connected to military service (for deaths on or after September 11, 2001). Check VA's page for the amount that applies. Our veterans burial benefits guide explains who qualifies and how to apply.
Frequently asked questions
What is the cheapest way to have a funeral?
Usually direct cremation, then immediate burial. On the price lists we checked, the middle price was $2,695 for direct cremation and $3,795 for immediate burial with the family's own casket. Immediate burial also has a cemetery bill on top.
Does the funeral home have to tell me prices over the phone?
Yes. Under the FTC's Funeral Rule, a funeral home must give price information by phone if you ask. When you visit in person, it must give you a General Price List to keep.
Can I hold a service with direct cremation?
Yes. You can hold a memorial service before or after the cremation, without the body present. Some families hold it weeks later, at home or somewhere that meant something to the person.
Do I have to buy the casket from the funeral home?
No. You can buy a casket or urn elsewhere, including online. The funeral home has to accept it and can't charge you a fee for using it.
Sources
- FTC: The FTC Funeral Rule
- FTC: Types of Funerals
- FTC: Funeral Costs and Pricing Checklist
- eCFR: 16 CFR Part 453, Funeral Industry Practices
- VA: Veterans Burial Allowance
- VA National Cemetery Administration: Burial and Memorial Benefits
- HonestFarewell: checked General Price Lists