The Estate Planning Guide Est. 2026
By State · Funeral

Cremation vs. Burial Cost by State

Cremation prices are published state by state. Burial prices are not — so this cluster pairs each state's own cremation figures against the national burial median, and labels which is which on every page.

Why one side of this comparison is national. Cremation costs are reported per state, and the figures below are each state's own. Burial costs are not: National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), 2023 General Price List Survey reports a national median, and the largest burial line items — cemetery plot, opening and closing the grave, and the marker — are set by individual cemeteries rather than by state, and are not published per state at all. Rather than estimate 50 burial figures from a national number, we state the national figure as national and leave it visible on every page.

The national burial figures every page compares against

Source: National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), 2023 General Price List Survey. Effective 2023; last verified 2026-08-15.

Type National median
Traditional burial with viewing $8,300
Traditional burial with viewing and vault $9,995
Cremation with viewing $6,280
Direct cremation $2,000 – $2,500

Excludes: Cemetery plot, marker, and opening/closing fees, which NFDA's survey does not include.

Cremation cost by state, against the national burial median

Cremation figures are state-specific. The burial median is national ($8,300) and is the same in every row. Click a column heading to re-sort.
State Direct cremation Cremation with a service Cremation rate Full-service high vs. national burial median
California $895 – $3,000 $5,500 – $9,500 ~68% $1,200 above
Texas $695 – $2,500 $4,000 – $7,500 ~58% $800 below
Florida $750 – $2,800 $4,500 – $7,800 ~76% $500 below
New York $1,200 – $4,000 $6,500 – $11,000 ~52% $2,700 above
Pennsylvania $895 – $2,800 $5,000 – $8,500 ~57% $200 above
Illinois $895 – $3,200 $5,500 – $9,000 ~56% $700 above
Ohio $695 – $2,500 $4,000 – $7,500 ~62% $800 below
Georgia $895 – $2,800 $4,500 – $7,800 ~53% $500 below
North Carolina $895 – $2,800 $4,500 – $7,800 ~64% $500 below
Michigan $695 – $2,500 $4,500 – $8,000 ~68% $300 below
Alabama $895 – $3,000 $3,500 – $6,500 ~40% $1,800 below
Alaska $1,200 – $3,000 $4,000 – $6,500 ~75% $1,800 below
Arizona $950 – $2,200 $3,500 – $7,800 ~75% $500 below
Arkansas $795 – $2,500 $3,000 – $5,500 ~50% $2,800 below
Colorado $795 – $2,000 $3,500 – $6,500 ~75% $1,800 below
Connecticut $1,200 – $3,100 $4,000 – $7,500 ~57% $800 below
Delaware $995 – $2,700 $3,500 – $6,500 ~50% $1,800 below
Hawaii $1,000 – $3,300 $2,800 – $6,500 ~77% $1,800 below
Idaho $895 – $2,500 $4,000 – $7,500 ~70% $800 below
Indiana $895 – $2,500 $3,800 – $7,000 ~55% $1,300 below
Iowa $895 – $2,500 $4,000 – $7,000 ~60% $1,300 below
Kansas $845 – $2,400 $3,800 – $7,000 ~48% $1,300 below
Kentucky $995 – $3,000 $4,000 – $7,000 ~50% $1,300 below
Louisiana $1,000 – $3,000 $4,000 – $7,500 ~44% $800 below
Maine $1,200 – $3,000 $4,000 – $7,000 ~78% $1,300 below
Maryland $1,200 – $3,500 $4,500 – $8,000 ~55% $300 below
Massachusetts $1,200 – $3,800 $4,000 – $7,500 ~58% $800 below
Minnesota $1,200 – $2,800 $3,500 – $6,500 ~65% $1,800 below
Mississippi $1,200 – $3,000 $3,500 – $6,000 ~29% $2,300 below
Missouri $900 – $2,500 $3,000 – $6,500 ~52% $1,800 below
Montana $1,100 – $3,000 $3,500 – $6,000 ~78% $2,300 below
Nebraska $1,070 – $2,300 $3,500 – $6,000 ~63% $2,300 below
Nevada $895 – $2,500 $4,000 – $7,000 ~82% $1,300 below
New Hampshire $1,195 – $3,500 $4,000 – $6,500 ~74% $1,800 below
New Jersey $995 – $3,000 $3,500 – $7,200 ~52% $1,100 below
New Mexico $895 – $2,500 $3,000 – $6,500 ~76% $1,800 below
North Dakota $1,200 – $3,500 $4,000 – $7,500 ~48% $800 below
Oklahoma $795 – $2,800 $3,000 – $6,500 ~53% $1,800 below
Oregon $995 – $2,100 $3,000 – $6,500 ~78% $1,800 below
Rhode Island $1,320 – $2,880 $4,000 – $7,000 ~50% $1,300 below
South Carolina $950 – $2,500 $3,500 – $6,500 ~57% $1,800 below
South Dakota $1,200 – $3,000 $3,500 – $6,500 ~60% $1,800 below
Tennessee $950 – $3,000 $3,500 – $7,000 ~50% $1,300 below
Utah $695 – $3,000 $3,500 – $7,000 ~60% $1,300 below
Vermont $1,200 – $3,500 $4,000 – $7,000 ~72% $1,300 below
Virginia $1,200 – $3,500 $4,000 – $7,000 ~57% $1,300 below
Washington $795 – $3,000 $5,000 – $9,000 ~78% $700 above
West Virginia $1,100 – $2,600 $4,500 – $7,500 ~46% $800 below
Wisconsin $900 – $2,600 $4,500 – $8,000 ~64% $300 below
Wyoming $1,200 – $2,700 $5,000 – $8,500 ~72% $200 above

Six states where a full-service cremation can cost more than the national burial median

The last column is worth reading carefully. In most states the top of the cremation-with-service range sits below the national burial median. In six — California, New York, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Washington and Wyoming — it sits above it.

That is not evidence that burial is cheaper in those states. It is a comparison between a state figure and a national one, and what moves is the cremation side: those states have higher cremation pricing than the national average. Their burial pricing is not published, so the difference cannot be resolved within the state.

What the record shows

Cremation costs are published per state and appear above for all 50. Burial costs are published only as a national median — $8,300 for a traditional burial with viewing, $9,995 with a vault — excluding cemetery plot, marker, and opening and closing fees, which individual cemeteries set and which are not published on a state-by-state basis. Every per-state page in this cluster carries both figures with their scope labelled at the point of use.

Educational information only — not legal, financial, or funeral planning advice. Prices and rules change. Confirm current figures with licensed providers in your state before relying on this page. Sources: National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA), 2023 General Price List Survey; Cremation Association of North America (CANA) 2023 Annual Statistics Report; Federal Trade Commission Funeral Rule, 16 C.F.R. Part 453.