How much do funerals really cost?

Traditional funeral costs have increased no faster than the consumer price index for other consumer items. The typical traditional service cost at Paul L. Murphy & Sons including staff and facility fees for visitation and the funeral service, automotive equipment, a casket, and grave liner or vault is between $4,800 and $8,500, not including the cash advance for clergy, flowers, catering, cemetery expenses, death certificates, organist, hair dressers, and so forth.

In 1998 the charge for an adult, full-service funeral, was $5,020; This includes a professional service charge, transfer of remains, embalming, other preparation, use of viewing facilities, use of facilities for ceremony, hearse, limousine, and casket. The casket included in this price is an 18-gauge steel casket with velvet interior that may or may not be the most common casket chosen. Vault, cemetery and monument charges are additional.
(Source: 1999 NFDA Survey of Funeral Home Operations.)