Burying a loved one serves as a step closer to getting over the grief of loss. To ensure that those who have passed away would be able to keep their dignity intact, a proper burial is in order. To do this, you must start looking for a plot at the cemetery first. But how much does a burial plot cost?
Average Cemetery Plots Cost
The average cemetery plot costs between $1,500 and $2,500, but it can range from as low as $700 to as high as $25,000 or more depending on several factors. Understandably, public cemeteries take the lower end of the price spectrum.
The Burial Planning website further details the average cemetery plots price by state per single plot.
- Alabama – $1,582
- California – $3,915
- Colorado – $2,037
- Delaware – $1,181
- Florida – $1,239
- Georgia – $1,367
- Indiana – $1,194
- Iowa – $1,465
- Kansas – $1,262
- Kentucky – $1,211
- Michigan – $1,455
- Missouri – $1,774
- Mississippi – $1,128
- North Carolina – $1,291
- Ohio – $1,213
- Oregon – $1,222
- Pennsylvania – $1,209
- South Carolina – $1,100
- Tennessee – $1,311
- Virginia – $1,276
- Washington – $1,372
- West Virginia – $1,245
What Affects The Cost of Burial Plot?
Determining the cost of burial plots would depend on your location, the position of the grave plot within the cemetery, the type of the burial plot, and when you intend to buy.
For instance, a burial plot in California or Florida costs higher than if you’re going to buy one in Kentucky. The choice of whether to buy a plot in a local or private cemetery also plays a big role and whether you opted for cremation or not.
Furthermore, if you want a special place for the cemetery plot such as on top of a small hill or in a patch of land that is not yet crowded, you would have to pay more for the added privilege.
There are also types of burial plots that you could choose from besides the single plot previously mentioned, namely:
- Companion Plots – Two plots sold together; could be side-by-side or on top of each other. A West Resthaven Park Cemetery companion plot in Glendale, Arizona listed on eBay’s burial plots for sale costs $10,000, while in Devotion Garden in Roselawn Murfreesboro, TN, it costs $5,400.
- Family Plots – These are several gravesites confined in a small area in the cemetery that are pre-purchased for the members of a single family. These can typically range from $5,000 to $25,000 and possibly more depending on the location, with the number of plots ranging from two to six.
- Plots for Cremated Remains – Burying cremation urns alongside buried caskets are allowed by some cemeteries. These typically cost around $350 to $500 in public cemeteries and around $1,000 to $2,500 in private cemeteries.
Lastly, when you will buy the plot would also affect its exact cost. You could either opt to be an early bird by securing your interment rights as soon as possible, or wait until you already have a need for the cemetery plot.
Buying a burial plot in advance might be considered a rather morbid move for many people. However, there has been a growing demand for a pre-need burial plot due to rapidly-increasing prices of land and real estate in general.
Aside from this, people tend to be more practical nowadays that they’d rather be ready for anything so they can enjoy their lives worry-free. On the other hand, others just don’t have any family or relatives who will take care of things once they’ve passed on that they have to take these matters into their own hands while they still can.
The advantage of taking this route is that it will obviously be cheaper. The more people need something real quick, the more likely they need to pay for it at a much higher cost. You will also likely not be able to haggle for the price even if it’s negotiable as you need it ASAP.
Additional Costs
Obviously, burying a loved one does not only include the expenses for the cemetery plot but a plethora of other funeral cost breakdowns as well. To have a better idea of the additional costs, here’s a funeral prices list to consider:
- Mausoleum Crypt – $4,000 to $15,000
- Endowment Care – $150 to $800
- Burial Vault – $900 to $7,000
- Grave Liner – $700 to $1,000
- Opening and Closing the Grave – $1,000 to $3,200
- Headstone or Grave Marker – $500 to $5,000
- Installation of Headstone or Grave Marker – $200 to $2,000
You may also pay the funeral home around $725 for the transportation of the remains to the cemetery. In addition to that, there are many companies that will require you to pay a cash advance. This will be used for verification of the death certificate, preparation of notices, and permit for the burial.
Sample Prices
The cost of burial plots varies from cemetery to cemetery. For instance, the Penn Forest Cemetery in Pittsburgh sells a 4’ by 8’ lot costing $2,400 for buyers who want to choose the location of the plot themselves. As for an ordinary grave plot that the company will choose for the client, the price would be $2,000 per lot.
In addition, you would have to pay $600 if you prefer burying ashes in cemetery as some allow clients to bury the cremated remains of their loved ones along with a normal burial.
The total body burial fee of Penn Forest amounts to $1,800.00, the cremated remains burial fee about $600, and the payment for scattering cremated remains costs about $600.
On the other hand, the average price of cemetery plots in Round Hill Cemetery, also based in Pittsburgh, runs from $500 to $2,800 for the grave lot, depending on the size. Other fees include opening and closing of the grave, which could cost $1,200 if you choose to hold it inside the chapel, and $1,300 to $1,475 if you prefer doing it at the gravesite. Furthermore, opening and closing of an infant’s grave would cost you $100.
As for funeral packages, the company Forest Lawn in Glendale, CA offers these services:
- Harmony Package with Cemetery Services – $9,995
- Traditions Package with Cemetery Services – $11,890
- Heritage Package with Cemetery Services – $13,070
- Elegance Package with Cemetery Services – $16,875
Veteran Cemeteries
Those veterans who have served the country will have no problem in this department. This is because the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs arranges burial benefits that include a gravesite of choice from the national cemeteries in the country as long as there are vacant spaces. They may even prefer to be buried somewhere private if they wish.
The benefits also cover the grave’s opening and closing, maintenance, Presidential Memorial Certificate, marker or headstone of the government, and a burial flag. All of these come at no extra cost for the family as a token of appreciation to the veterans’ dedication during their lifetime.