Mausoleums can be one special way to pay respect to our dearly departed loved ones. They are an above–ground burial place, also called an entombment, where a dry-sealed chamber is built so that the casket can be placed inside. However, the first order of business is to know how much a mausoleum costs, as this surely isn’t going to be as cheap as you imagine.
Various Mausoleum Prices
The most affordable mausoleum costs start at $4,000 to $5,000 for a single crypt at outdoor community mausoleums. Outdoor crypts are less expensive than indoor ones. Usually, community mausoleums in churches and cemeteries have hundreds of crypts available for purchase and are sold individually.
For upscale locations, the average cost of a mausoleum can range from $15,000 to $35,000, depending on the number of crypts and the style.
For families who consider building their mausoleum as a private one, the cost can start at $25,000 to $50,000 for the basic type. This kind of mausoleum is smaller and could be more costly depending on the design and customization.
The walk-in mausoleum prices are the most expensive. They can range from about $200,000 to $500,000, or even up to a million or more. On the other hand, the most basic style for the vestibule costs around $87,000.
Mausoleums and Crypts
In a cemetery, there are three different kinds of mausoleums.
- Indoor mausoleum is where the crypts are located inside the structure and typically have skylights and benches. The cost starts at $85,000.
- Outdoor mausoleum is a space shared by several crypts located outdoors or in a garden. The price starts at $150,000.
- Private mausoleums are private structures where crypts are kept. The structure could either be indoor or outdoor, which can greatly affect the cost. The price also depends on the number of crypts involved.
On the other hand, the types of crypts that can be placed in a mausoleum are the following:
- Single crypt is where only one remains can be placed in a casket. The cost starts at $15,000.
- Side-by-side crypts are designed for two remains, most of the time, couples, to be buried side by side in the mausoleum. The cost of this type of crypt starts at $23,000.
- Companion crypt is usually designed for two people but only takes a single crypt. It is sometimes called an “end-to-end” crypt and typically shares a single marker, although each can have their own marker. This starts at $22,000.Family Crypt or sometimes called the Westminster Crypt, is capable of accommodating many crypts, that could either be lined or stacked on top of each other. Each person’s remains could have their own marker, or sometimes the whole clan may share a single marker large enough to accommodate every person’s name. This type of crypt’s cost starts at $35,000.
A special place for the remains that have been cremated is called a columbarium. The only difference is that the wall spaces called niches are smaller in size as compared to a mausoleum with crypts in it.
Additional Costs
If and when the time comes that you need to purchase a private or community mausoleum, whether for yourself or as a final resting place for your family in the future, be aware that burial entails a lot of other costs.
You can even plan on your casket being used, which can range from $1,000 to $7,000 or even more, depending on the design and materials. Another would be the embalming cost, which includes the makeup for the dead, which costs from $300 to $1,100. The entombment fee would cost around $500–$2,000.
Some states would require plot and mausoleum owners to set up an endowment care trust fund to ensure that maintenance and upkeep are continuously carried out. Endowment care typically costs around $150 to $800.
Some funeral homes will provide a funeral package that can cost anywhere from $6,000 to $15,000. This service already includes embalming, caskets, and procession services.
Factors Affecting The Cost of Mausoleum
Some people may not like the idea of talking about death or preparing for that day. But if you look at the practical side of things, the best time to think about mausoleum prices – even your own – is when things are going well in your life.
Also, considering that the average rate of a mausoleum increases every year as it is also considered real estate, it can really be a great idea to begin preparing for that day, no matter how morbid that may sound.
It is now also essential to know the different factors that could affect the purchase price if these could help you plan better what choices to make. Some of these are the following:
- Size – the cost of the mausoleum would always be directly proportional to its size and the number of crypts it can house.
- Style or type – choices can be garden style or sepulcher, vestibule, or walk-in. They can have one, two, or several crypts, etc. In terms of pricing, obviously, private mausoleums are more expensive than those found in public or community settings. Walk-in mausoleums are most likely the most costly.
- Location – Since the crypts are made into a wall-like structure, the higher the location of the crypt in a mausoleum, the cheaper the price. The most expensive ones are those located at around the eye level of a person.
The location, in terms of the locality where the mausoleum is built, has a major effect on the price, or the cemetery site cost. For example, a walk-in mausoleum in Texas starts at $350,000, while you can purchase one for around $200,000 elsewhere.
- Materials – the choice of materials for the mausoleum will definitely take up a large portion of the overall cost of the mausoleum. You can always opt for the lower quality materials for a lower cost, but expect them to not last up to the normal useful life of those on the higher end quality materials.
Why People Prefer Mausoleums?
All cost considerations aside, why would people want a mausoleum rather than have their loved ones buried six feet below the ground? Here are the following possibilities:
- Some people are too squeamish about the idea of being buried underground and can imagine all sorts of “unthinkables”. Having an above-ground option saves them from having to deal with those wild thoughts.
- The idea of having a private space for loved ones even in the afterlife can be appealing to everyone. Beside not having your dearly departed loved ones’ resting place exposed to the public eye, you can also visit and pay your respects in peace.
- Being a concrete setup makes mausoleums less likely to be constantly maintained, although cleaning once in a while is still required. But unlike lawns, you do not need to tend to the grass by watering and cutting it every so often.
- Even when they are gone, we tend to want to still spoil our loved ones by giving them the best resting place they could have. Mausoleums are a great choice since we can choose whatever design we like and decorate them to our hearts’ content. This is unlike an underground burial site where designs can be limited to just the headstones and some flowers, and that’s it.
- Although building a mausoleum can be very costly at first, it is more economical if you intend to have the family be in one place later on. This is particularly true when you are in an area where lots or burial plots can be very expensive.
- There are areas in the US where the water table is so high that more often than not, even shallow burial plots or graves can be filled with water. Because of this, it is not an uncommon occurrence to see coffins surface during floods. Hence, opting for mausoleums is often the wise choice.
- If you live in an area where mausoleums have been a tradition of sorts for burying the dearly departed, you wouldn’t want to be the only one of the few to deviate from the norms, right?