That question is the one that I am asked the most when I am out socially. It is an extremely difficult question to answer, as every funeral should be different so that it reflects the life lived, and therefore the costs should reflect this. The choices made with respect to the style of service, coffin, flowers, press notices, catering and celebratory aspects can all impact on price.

When pushed, I answer the ‘How much does a Funeral cost’ question with ‘our Funeral Packages range in costs between $4,310 and $7,720’. Costs will vary greatly depending on whether you choose Cremation or Burial. Cremation is more affordable, whilst the cost of re-opening or purchasing a new grave can be many thousands of dollars depending on the location of the Cemetery. It is best to check with your Funeral Director whether these fees have been included in your initial fee proposal. Note that each Cemetery or Crematorium will charge fixed fees for the services that they provide, and these will not vary between Funeral Directors.

Our professional service fees will include all of the tasks and services typically involved in arranging, planning and conducting a funeral.

Funerals today are often celebratory events and as such many services and people are involved and all of them have costs associated with their offerings. The four main areas of expense when arranging a funeral are:

1) the professional service fees from the Funeral Director,
2) the cost of the coffin or casket which varies in price enormously due to the materials and quality,
3) the Cemetery/Crematoria costs, and;
4) the disbursements paid out on your behalf to third parties such as the cemetery, printed stationery, DVD Tribute, clergy/celebrant, caterer, newspapers etc.

For those wishing to minimise the cost of their funeral, I always encourage families to choose cremation as purchasing a grave is not dissimilar to purchasing land, and therefore can add a considerable amount to the overall cost.