9 PRICES TRACKED
Casket
From a simple cloth-covered box to solid hardwood or metal. Funeral homes mark these up heavily, and by law you can buy your own elsewhere.
Every price we track (hover a dot)
The gap: advertised vs actually paid (medians)
People reported paying 37% less than the advertised list price for casket.
List prices are advertised prices; paid figures are what people reported, often for different cases and from a small sample so far. Treat the gap as a signal, not a quote.
Quoted vs actually paid (real submissions)
The strongest signal there is: what one person was quoted, and what the same job actually cost them.
- quoted $949↔paid $9490%
Personal review, author bought a Costco casket for an aunt's funeral
| Year | Region | Provider | What it was | List | Paid | Src |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | California | Independent | CasketMidgley Gardenside Mortuary: cloth-covered cardboard casket with ivory crepe lining | $685 | — | source |
| 2018 | US unspecified | Unknown | Casket (bought direct from Costco)Personal review, author bought a Costco casket for an aunt's funeral | — | $949quoted $949 | source |
| 2026 | National | National chain (SCI/Dignity Memorial) | CasketCasket Emporium Oxford Series, blue metal casket with plush interior, sold via Walmart Marketplace | $995 | — | source |
| 2026 | National | National chain (SCI/Dignity Memorial) | CasketThe Oxford Casket by Prime, sold via Costco Next, ships nationwide | $1,350 | — | source |
| 2026 | Texas | Independent | CasketBill DeBerry Funeral Directors, Denton, Texas, general price list, effective April 15 2026: 20 gauge steel casket, minimum finish, crepe interior | $1,495 | — | source |
| 2022 | North Carolina | Independent | Steel casket (Valencia 20 gauge)Painter Funeral and Cremation Services (Stanley, NC) casket price list, effective Nov 2022 - Valencia 20 gauge steel | $1,997 | — | source |
| 2023 | US unspecified | Unknown | Metal burial casketChoice Mutual median metal burial casket, national | $2,500 | — | source |
| 2023 | National | Unknown | Casket, metal burial casket national medianNFDA 2023 Member General Price List Study, national median price for a metal burial casket, unchanged from the 2021 survey | $2,500survey avg | — | source |
| 2026 | Texas | Independent | CasketBill DeBerry Funeral Directors, Denton, Texas, general price list: mahogany hardwood casket with velvet interior (top-tier line runs to $13,994) | $7,855 | — | source |
Common questions
How much does casket cost in the US?
Across 9 real US prices, the median is $1,495, ranging from $685 to $7,855. These are published General Price List figures and bills families actually paid, not estimates.
Why do casket prices vary so much?
Funeral homes set their own fees, and third-party costs like the cemetery plot or crematory vary by state. A national chain and a local independent can be thousands apart for the same service.
How can I pay less for casket?
Ask several funeral homes for their General Price List (they must give it to you under the FTC Funeral Rule), compare the basic services fee, consider a direct cremation, and buy your own casket if you want. You are never obliged to accept the first quote.
Related free guides
Methodology: prices here are figures from funeral homes' General Price Lists (required by the FTC Funeral Rule) and bills families reported paying. Each row says which it is, with a link to the source where one exists. We never estimate and no sponsor can touch a number.