Shopping Around for a Funeral Home: How to Compare Prices

Yes, it is worth comparing funeral homes, and you are allowed to do it by phone. The same service can cost thousands of dollars more at one funeral home than another. In a 2023 survey of hundreds of funeral homes in Maryland, Delaware and Washington, DC, the lowest-priced direct cremation at each home started at $875 and ran above $5,500 at the top end.

Why compare funeral homes at all?

Most people choose a funeral home because it is close, because the family has used it before or because someone recommended it. The FTC warns that choosing this way may mean paying more than necessary.

The price gap is real. The Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA), a nonprofit consumer group, says the price of an identical service "can vary by thousands of dollars" depending on which funeral home you choose. A 2023 price survey by its Maryland chapter found a wide spread for the simplest service there is, direct cremation. The survey counted only the base price, which in most cases did not include a container or urn.

Those figures come from one region in one year, so they will not match your area. They do show why a few phone calls can be worth the effort. To see typical totals, read our guide to the average funeral cost breakdown.

What does the Funeral Rule let you do?

The FTC Funeral Rule gives you several rights that make comparison possible. Any funeral provider that sells both funeral goods and services must follow it.

• Prices by phone. Funeral directors must give you price information by phone if you ask, and you do not have to give your name, address or phone number first.
• A price list to keep. If you ask in person about goods, services or prices, the funeral home must give you its General Price List (GPL) when the discussion begins. The list is yours to take home. For more detail, see our guide to the General Price List.
• Casket and container lists. Before showing you any caskets, the home must give you a written casket price list. Homes that sell outer burial containers must do the same for those.
• Only what you choose. A funeral home cannot require you to buy one item in order to get another, except where the law requires it.
• An itemized statement. Before you pay, you must get a written statement listing every item you chose and its price.
• Outside caskets and urns. The funeral home cannot refuse to handle a casket or urn you bought elsewhere, or charge you a fee for using it.

The Rule does not require funeral homes to put prices on their websites. The FTC asked for public comment on that idea in 2022, and no final rule had changed the requirements as of September 2026. Many homes still post no prices online, so you may need to call or email. See our guide to the FTC Funeral Rule for the full list of protections.

How to compare funeral homes, step by step

1. Decide roughly what you want. Burial, cremation, a service with the body present or a memorial later all lead to different prices. If you are unsure, our funeral type finder can help you narrow it down.
2. Make a short list. The FCA suggests getting quotes from five or six funeral homes. Check whether your local FCA group has published a price survey, since many do. You can find them on the FCA price survey page. Include homes in neighboring towns.
3. Get the GPL from each one. Ask for it by email, or read it on the website if it is posted. If you phone, ask for the price of the specific service you want.
4. Line up the same items side by side. Use the table below, and write each home's total for your service on one page.
5. Read reviews and complaints. The FTC suggests searching each business name with words like "complaint" or "review."
6. Visit your top choices if you can. The FCA suggests making an appointment, having the director review the price list with you, and judging whether the director seems helpful and trustworthy.
7. Get an itemized statement before you pay. Check it against the GPL.

What should you compare on a price list?

Only some items are the same from home to home, so compare these lines first.

The FCA lists common warning signs on a price list, including missing options, hand-written prices, "free" items that appear to be paid for elsewhere, and a cremation or burial charge that is the same or higher if you supply your own casket (an illegal handling fee).

What should you ask each funeral home?

Use the same questions each time, so the answers are easy to compare. Our list of questions to ask a funeral director goes further.

• What is the total for [the service you want], including every fee and the crematory or cemetery charges you know about?
• What does the basic services fee cover?
• Does the price include a cremation container, or is that extra?
• How long will you hold the body before adding a sheltering or refrigeration charge? In the 2023 FCAME survey, many homes held a body for as little as 6 to 24 hours before adding charges that ran $75 to $150 or more per day.
• Are there surcharges for weekends, late-day services, long transport distances or a heavier body? The 2023 survey notes that extra charges like these exist.
• Will you embalm only if I approve it?
• Do you own a crematory or use an outside one, and does the price include that fee?
• Is this funeral home independently owned, or part of a larger company?

Independent homes, chains and cremation providers

The FTC notes that some neighborhood funeral homes look locally owned when a national company owns them. It suggests asking directly who owns the home. Ownership does not tell you the price, so compare the GPL either way. Our guide to independent vs chain funeral homes covers the differences.

Homes that specialize in cremation often charge the least for it, according to the FCA, but not always, so check each price list. If you do not want a viewing, you do not need to visit in person, so a provider farther away may be worth considering. Ask about transport charges first. Our guide to finding a direct cremation provider covers that in more detail.

Are packages cheaper than itemized prices?

Sometimes. The FTC says many funeral homes offer packages that may cost less than buying the items separately. A package can still include things you do not want, such as extra vehicles or printed items.

Compare the package total with the itemized total for the same things. You can drop items from a package, because you are entitled to choose only what you want.

Can you change funeral homes after the first call?

Usually yes. A funeral home may have moved your loved one from the hospital or home, but you can still pick a different provider. The first home may charge for the services it has already provided, and every GPL must list prices for forwarding remains to another funeral home and for receiving remains from one, so ask both homes. Our guide on switching funeral directors walks through the steps.

What if a funeral home will not follow the rules?

If a funeral home will not give you prices, will not itemize or charges a fee for an outside casket, report it to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and to your state attorney general. You can also contact your state's funeral licensing board.

What to do next

1. Write down the service you want and set a rough budget with your family.
2. Call or email three to six funeral homes and ask for the GPL and a total for that service.
3. Compare them with the table above and pick your top two.
4. Ask for an itemized statement before you sign anything.