Gravesites Cost

• A burial plot in a public cemetery averages $200 -$900 (often including the one-time perpetual care endowment fee) for cemetery district residents, but costs for non-residents as much as double. Infant or baby burial plots are less expensive than those for adults, and rural cemeteries often cost less than urban ones. Prices can increase to $1,000 -$2,000 and more in areas where land is at a premium. Gravesites in rural Margaretta Township in Ohio are $425 for residents, $675 for non-residents and $225 for the baby section.
• Gravesites in privately owned cemeteries start between $1,000 and $2,000; average $2,000 -$3,000; and can be $3,500 -$5,000 or more depending on amenities and location -- with "location" referring both to where the cemetery is located and whether the plot is in a more-desirable section within the cemetery, such as on a shaded hillside or next to a waterfall, pond or other picturesque feature. The private but nonprofit David's Cemetery in Ohio charges $810 -$1,040 for just the gravesite in a section allowing a flat grave marker, $1,855 -$2,100 in an area allowing upright monuments and $985 in the baby section, which includes a contribution to the perpetual endowment fund.
• A burial plot with a lawn crypt can cost $2,000 -$12,000 or more. See How Much Does a Lawn Crypt Cost.
• A cemetery plot for burying cremation ashes can be $300 -$2,000, depending on whether it's a public or private cemetery. The city cemetery in Davis, CA, sells cremation burial plots for $350 -$450, while in the privately owned Jefferson Memorial Cemetery In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, cremation gravesites are $775 -$1,732.
• All veterans who served honorably in any branch of the United States armed forces are entitled to free burial in a national cemetery. This includes the gravesite, a grave marker, a concrete grave liner/vault, internment (opening and closing the grave) and installing the marker, but not the cost of a funeral, casket or related costs. Eligibility details are available from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

• A burial plot can be single (allowing for one casket at the traditional six-foot depth) or double (room for two caskets, side by side). A single site may also be double depth, meaning one casket is buried approximately seven feet deep, and a second casket is eventually buried on top of the first, at the standard six-foot depth.
• There are four basic types of cemetery ownership: public or district cemeteries operated by a city or county; religious cemeteries owned by a specific organization such as the Catholic Church; private cemeteries owned by a company or corporation; and national or state-run veterans' cemeteries. Within that framework, cemeteries tend to be either traditional or memorial style. Traditional cemeteries have upright monuments/gravestones, and may allow private family mausoleums for above-ground burial. Memorial parks or memorial gardens usually allow only flat markers/headstones that are placed flush to the ground, making it easy to mow over them and creating a more garden-like atmosphere. Some memorial parks/gardens do allow upright monuments, but only in specific sections. WhatHappensNow.com provides a cemetery overview.

• In addition to the cost of the burial plot, it can run $250 -$600 for a simple flat granite grave marker or $1,000 -$3,000 and up for an upright monument. See How Much Do Headstones Cost.
• Many private cemeteries require a grave liner or burial vault to protect the casket underground, with costs starting at $400 -$5,000. See How Much Do Burial Vaults Cost.
• Internment fees (for opening and closing the grave, replacing the sod, legally required record keeping and related services) can add another $350 -$900 in a public cemetery and $600 -$3,000 or more in private cemeteries. In the city-run cemetery in Bloomington, MN, interment fees are $300 for an infant, $600 for a child and $750 for an adult; and at the private Jefferson Memorial Cemetery in Pittsburgh, PA, internment fees vary from $1,090 -$1,368 for full burial, or $215 -$731 for cremation burial sites.

• People who purchased gravesites in advance (usually to be buried near other family members) and then either hit financial difficulties or moved out of the area are selling their cemetery plots at discounted prices on specialized sites such as FinalArrangementsNetwork.com. Before buying a "preowned" gravesite, find out how much the cemetery charges for internment and other services.

• When selecting a burial plot, ask about restrictions on the use of markers, monuments, flowers or wreaths; whether a grave liner or burial vault is required; the cost of internment; how the cemetery will be maintained in the future; and if reselling an unused plot is allowed. The people's Memorial Association in Seattle provides a checklist for cemetery plot costs.
• Check with a local nonprofit funeral or memorial society for information about nearby cemetery options.
• The US Department of Veterans affairs lists national veterans cemeteries nationwide, as well as veterans cemeteries that are state run.

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