How Much Does a Funeral Cost in Massachusetts?

Funeral homes in 13 other states charge a median of $6,393 for a funeral with a viewing and burial and $2,290 for a direct cremation. No Massachusetts price lists are in these figures.

State

Arrangement

Direct cremationImmediate burialGraveside service and burialFuneral with viewing and burial

Casket Price

Funeral with viewing and burial, across 13 states

Embalming, a viewing and a funeral ceremony at the funeral home, then burial.

$6,393

Median of 276 price lists from 13 states, with the lowest-priced casket each funeral home sells. No Massachusetts price lists are in this figure.

$2,000

Median $6,393

$10,500 or more

276 price lists from 13 states. Half charge under $6,393, one in ten under $4,785, one in ten $8,915 or more.

What the total includes

Basic services of the funeral director and staff$2,330

Transfer of the remains to the funeral home$500

Embalming$895

Other preparation of the body$195

Use of the facilities and staff for a viewing$435

Use of the facilities and staff for a funeral ceremony$600

Hearse$395

Casket, the least expensive on the list$1,195

Median total$6,393

Not included in the total

Cemetery: The plot, opening and closing the grave, and the marker are billed by the cemetery.
Outer burial container: A vault or grave liner is priced separately on the funeral home's list.
Other costs: Clergy, an obituary, flowers and anything else the funeral home pays others on the family’s behalf cost extra.

Massachusetts rules

Embalming: Not required by law
Licensed funeral director: Not required — a family may legally direct the disposition itself
Public burial or cremation program: Department of Transitional Assistance burial program (M.G.L. c. 117A § 9) and municipal veterans' burial agents (M.G.L. c. 115 § 8)

Massachusetts burial and cremation laws.

General information about the median price funeral homes charge for four funeral arrangements, taken from the general price lists they post. Each total is added up from a single funeral home's price list, and the median is taken across the price lists that price every item in the arrangement. A price list that covers several locations is counted once, and outdated price lists are left out. Where a state has too few price lists for an arrangement, the figure shown is the median across every state with price lists. Federal law requires a funeral home to give its general price list to anyone who asks in person. Consult the funeral home for its current general price list. Pricing verified Nov 10, 2026

Across 276 funeral homes' price lists from 13 other states, the median price of a funeral with a viewing and burial is $6,393. None of those price lists is from Massachusetts. The price covers the basic services fee, the transfer of the remains to the funeral home, embalming and other preparation, use of the facilities for the viewing and the ceremony, the hearse, and the lowest-priced casket the funeral home sells. A graveside service and burial with no viewing costs a median of $5,700. Cemetery charges are separate.

Across 864 funeral homes' price lists from 13 other states, the median price of a direct cremation, a cremation with no viewing or ceremony, is $2,290. None of those price lists is from Massachusetts. One price list in ten charges $1,195 or less, and one in ten charges $3,655 or more. A memorial service and an urn cost extra.

Across 780 funeral homes' price lists from 13 other states, the median price of an immediate burial, a burial with no viewing or ceremony, is $3,500. None of those price lists is from Massachusetts. A graveside service and burial, with a hearse and the lowest-priced casket the funeral home sells, costs a median of $5,700. Neither figure includes the cemetery's charges for the plot, opening and closing the grave, or the marker.

Yes. Under federal law, a funeral home must give a general price list to anyone who asks in person about its goods, services or prices. The list is printed, shows the date its prices took effect, and is handed over at the start of that conversation. It prices each item separately, so the same items can be compared from one funeral home to the next.

A funeral home's price list covers only the funeral home's own goods and services. The cemetery charges separately for the plot, opening and closing the grave, and the marker. Anything the funeral home pays others on the family's behalf is added to the bill: a separate crematory's fee, clergy, an obituary and flowers. There is a public program in Massachusetts for a family that cannot pay: Department of Transitional Assistance burial program (M.G.L. c. 117A § 9) and municipal veterans' burial agents (M.G.L. c. 115 § 8). The Massachusetts burial and cremation laws page has the details.

What a Funeral Costs in Massachusetts

Across 883 funeral homes' price lists in 13 states, the median price is $2,290 for a direct cremation, $3,500 for an immediate burial, $5,700 for a graveside service and burial, and $6,393 for a funeral with a viewing and burial. None of those price lists is from Massachusetts, so the figures show what the same arrangements cost elsewhere. The graveside service and the funeral with a viewing include the lowest-priced casket each funeral home sells.

Prices differ from one funeral home to the next. Across 13 states, one price list in ten charges $1,195 or less for a direct cremation, and one in ten charges $3,655 or more. For a funeral with a viewing and burial, the same range runs from $4,785 to $8,915.

The prices can be compared because federal law sets what every funeral home's price list contains. A funeral home must give a general price list, printed and dated, to anyone who asks in person about its goods, services or prices. The list itemizes the basic services fee, the transfer of the remains, embalming, use of the facilities for a viewing and for a ceremony, the hearse, and the price range of its caskets. Massachusetts funeral homes' price lists have the same items as those in any other state.

Embalming is priced separately on the list, and in Massachusetts it is not required by law. A licensed funeral director is not required — a family may legally direct the disposition itself.

These figures leave out the cemetery's charges (the plot, opening and closing the grave, and the marker) and anything the funeral home pays others on the family's behalf. There is a public program in Massachusetts for a family that cannot pay: Department of Transitional Assistance burial program (M.G.L. c. 117A § 9) and municipal veterans' burial agents (M.G.L. c. 115 § 8).

Legal Sources

(4)·Updated November 9, 2026

SimplyTrust Editorial

Data sourced from Massachusetts statutes and official state code. Funeral prices are medians of funeral homes' general price lists; each figure's note says how many. How we research.

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