Over half of Americans are cremated (57.5%), and a fair percentage of those people are also buried. That’s right. When you get cremated you can do both.
It turns out that over 35% of cremains are buried. It’s an option that some people are gravitating towards for religious reasons or because they like the idea of having a final resting place. Many people who choose traditional burial do so for the same reasons. But there are some key differences between traditional burial plots and cremation burial plots, price being one of them.
A traditional burial plot isn’t cheap in some areas, and there are cities with a shortage of burial space, which means plots are sold at a premium. But how much does a cremation burial plot cost? What’s a fair price? Let’s go over the factors that affect price and what you can expect to pay for a cremation burial plot.
Typical Cost for a Cremation Burial Plot
Here’s what you really want to know. You can expect to pay at least $350 for a cremation plot. However, the cost can range from $0 to well over $2,500.
How could burying cremains be free? Technically, it isn’t free, but It may be possible to bury cremains in a burial plot that is already owned by the family. Depending on the cemetery’s policies, the cremains could be buried in an empty plot or on top of or alongside a casket in an existing burial plot. If this is the case, the only cost is the opening and closing fees.
Factors That Influence the Cost of a Cremation Burial Plot
You may have seen our article on why burial plots cost so much. That information is specific to traditional burial plots that hold a casket, but many of the same factors also influence the cost of a burial plot for cremated remains. Here are also a few other factors that are more specific to cremation burial.
All Real Estate is Local, Even Cremation Burial Plot
The first thing to remember when determining a fair price for a burial plot is that the prices vary by location. A cremation plot is a piece of land, which means it’s real estate. Real estate prices are hyper-local and based on many factors ranging from the amount of vacant land to the industries propping up the economy in the immediate area.
Moral of the story – don’t compare prices to what others paid in another city or state. You can only compare the price to other cremation burial plots in your city.
What to Do – Call local cemeteries and ask them if they have burial plots for cremated remains. If they do ask what the plot fees are and how many urns the plot can accommodate.
Availability of Cremation Plots
At the moment, cemeteries allocate a lot more space for traditional burial plots than cremation plots. Availability can have a huge impact on price since prices are driven by supply and demand like many other commodities and types of real estate.
Size of the Cremation Burial Plot
Plots for a traditional burial are pretty standard size. With cremation burial, there’s a little more variance. Some cremation plots can accommodate more than one urn, and that’s factored into the cost. Basically, the larger the plot is the more it will cost, but if you plan to bury the cremains of more than one person a larger plot could be more cost-effective.
Public vs. Private Cemetery
Currently, private cemeteries are more expensive to be buried all around. Generally, the cost of a plot is going to be about three times higher at a private cemetery. But in some places, a private cemetery may be the only place to find a space for burying cremated remains.
Green vs Non-Green Burial
Some cemeteries offer green burial for cremated remains, and green burial is typically less expensive than traditional, non-green burial. But the cost could be higher if there’s high demand for green burial in an area. Green burial for cremated remains can involve planting a tree or flower bush as well. If something is being planted over the burial site precautions have to be taken to ensure the plant’s survival, which could increase the cost.
Have other questions about cremation? Ready to schedule a direct cremation service? Give our team a call or email for a prompt response.
