Are Americans Done With Expensive Funerals?

The Rolls Royce Phantom hearse.
Credit: Luxury Launches

With gas prices skyrocketing and groceries getting more and more costly, Americans seem ready to ditch expensive funerals.

According to a new survey, 70% of Americans say they would rather be buried in a cardboard box than have their families shell out for an overpriced funeral. Who can blame them? While we all want to show our deceased loved ones the utmost care and appreciation, is it really feasible for the average American family to spend five figures on someone who isn’t here anymore? In this economy?

How Expensive Are Funerals? 

Seven out of 10 Americans would opt for the cardboard box casket, and here’s the kicker: most Americans have no idea how expensive funerals can actually get. Respondents to the survey, conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Titan Casket, guessed that the average funeral costs about $5,810 and the average casket costs $2,710.

They were slightly off.

Scott Ginsberg, CEO and founder of Titan Casket, says that the average cost of a funeral is usually $7,000 to $12,000.

Meanwhile, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average weekly income in the United States in the fourth quarter of 2022 was roughly $1,000. According to the Motley Fool, after expenses, the average American only manages to save about $6,000 a year. So the average American is expected to use up to two years’ worth of savings in order to give their loved one a “proper” funeral.

Why Do We Do This? 

There are many reasons people overspend on funerals. Some people feel guilt and want to display their love with money. Some people fear looking cheap. Some people just don’t do, or don’t have the time to do, the proper research.

In comments published by Talker Research, Ginsberg explained:

“When planning a funeral, most American families simply go to their local funeral home. Unlike other major purchases in their lives, they don’t shop around. As a result, they don’t know what everything should cost, make decisions under duress, and end up overpaying.”

When a loved one dies, most families aren’t in the mind state to hunt for bargains. They’re vulnerable to accepting the first price they find. But by making just one or two extra phone calls, you might be able to strike that balance between an overly expensive funeral and a cardboard box.