How Much Does a Funeral Cost in Australia?
A funeral in Australia typically costs between $5,000 and $20,000. The cheapest option, a cremation with no service, starts at about $2,300 on funeral directors' published price lists. A burial usually costs more, because cemetery fees alone range from about $3,200 at a regional NSW cemetery to over $20,000 in eastern Sydney (as at October 2026).
Get Free QuotesHow much does a funeral cost by type?
The type of funeral makes the biggest difference to the price. Moneysmart says funerals can cost from $8,000 to around $20,000, and the NSW Government says funerals in NSW average $5,000 to $8,000. The table shows typical costs by type, based on funeral directors' published prices and two cost surveys.
| Type of funeral | Typical cost | What the figure is based on |
|---|---|---|
| Cremation with no service (direct cremation) | About $2,300 to $6,400 | Published prices, October 2026: Galaxy Funerals Chatswood from $2,280, Willed $2,299 to $2,699 (WA from $3,699), Le Pine Funerals Kew from $6,400. NSW's pricing regulator IPART found a median of about $3,800 in 2021. |
| Cremation with a funeral service | About $7,000 to $10,000 or more | Published packages start at $6,999 (Willed) and $7,499 (Simplicity Funerals, Sydney). An Australian Seniors survey of people over 50 estimated the average cremation at $8,045 (2023). |
| Burial with a funeral service | About $10,000 to $20,000 or more, including cemetery costs | The same survey estimated the average burial at $11,039, and above $19,000 in metropolitan NSW and Victoria. A Perth funeral director's burial without a service, including the grave, is $9,765. |
Prices include GST and change often, so check current prices with the funeral director.
What makes up the cost of a funeral?
A funeral bill is made up of the funeral director's own charges plus third-party costs, called disbursements, which the funeral director pays on your behalf. The ACCC says quotes should be itemised and include GST, and optional items shouldn't be presented as required.
| Item | Typical price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Funeral director's professional fee | About $550 to $3,000 | Covers arranging, paperwork and staff. Lowest published fees for a no-service cremation run from $555 to $2,390 (2026). IPART put a typical fee at about $3,000 (2021). |
| Transfer of the person into care | About $345 to $900 | More after hours or for long distances. |
| Care and mortuary storage | About $100 to $1,100 | Includes preparation and refrigerated storage. |
| Coffin | From about $135 | Cardboard coffins start at about $135 on one provider's list and caskets can exceed $50,000. See our coffin price guide. |
| Cremation fee | About $600 to $1,840 | Charged by the crematorium. See the state table below. |
| Burial plot and interment fee | About $3,200 to over $20,000 | The right to the grave plus the cost of opening and closing it. See the state table below. |
| Death certificate | $53 to $74 | Set by each state's registry of births, deaths and marriages. |
| Medical cremation permit | About $50 to $150 | Doctor's paperwork needed before a cremation. |
| Embalming | About $880 to $2,030 | Optional in most cases. Usually only needed for some viewings or for transport. |
| Flowers | About $435 to $2,180 | For a coffin spray from a funeral director's list. |
| Celebrant and death notice | A few hundred dollars each, sometimes more | Published prices range from $350 to $770 for a celebrant, and from about $220 to $500 for a newspaper notice. |
Sources: funeral director price disclosures from Galaxy Funerals, Simplicity Funerals, Le Pine Funerals, Bowra & O'Dea and Browns Funerals, Willed and Millingtons; IPART final report (June 2021). Checked October 2026.
How much do burial and cremation cost in each state?
Cemetery and crematorium fees are set by each cemetery operator, so they vary widely between and within states. These are standard adult fees from each cemetery's latest fee list we could find, mostly from public cemetery operators. Cheaper options can exist at the same cemetery, and funeral director charges are on top.
| State | Cemetery or crematorium | Burial right (cheapest) | Burial fee | Cremation fee | Fee year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NSW | Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, Sydney | $18,630 | $3,185 plus $178 levy | $650 plus $47 levy | 2026-27 |
| NSW | Rookwood General Cemetery, Sydney | $9,260 | $3,185 plus $178 levy | $650 plus $47 levy | 2026-27 |
| NSW | Gol Gol Cemetery, regional | $1,225 | $1,867 plus $156 levy | n/a | 2025-26 |
| VIC | Springvale Botanical Cemetery, Melbourne | $8,865 plus $440 selection fee | $1,740 | $1,210 | 2026-27 |
| VIC | Greater Metropolitan Cemeteries Trust, Melbourne | $3,865 to $11,550, depending on the cemetery | $2,040 | $1,065 | 2026-27 |
| QLD | Brisbane City Council cemeteries | From $2,234 (monumental) or $2,360 (lawn) | $3,170 | $755 | Current (no year shown) |
| WA | Metropolitan Cemeteries Board, Perth | $2,862 (lawn, 25 years) | $1,783 | $1,422 (includes chapel) | 2026-27 |
| TAS | Kingston Cemetery, Hobart (Millingtons estimate) | $4,870 | $1,970 plus $520 second fee | $1,500 | Current (no year shown) |
| ACT | Gungahlin Cemetery, Canberra | $9,960 (burial right and first burial combined) | Included | $1,252 | 2026-27 |
| NT | Thorak Regional Cemetery, Darwin | $4,290 | $1,332 | $1,838 | 2026-27 |
Burial rights don't last forever everywhere. In Perth a burial right lasts 25 years and can be renewed, while in Victoria and the ACT it's perpetual. In South Australia, the Adelaide Cemeteries Authority sells fixed terms and sends its current price guide by email on request. Check the tenure before you buy.
To see what funeral directors charge on top of these fees, compare funeral directors in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide.
Burial rights are GST-free. Some cemeteries add weekend, late or out-of-area fees, as Cemeteries and Crematoria NSW explains. Checked October 2026.
Is cremation cheaper than burial?
Yes, usually by several thousand dollars, and almost all of the difference is the cemetery. IPART found no evidence that the funeral director's part of a burial costs more than the same service for a cremation (June 2021). The extra cost is the burial right and the fee for opening and closing the grave.
One Perth funeral director's prices show this clearly: its cremation without a service is $6,405, and its burial without a service is $9,765 including the grave. The difference is close to the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board's burial right ($2,862) and burial fee ($1,783), less the cremation fee.
How much does a death certificate cost?
A death certificate costs between $53 and $74, depending on the state. Funeral directors usually order it for you and add it to your bill as a disbursement (some add a handling fee).
| State | Death certificate fee | Source |
|---|---|---|
| NSW | $70 (includes postage) | NSW Government |
| VIC | $59.10 plus $10.60 postage | Births, Deaths and Marriages Victoria |
| QLD | $58.10 | Queensland Government |
| WA | $60 | WA fees regulations 2026 |
| SA | $69.50 (last published fee; check for 2026-27) | SA Government |
| TAS | $60.76 | Births, Deaths and Marriages Tasmania |
| ACT | $53 | ACT fees determination 2026 |
| NT | $74 | NT Government |
Fees as at 1 July 2026 except where noted.
Why do funeral costs vary so much?
Funeral costs vary mainly because of where the funeral is held and what it includes. The biggest factors are:
- Burial or cremation. Cemetery fees are the largest single cost for most burials.
- Location. A basic burial at a regional NSW cemetery costs $3,248 in cemetery fees, against more than $20,000 at Sydney's Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park.
- A service and viewing. A chapel, celebrant, viewing and extra staff add thousands to a no-service cremation.
- The coffin. It can cost a few hundred dollars or many thousands.
- The funeral director. Published prices for the same no-service cremation range from about $2,300 to $6,400.
IPART's survey of NSW families found the same typical total spend, $5,000 to $10,000, in Sydney and in the rest of NSW (final report, June 2021).
How to compare funeral prices
Funeral prices are easier to compare than they used to be. Four steps:
- 01
Check funeral directors' websites. In NSW, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia they must publish their prices, and show their cheapest package if they sell packages.
- 02
Ask two or three funeral directors for an itemised quote, so you can compare the same items.
- 03
Ask which costs are disbursements, such as cemetery, crematorium and certificate fees, and whether they're included.
- 04
Decide what matters to your family and leave out extras you don't need. Nothing optional should be presented as compulsory.
Price rules: NSW, Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia.
Who pays for a funeral, and what help is there?
Funeral costs can be paid from the estate of the person who died, ahead of their other debts, and most banks will pay a funeral director's invoice from the deceased's account (Hobart Community Legal Service). The person who signs the funeral contract is responsible for the bill until it's paid.
Centrelink doesn't have a general funeral payment, but a surviving partner may get a bereavement payment, and veterans' families may get help from DVA. Each state and territory except Victoria also has a last-resort scheme for people who can't afford a funeral. Our guide to funeral plans for pensioners covers these in detail, along with prepaid funerals and funeral bonds. For ways to bring the cost down, see cheap funerals in Australia.
Compare funeral directors in your city
Our city pages list local funeral directors with their services and published prices, so you can compare before you call.
Sydney
Rookwood lists a burial right at $9,260 and a cremation at $650 (2026-27). Compare Sydney funeral directors' prices.
Compare funeral directors in Sydney
Melbourne
Springvale charges $1,210 for a cremation, and lawn graves start at $8,865. Compare Melbourne funeral directors' prices.
Compare funeral directors in Melbourne
Brisbane
Council graves start at $2,234 and a council cremation is $755. Compare Brisbane funeral directors' prices.
Compare funeral directors in Brisbane
Perth
A 25-year lawn burial right is $2,862 and a cremation is $1,422. Compare Perth funeral directors' prices.
Compare funeral directors in Perth
Adelaide
Ask for an itemised quote that includes cemetery or crematorium fees. Compare Adelaide funeral directors.
Compare funeral directors in AdelaideGet quotes from funeral directors near you
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Frequently Asked
Questions
Common questions about funeral costs in Australia
Does Centrelink pay for funeral costs?
No, there's no general Centrelink funeral payment. If your partner dies and you were both on a pension, or on income support for at least 12 months, you may get a one-off bereavement payment, and carers can keep getting their payment for up to 14 weeks. Our guide to funeral plans for pensioners explains what Services Australia pays.
What is the least expensive funeral option?
A cremation with no service, often called a direct cremation, is the cheapest option. Published prices start at about $2,300 and include collection, a basic coffin, the cremation and paperwork. Families can still hold a memorial separately. See our guide to no-service funerals.
What is the biggest expense of a funeral?
For a burial, it's usually the cemetery: the burial right and interment fee together cost from about $3,200 in regional areas to over $20,000 in parts of Sydney. For a cremation, the funeral director's professional fee and the coffin are often the largest items, with the crematorium fee often under $1,500.
How long does a burial plot last?
It depends on the state. In Victoria and the ACT, burial rights are perpetual. In Perth the Metropolitan Cemeteries Board grants a 25-year right that can be renewed, and in South Australia the Adelaide Cemeteries Authority sells fixed terms. Check the tenure before you buy, because renewal fees can apply.
Are prepaid funerals worth it?
A prepaid funeral fixes today's price and, if it's fully paid and can't be refunded, doesn't count in the Age Pension assets test. But your money is better protected in some states than others, and refunds are usually limited. Our guide to funeral plans for pensioners compares prepaid funerals with funeral bonds and funeral insurance.
Do funeral costs come out of the estate?
They can be. Reasonable funeral costs are paid from the estate before other debts, and most banks will pay the funeral director's invoice from the deceased's account if you give them the bill. Until it's paid, though, the person who signed the funeral contract is personally responsible for it.