Price Survey

PRICE SURVEY

COMPARE PRICES

The services for direct cremation and immediate burial include:

Pick up the deceased and transport to the mortuary.
Refrigerate the deceased for a limited time. (Check with the mortuary.)
Provide sanitary care.
Crematory expenses
Providing a container such as a minimal urn for cremation and basic casket for immediate burial.

Be sure to refer to the General Price List (GPL).

Participating Mortuaries

As of 09/24/2024, FCALA members are entitled to special pricing from two participating mortuaries, Angeleno Valley Mortuary (North Hollywood) and Cremation Society of Orange Coast (Garden Grove). Refer to the green highlighted rows in our Price Survey.

DIRECT CREMATION

Direct Cremation prices shown in the price list includes:

Basic services of funeral director and staff
Transfer of the deceased from the place of death to a funeral home.
Refrigeration
Placement in a container.
Delivery to a crematory without formal viewing, visitation, or ceremony.
Return of remains to the family.

Direct cremation is a practical and cost-effective method because it requires only minimal services by the funeral home. If a family wishes, they may have a memorial service wherever they want without the involvement of a funeral home.

The cremated remains are generally returned in a suitable container. Unless otherwise noted, alternative containers encase the remains and can be made of materials such as fiberboard or composition materials.

Please note that when a decedent weight exceeds the crematory set weight guideline, extra charges will be incurred for the additional fuel necessary to properly cremate the body. See General Price List or contact funeral home for more details.

Any visitation, rite or ceremony, embalming fees or charges, family's use of a funeral home facility, costs of the obituary, or other services provided by funeral home staff are not included in the prices.

DIRECT/IMMEDIATE BURIAL

Direct/Immediate Burial prices shown in the price list includes:

Basic services of funeral director and staff.
Transfer of the deceased from the place of death to a funeral home.
Refrigeration
Placement in a container.
Delivery to a cemetery or other burial site without formal viewing, visitation, or ceremony.

The price shown in the price survey does not include any visitation, rites, ceremonies, or merchandise. Should a family wish to witness the interment, charges will be assessed for staff and equipment based on the family’s wishes.

We have listed the least expensive casket offered by the funeral home if it was not included with the immediate burial price. Consumers are not obligated to purchase a casket from the funeral home and may choose to select a casket from a vendor of their choice.

Immediate burial is a practical and cost-effective method of burial if that is desired because it required only minimal services by the funeral home. If a family wishes, they may have a memorial service wherever they want without the involvement of a funeral home.

To determine the total cost for a burial, families need to include the cost of the burial space/plot, the charge to open and close the grave, a grave liner (which is not required by law, but is almost always required by cemeteries to keep the ground from sinking in and simplifying grounds maintenance), and a grave marker. Prices vary greatly on these items, depending on the location of the gravesite and the materials used for the grave liner and the marker. Veterans and their spouses should remember to obtain information about veteran burial benefits. The charges for these additional costs must be added to the cost of the funeral to get a true understanding of the total cost of a direct/immediate burial.

To assist consumers, a bill was passed requiring mortuaries to post their general prices on their websites (California Law Senate Bill 658, enacted on January 1, 2013). However, when one looks at the final language of the law, it appears that a funeral home can either post their GPL on their website or simply post a list of funeral goods and services with a statement that the GPL is available upon request.

Ed Howard, Esq., a lawyer at the Center for Public Interest Law at the University of San Diego School of Law, lobbied to get the law enacted after he and his sister struggled for days to get basic funeral price information over the phone or via the Internet when their father passed away.

When a funeral home chooses to make their GPL available on their website, they are making it possible for a person who has just experienced a loss to obtain the information they need to plan a funeral that is in line with their values and budget without having to make numerous phone calls and visits to funeral homes. This is particularly important for home-bound elders and distant relations responsible for making funeral arrangements.

DEC. 2023 DIRECT CREMATION AND DIRECT BURIAL SURVEY

FOR THE LOS ANGELES AREA

Key Notes to Survey saved a PDF:

The above prices were collected from GPLs and direct telephone calls to the various companies.
Be advised that some companies offer the guaranteed transferring of pre-paid services to any affiliated network company in another part of CA or in another state.
The data presented above is intended for illustrative purposes only and cannot be guaranteed by FCALA.
We recommend that you educate yourself by studying the various pages of our website and other nonprofit organizations that act as consumer advocates before you begin to investigate the differences between various funeral homes and mortuary companies and eventually select the one that will provide services for you.
As with many important purchases, the lowest price service of merchandise is not by any means the best. Selecting a company whose prices are a bit more than another may be a better choice for you if you find the people to be caring, sincere, helpful, and truly interested in helping you make the best decision based on your requirements.
If at all possible, never visit a funeral home or mortuary alone. It is very helpful to take another person with you, someone you trust in making complicated decisions like those that come up in pre-planning a funeral service.
Be sure to always get written estimates that include any and all services, merchandise, charges, and fees in addition to having the funeral counselor/advisor indicate on your document(s) which items are mandatory by law or are optional.

Please remember, it is not necessary to select a funeral home in the city you live in or of the deceased. Be sure to find out what the complimentary travel distance is for any mortuary or funeral home you speak with. They are not all the same! Beyond their set radius, expect to pay additional transportation fees will be incurred. Always get pricing information in writing. Therefore, it is important to look at surrounding cities when trying to identify the lowest-cost provider.

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