Funeral prices across Australia, city by city

What 296 Australian funeral providers advertise as a starting price for a direct cremation on their own websites, compared city by city and state by state. See how much prices vary before you speak to a funeral director.

See prices in your cityFind funeral directors near you

Median published starting price for a direct cremation

$3,648

The middle half of published prices falls between

$2,890 and $4,650

A quarter of providers advertise less than this, and a quarter more.

One price per provider. Updated 26 September 2026. Australian dollars.

Start with your city

Choose a capital to see what providers there charge for a direct cremation, a cremation with no funeral service. Each city figure covers providers within a set distance of the city centre, so prices further out may differ.

Choose a capital city

Sydney

$3,498

Middle published starting price for a direct cremation. Half of providers ask less, half ask more.

Half of providers advertise between $2,853 and $4,048.

Based on 52 providers within 35 km of the city centre.

Sydney cremation costsFind funeral directors near Sydney

Compare direct cremation prices

The dot marks the median, the middle price. The shaded bar is where the middle half of prices sit. Every bar uses the same scale, from $0 to $5,000.

  1. Perth23 providers within 35 kmHalf advertise $3,011 to $4,279
    Median $3,500, middle half $3,011 to $4,279.
  2. Sydney52 providers within 35 kmHalf advertise $2,853 to $4,048
    Median $3,498, middle half $2,853 to $4,048.
  3. Melbourne48 providers within 35 kmHalf advertise $2,500 to $4,224
    Median $3,447, middle half $2,500 to $4,224.
  4. Brisbane29 providers within 30 kmHalf advertise $1,895 to $3,385
    Median $2,750, middle half $1,895 to $3,385.
  5. Adelaide12 providers within 30 kmHalf advertise $2,350 to $3,179
    Median $2,498, middle half $2,350 to $3,179, see the note below.

Too few published prices for a median

Indicative prices. Confirm with the funeral director.

Every figure is for a direct cremation. The median is the middle price: half are lower and half are higher. The shaded bar shows the middle half of prices, not the cheapest or the most expensive. Prices do not all include the same things. Some leave out the crematorium fee, so ask each provider what theirs covers.

* Adelaide and South Australia have exactly 12 providers, just enough for a median, so treat their figures with care. Canberra has fewer than 12, so its full advertised range is shown. Hobart has too few for a figure of its own, so the range for all of Tasmania is shown. No Northern Territory provider publishes a price called a direct cremation.

Read the figures as a table
Published direct cremation prices by capital city, one price per provider within each city's distance; rows marked * are explained below the chart
CityProvidersRadiusLower quartileMedianUpper quartile
Perth2335 km$3,011$3,500$4,279
Sydney5235 km$2,853$3,498$4,048
Melbourne4835 km$2,500$3,447$4,224
Brisbane2930 km$1,895$2,750$3,385
Adelaide*1230 km$2,350$2,498$3,179
Canberra*525 kmNo median; advertised $3,200 to $8,221
Darwin*030 kmNo published package
Hobart*7StatewideNo median; advertised $3,300 to $5,989

Price guides for your city

Every published price in the area, how it compares, and the local crematorium and cemeteries.

Regional centres

Direct cremation prices at a glance

A direct cremation is a cremation with no funeral service. It is the simplest and usually the lowest-cost arrangement.

  • 63%

    of published prices include the crematorium fee.

    198 of 313. The rest do not say, or charge it separately, so ask each provider.

  • 36%

    of listed funeral directors have no package price in our data.

    424 of 1,191 listings. For these, ask the director for a written quote.

  • 6×

    The most expensive provider starts at more than six times the cheapest.

    From $1,290 to $8,782 for broadly the same service. Each provider counts once in each state it trades in, at its lowest published price there. The charity's means-tested price is left out here but shown on the chart below.

Every published price, one dot per provider in each state

Each dot is one provider's advertised starting price in one state. Prices are grouped in hundred-dollar steps (two hundred and fifty on a phone). A taller stack means more providers ask that price. The single dot at $990 is a charity's low-cost service.

Price says the crematorium fee is included (198)Not confirmed as included (115)Middle half of prices

Every price was read from the provider's own website, and only prices that name their source on that site are counted. 282 of the 313 were checked again between 23 and 25 September 2026. The other 31 were last checked earlier, the oldest on 3 June 2026. We keep the web address of every price.

What a cremation or burial can cost

Most cremations and burials cost more than a direct cremation. These figures come from different sources and years, so use them to see the scale, not as prices.

  • Published prices, September 2026

    Direct cremation

    $3,648

    Median of 296 providers' starting prices

  • Report estimate, 2023

    Cremation, all types

    $8,045

    Australian Seniors report estimate

  • Report estimate, 2023

    Burial

    $11,039

    Australian Seniors report estimate

Our figure: the middle of the starting prices 296 providers publish on their own websites, one price per provider. For comparison, the NSW pricing regulator, IPART, found in 2021 that a typical cremation with no service cost about $3,800 in New South Wales.

The 2023 figures are estimates from Australian Seniors, The Cost of Death 2.0 Report (November 2023, research by CoreData: a survey of 1,200 Australians aged 50 and over, and mystery shopping). They estimate what a whole cremation or burial costs, not a published starting price, so they are not directly comparable with our figure.

Compare funeral directors near you

1,191 funeral directors are listed, and 767 listings show a published package price. Search by suburb or postcode to see who is near you.

Free for families. Or browse funeral directors near you.

What a quote should tell you

A good quote is written and itemised. Here is where each part should appear, and what to ask if it is missing.

Itemised quote

  1. Direct cremation, no service

    The package, named exactly as the provider names it

    The service

    A direct cremation and a funeral with a service are different things. Compare quotes for the same one.

  2. What the package includes

    Collection and care, the coffin, paperwork, return of the ashes

    What is included

    Ask for every item the price covers to be listed. Anything not listed may cost extra.

  3. Fees paid to others

    Doctor's certificates, crematorium or cemetery fee, death certificate

    Separate charges

    Ask for each as its own amount. Crematorium fees vary a lot: among the six cemetery and crematorium operators we checked on 23 September 2026 they ran from $510 in Adelaide to $1,838 in Darwin.

  4. Conditions and extras

    Distance, work at night or on weekends, optional items

    What could change it

    Ask which items are optional, and what would add to the total.

  5. Total

    With any costs not yet known listed beneath it

    The written total

    Get it in writing before you sign. Two quotes for the same arrangements tell you more than any median on this page.

Your rights when you ask for prices

The Australian Consumer Law applies everywhere: a business must not mislead you about price. Some states go further.

In New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and Western Australia, the price list must also include the provider's least expensive package. If something goes wrong, contact your state or territory's fair trading or consumer affairs office.

Checked 23 September 2026. General information, not legal advice.

  • New South Wales

    Funeral directors must publish their prices, since 1 February 2020.

  • Queensland

    Funeral directors must publish their prices, since 1 July 2022.

  • Western Australia

    Funeral directors must publish their prices, since 1 May 2023.

  • Victoria

    Funeral directors must publish their prices, since 1 August 2025. From 26 May 2026, the law says what the list must show.

  • South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory

    No rule requires funeral directors to publish their prices. Ask for a written, itemised quote.

Help with paying

There is no general funeral grant in Australia. These are the main places to look for help.

  • Ask before you sign

    Tell the funeral director your budget and ask for their least expensive package before you sign anything. The person who signs the contract usually has to pay the bill.

  • The money of the person who died

    The cost is usually paid from the estate. Many banks will pay the funeral director's bill from the person's account before the estate is settled.

    Money in a bank account after a death

  • A surviving partner

    If your partner died and you both got a Centrelink payment, you may get a bereavement payment. It is not a funeral grant.

    Centrelink bereavement payments

  • Veterans

    The Department of Veterans' Affairs may help with funeral costs for an eligible veteran.

  • Your own super

    You can ask the ATO to let you use some of your own super early to pay for the funeral of someone who depended on you. Strict rules apply.

    Early super release for a funeral

  • When there is no money

    Most states and territories arrange a basic funeral when no one can pay. In Victoria, the charity Bereavement Assistance fills that gap.

    Who pays for a funeral when there is no money

If someone has just died

You do not have to decide everything today. These are the first things most families do.

Need an interpreter? Call TIS National on 131 450, 24 hours a day.

Common questions

What is a direct cremation?
A cremation with no funeral service. The funeral director collects the person who has died, cares for them, handles the paperwork and returns the ashes. Family usually do not attend, and many hold their own gathering later.
Is the median the price I will pay?
No. It is the middle of the starting prices providers publish. Your total depends on the provider, the coffin, how far away the person is collected from, work at night or on weekends, and fees paid to others, like the crematorium and the doctor. Ask for an itemised written quote.
Does the price include the crematorium fee?
Not always. Of the 313 prices counted, 198 say the crematorium's own fee is included, 8 say it is extra and 107 do not say. Ask each provider.
How much does a cremation or burial cost?
The Australian Seniors Cost of Death 2.0 Report estimated that a cremation cost $8,045 and a burial $11,039 in 2023. Prices vary widely, so ask two or three providers for written quotes.
Can I get help to pay for a funeral?
There is no general funeral grant in Australia. The cost is paid from the estate first, and many banks will pay the funeral director's bill from the person's account. A surviving partner may get a Centrelink bereavement payment, eligible veterans may get help from the Department of Veterans' Affairs, and each state and territory can arrange a basic funeral when no one can pay.
Why does one provider count once even with many branches?
Large groups run many branches under one price list. Counting each branch would let one company decide the figure for a whole state. One price per provider, taken from that provider's own website, means no single company decides the figure.
How often are the figures updated?
This release was calculated on 26 September 2026 from providers' published price lists. The next one replaces it here and in the downloads, and each release carries its own date.
Do providers pay to change their figure?
No. Funerals Direct is free for families and receives fees from some listed providers. Every price is read from the provider's own website, so paying for a listing does not change a provider's figure.

For journalists and researchers

The figures are free to quote with the attribution and date below.

Measure
Median published starting price for a direct cremation, one price per provider in each state
National
$3,648, middle half $2,890 to $4,650
Sample
313 prices from 296 providers with a published price on their own website
Updated
26 September 2026. Prices checked 3 June to 25 September 2026
Cite as
Funerals Direct Funeral Price Index, 26 September 2026. funeralsdirect.com.au/guides/funeral-prices-by-state

Download the data

Summary figures only. Individual provider prices are on each provider's listing and on their own website.

Media and corrections

Contact the research team

How the figures are made, and the sources

What is counted. A price is counted only when it is recorded with the web address of the page it was read from, on that provider's own website. A provider is its website, so a group with many branches counts once. These rules are applied when each price is recorded: price lists dated before 1 July 2024, prices that leave out the coffin, and professional fees on their own are not counted. Where a provider prints its own total for a cremation with no service, that total is counted. Water cremation is priced differently and is not counted as direct cremation.

How the figures are made. The directory lists 1,191 funeral directors, many of them branches of the same provider, and 767 of those listings show a published package price of some kind. Their direct cremation prices come from 296 providers. A provider with branches in more than one state is counted in each of those states, at its lowest price there (313 prices in total). The national figures pool those same prices, so the national range always takes in every state's range. A median needs at least 12 providers. A capital gets a figure of its own once 5 providers within its distance of the city centre publish; below 12 that figure is the advertised range, and below 5 the page shows the state range. City distances: Sydney, Melbourne and Perth 35 km; Brisbane, Adelaide and Darwin 30 km; Canberra and Hobart 25 km. In the state figures a provider belongs to the state of its first listed branch. State and national quartiles are worked out between the two nearest prices; city quartiles are real published prices, and halves are rounded up to the next dollar.

Charity prices. The lowest price found is $990 from Bereavement Assistance in Victoria, a charity's low-cost service for families who cannot afford commercial rates, with the crematorium fee extra. It is counted, but it is not shown as the lowest price; the lowest generally available price is $1,290.

Other sources. IPART, Review of competition, costs and pricing in the NSW funeral industry, Final Report, June 2021, found a typical cremation with no service cost around $3,800, from under $2,000 to around $6,600. Australian Seniors, The Cost of Death 2.0 Report, November 2023, estimated a cremation at $8,045 and a burial at $11,039. Crematorium fees come from each operator's own current schedule. These sources were last checked 23 September 2026.

Rules for publishing prices. New South Wales since 1 February 2020 (Fair Trading Regulation 2019, funeral goods and services information standard). Queensland since 1 July 2022 (Fair Trading (Funeral Pricing) Regulation 2022). Western Australia since 1 May 2023 (Fair Trading (Funeral Pricing Code of Practice) Regulations 2022, whose expiry date was removed from 6 March 2026). Victoria since 1 August 2025 (Funerals Act 2006 as amended), with the content of the price list prescribed by the Funerals Regulations 2025 from 26 May 2026. South Australia, Tasmania, the Australian Capital Territory and the Northern Territory have no rule requiring funeral directors to publish their prices. General information, not legal advice.

Read next

Each state has its own guide with named providers and cemetery fees: Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia.