Funeral Cost

The warm glow of candlelight during a funeral at Kane Fetterly

The average funeral cost in the province of Quebec is $5,500. At Kane & Fetterly, our average is fairly close to that figure. But remember that this is only the average … what families choose to pay can vary dramatically.

The cost of a funeral comes down to the choices you and your family make when planning the funeral.

Some families will hold a private funeral and pay just a few thousand dollars. Others choose to hold a unique, sometimes elaborate, funeral and pay much more than the average figure.

Regarding price, a funeral is very similar to a wedding. Some couples choose to have a private ceremony before a justice of the peace and pay a very small fee. Other couples will surround themselves with family and friends, hold the ceremony in a beautiful location, and have a large reception. Their total cost will be much higher. Last year the average cost of a wedding in Canada was $28,000.

The total funeral cost has four main elements.

1 Service fee

The service fee is intended to cover the services that the funeral home provides for the care of the deceased and family and friends.
Service fees can vary dramatically between funeral homes. Some of the influencing factors include the quality of services offered, the quality of the facility, the training level of the staff, the support provided after the funeral, and the expenses involved in having staff available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

2 Merchandise

The merchandise typically consists of a casket, cremation unit or urn, sometimes a vault. Prices can vary dramatically. Once again, it depends upon the families’ personal preferences.
At a wedding, some couples choose modest rings, and others choose elaborate expensive settings. For a funeral, a similar range of merchandise is available for you to choose from. For example, most funeral homes will offer an inexpensive casket for under $1,000. However, they can also special order a gold-plated bronze casket for $30,000. It all depends upon what the family desires.

3 Incidental items

The third element of a funeral’s total cost consists of incidental items such as newspaper obituaries, celebrant honorarium, and flowers. These items total about $850 to $1,500 and are typically the same no matter which funeral home you choose.

4 Cemetery fees

The fourth element of the total funeral cost is the cemetery fees. These fees can vary greatly here in the Montreal area since each cemetery controls its price list. The choice of a ground burial for a casket or urn versus entombment in a mausoleum for a casket or urn can vary in price dramatically.

The four elements of the total funeral cost are service fees, merchandise, incidental items, and cemetery fees.

It is very important for you to focus on the total price instead of the individual elements. Families are often surprised when a funeral home advertises a low service fee. However, they might inflate their merchandise prices to make the total cost higher than the family expected or wanted.

We want you to know that at Kane & Fetterly, whether you have a $2,000 or $10,000 budget, we will help you organize a loving farewell within your financial means.


Although the total funeral cost is important, we believe it is also important to consider the value you receive for the money you spend.


WHAT ARE MY OPTIONS?

See some of the options available with burial, cremation, and international transfers.


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