[antonymoose]

Cremations can be wildly variable depending on who you pick. My uncle and father both died within about a year of one another and the prices were all over.

We were able to have my uncle cremated for around $800 (Las Vegas, NV) by going direct to the source at the actual crematorium that operates both direct-to-consumer and as a “wholesaler” for many funeral homes.

When my father passed (Savannah, GA), the first funeral home I contacted quoted me around $3,500+ depending on packages, urns, etc. I ultimately settled on another home that quoted me $1,700 but handled all the odds and ends and held my hand through the process. That got me a cheap Temu-tier plastic bag and box “urn” with my father’s ashes which were promptly scattered and returned to the world.

I asked the funeral home why is there such a spread for a simple cremation - they gave me the honest answer, that most homes don’t run their own crematoriums. They take them to a regional one. Higher ends homes that do run their own will have the higher quotes in the $3-5k range.

I know it’s en vogue to call out the predatory nature of then industry and upsells but it all seemed straight forward and fair at that point.