Cremation Cost in Fort Lauderdale Florida
Fort Lauderdale funeral providers offer a wide variety of affordable arrangement options. This is especially true for cremations, with simpler arrangements often under $1,500. Below, we provide information on expected funeral services, products, and fees, and how much residents can expect to pay for a cremation funeral in Fort Lauderdale.
Summary of Fort Lauderdale cremation costs
Below is an itemized list of standard cremation services and price ranges (based on an aggregation of several sources researched by our team at Eirene Cremations). Also noted are the average median funeral costs in the U.S., as per a 2021 study by the National Funeral Directors Association (NFDA).
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Note: Mention of the "median cost" below is based on the NFDA study.
Itemized cremation costs in Fort Lauderdale
The NFDA listed the median price listed for a cremation with a viewing at around $6,971. Florida cremation pricing often falls below that amount, costing from $1,000 to $3,500+ on average. Fort Lauderdale cremations fall within the same range.
Below we provide greater details on the services, products, and fees (listed above) commonly included in Fort Lauderdale cremation services.
Cremation documentation in Fort Lauderdale
Cremation documentation in Fort Lauderdale follows the standard for Florida. This includes completing the following:
- Death certificate
- Vital Statistics Form
- Cremation authorization form
- Release form
Paperwork is usually completed by a licensed funeral home. However, it is legal for the deceased person's family to handle it independently.
Documentation costs
Documentation fees are often grouped into professional services and staff fees. However, costs typically range from $100 to $400 when itemized by a provider.
When paperwork is handled by the deceased person’s family, it mainly includes the cost for ordering a death certificate: $10 for a certified copy and $5 for additional copies. (Learn more).
Transportation of a body in Fort Lauderdale
Transportation or "transfer" teams are responsible for moving the deceased person's body from the place of death to the funeral home or crematorium. Prices range from $150 to over $350.
Storage and preservation
Preservation techniques such as refrigeration (storage) and embalming are essential to slow down physiological changes that occur after someone dies.
Florida state laws require that a body be embalmed or refrigerated within 24 hours after death.
However, embalming is not mandatory. Body storage or "sheltering" fees start around $35 per day or between $90 to $300+. Embalming costs, if selected, cost $400 to $700 on average in Fort Lauderdale.
Cremation vs. aquamation
Cremation and aquamation create ashes from a deceased person’s remains. However, cremation uses extreme heat to reduce remains. By contrast, aquamation treats the body with a mixture of heat, pressure, water, and alkali (potassium hydroxide) to speed up decomposition.
Cremation produces coarse, brown or grey ashes. Aquamation results in white or tan colored ashes, with a fine consistency.
Body disposition costs
Cremation and aquamation have slight price differences, with direct cremation packages ranging from $800 to over $2,500, and direct aquamation packages cost between $1,000 and $3,000. Note that aquamation costs ranges are based on national estimates.
Cremation packages usually include a separate cremation or “crematory” fee to cover crematorium services. Cost is between $250 to $450.
Body preparation
Body preparation for cremation costs between $100 to $500.
It includes the removal of medical implants if they pose a safety risk for crematorium staff. This includes pacemakers. Implants like dental fillings and artificial hips and surgical clips can remain with the body.
Note that if aquamation is selected instead of flame cremation, the process does not destroy medical implants, so they do not need to be removed before disposition unless legally required. Clothing that is not protein-based (e.g., silk or wool) must be removed. Additional body preparations, such as embalming, makeup, dressing, etc., may be performed if desired.
Professional and staff fees
Professional and staff fees cover basic services and products (e.g., planning, logistics, etc.) provided by the funeral home. It may also include items mentioned above (e.g., documentation).
Prices range from $200 to $2,000.
Urn purchase
A cremation urn is a container that holds “ashes”, a term used to refer to cremated remains. The cost varies based on type, material, size, etc., but can range from $10 to over $2,000. Learn more.
Casket or cremation container
Some providers charge a separate fee for the cremation container, but it is often under $500.
Families may choose to purchase a casket (e.g., for a viewing, visitation, etc.). Caskets range from $100 to $5,000+.
Urn interment
Ashes can be interred in the ground or columbarium (structure with niches for urns). Interment fees include the cost of a plot or niche, maintenance fees, grave markers, etc.
Pricing on burial plots and niches can vary drastically based on location, demand, size, etc. However, both options tend to cost between $500 to $4,000+ in Fort Lauderdale.
Cremation ceremonies and celebrations
There are several funeral ceremony options at various price points for loved ones to choose from. Informal memorial events (e.g., a celebration of life) tend to range from $0 to $1,000+. However, formal ceremonies (e.g., viewing) typically cost over $2,000.
Sales tax in Fort Lauderdale
Florida's sales tax is 6.5 per cent on most products and services discussed in this article.
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