Funerals and cremations have different prices in Spain

According to data from the Organización de Consumidores y Usuarios (OCU), a funeral in Spain has an average cost of 3,700 euros while a cremation costs an average of 3,600 euros in Spain. However, there are enormous differences between regions and cities in Spain. The average price for a grave is approximately 660 euros, while the average price for an urn after cremation is 600 euros.

The amounts vary greatly, but so do the services included in the costs: from the coffin to the flowers, through the costs of burial or cremation and the funeral home. An extensive survey gave an indication of the average cost of funeral services at over €3,700, but in some places, such as Madrid, this can easily reach €5,000.

The coffin is the most expensive part of the funeral costs: a standard model, without special luxury, costs between 600 and 1,300 euros, but the average price is around 1,200 euros. The price of the cemetery makes the difference: from the funeral to the rental rates, the average price can be more than 660 euros. Cremation is cheaper at just over 600 euros on average.

Renting a funeral home also costs more than 500 euros, and on top of that there are other costs: obituaries, flowers, the hearse, care of the body, personnel costs, etc. These costs vary greatly, but an average wreath costs more than 100 euros.

Usually, the service at cemeteries includes two parts: the funeral and the costs of the cemetery. Some municipalities require the payment of additional charges related to maintenance, moving gravestones, etc. OCU has looked at the rates charged by 30 municipalities to their residents for a funeral service with a grave (or a similar option if none are available) for the most economical option (normally in the highest tiers) and for the shortest temporary rental option available (minimum 5 years).

The average price of this funeral service in 2023 is 668 euros, but again the differences are enormous. At the top are Madrid (2,035 euros), Valladolid (1,457 euros), Ciudad Real (1,410), León (1,194) and Salamanca (1,161), which exceed or even double the 1,000 euros for the most economical option. On the other hand, the residents of Murcia (74 euros), Zaragoza (140 euros) and Alicante (164 euros) have access to a truly economical funeral service, which allows the overall funeral in those cities to be cheaper.

Cremation is already chosen in more than 45% of deaths in Spain. In general, the price of this cremation service has a price somewhat related to the funeral service, although the price differences are less radical. The cities with the most economical cremation service are Logroño (200 euros), A Coruña (225 euros), Seville (227 euros) and Pamplona (242). The cities with the most expensive cremation service are Salamanca (1,122 euros) and Valladolid (1,028 euros). Not all municipal cemeteries also offer the option of a crematorium.