The average cost of a Buddhist funeral package in Singapore ranges from $4000 to $15000 for a three-day package. The cost varies depending on the quality of the services, funeral facilities, venues, and after-funeral costs. It is important to select a funeral package that fits your budget comfortably. We do not advise our clients to spend beyond their budget. This is because we want them to give a dignified send-off for their dearly departed ones, at a comfortable budget.

In this article, we are going to look at the overall costs of managing the death of a loved one; as well as the common things that you will find in a Buddhist funeral package that determines the cost difference among the packages.

The Cost of Handling Death of a Dearly Departed

1. Death certificate

The very first thing that you need to do for your loved one is to register the Certificate of Cause of Death. If the loved one passed on in a hospital, there will no charge. If the loved one passed on while under palliative care at home, there will be a charge of about $200+ for the house call doctor to certify the cause of death.

2. Autopsy

If the departed passed on due to natural causes such as disease, illness, breakdown of bodily function (eg heart, lung failure); or an accident; there will be no order for autopsy. If the departed passed on due to unnatural or suspected causes, an autopsy may be carried out by order of the Coroner’s Act. You can purchase the coroner’s report at $160.50. If you wish to get another opinion and engage a private certified coroner to do the autopsy; it will cost about $5000 and above.

3. Obituary, Montage, Photography, and Videography Services

To inform relatives and friends about the passing of your loved one, you can also put up an obituary on Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao, or do it online. The cost of a printed obituary is from $20 to $63 per column per day. And the cost of a digital obituary is $250 per year. You can also engage a contractor or a freelance designer to do a montage slideshow of your departed loved one, to be shown at the funeral. The cost will be about $100 or less. The Funeral Service Package of Nirvana Singapore is including the free online obituary.

There may be overseas family members who are not able to attend the funeral. One solution is to engage a photographer or videographer to take memories of the funeral from the beginning to the niche installation at the final resting place.

To save cost, you can engage a relative to help to capture the moments; or you can get professional help. The cost of professional event photographers ranges from $800 to $2000+. While the cost of professional videographers ranges from $1500 to $4000+ (including video editing services).

4. Buddhist Funeral Package

As mentioned earlier, the cost of the Buddhist funeral package varies among companies, the duration of the funeral, as well as the venue of the funeral. It is important to do your due diligence on the Buddhist funeral services provided by individual funeral companies. Compare item by item carefully; ask for more details if the information on the funeral package is not clear.

One example is the casket. Pinewood or softwood material caskets or eco-friendly non-wood caskets cost relatively less than solid hardwood caskets such as mahogany, cherry, or white oak. For solid wood caskets, the more design details, the more expensive it will be. Ask if the casket is full-glass, half-glass, or no-glass design. A full-glass coffin will be the most expensive.

The price of a Buddhist funeral package also includes embalming and cosmetology services, transfer and care services of the departed, hearse (price may differ due to brands of the vehicle); tentage set up or funeral parlour rental fees (parlours are relatively more expensive than void decks tentage); flower arrangements; chanting ceremony (price varies due to the seniority of the priests); transportation; furnishing; pallbearers; and other Buddhist funeral essentials.