Australia’s surprise most expensive place to die
PERTH was last year named the world’s seventh most liveable city in an index by the Economist Intelligence Unit, but new research suggests that while it may be a great place to live, it is Australia’s most expensive city in which to die.
A Finder.com.au survey saw Perth top the list of most expensive Australian cities by funeral cost, with a ceremony costing families $7764 on average. This placed the Western Australian capital above second-placed Sydney ($7621) and Melbourne ($7586). The nation’s capital led the list at the other end of the scale, with Canberra funeral costs averaging just $6131; well below the next cheapest Hobart ($6508) and Adelaide ($6657). All up a Perth funeral is more than $1600 dearer than one in Canberra.
The average costs took into account funerals where people were buried, along with the cheaper option of cremation.
Sydney was the most expensive city in which to be buried, but only third most expensive for cremation, which could potentially be tied to the higher costs of land and real estate. Average costs aside, both burials and cremations had the potential to be more expensive than imagined, Finder.com.au spokeswoman Bessie Hassan said.
“Although not fun to think about, funerals incur a cost that a lot of people don’t consider, and it’s not uncommon for a burial to exceed $10,000,” Ms Hassan said. “Those who are concerned should consider taking out a comprehensive funeral insurance policy or prepaying the cost of their service.” Meanwhile, a separate study by the University of Sydney Business School accused funeral directors of “upselling” ceremonies to grieving families. The research paper titled “It’s your funeral — an investigation of death care and the funeral industry in Australia” found that while the average basic funeral in Australia costs around $6000, the cost of disposing of a body in line with all regulatory requirements was as little as $1200.
Business School Professor Sandra van der Laan suggested that funeral directors were bumping up costs by offering total packages rather than itemised quotes.
“Upselling is also common with funeral directors basically hinting that if you loved the departed, you should consider a more expensive coffin, which might be marked up by a thousand per cent,” Professor van der Laan said.
“Upselling also goes on in relation to flowers and a range of other things you actually don’t need.
“In the end, a lot of what you’re paying for is the funeral director’s fees and all they really do is organise to get the body from the hospital to the funeral service and then to the cemetery or the crematorium — as well as ensuring all the necessary paperwork is in order.”