Affordable Cremation Costs in Phoenix, Arizona $950

Since 2012, DFS Memorials has helped families find affordable, dignified cremation through an established network of independent funeral homes and cremation providers in 42 states. Every partner is licensed, local to the community it serves, and committed to a clear price set before you commit.

In Phoenix and across the Valley, our local partner provides a direct cremation for $950. A direct cremation has no viewing or ceremony beforehand, which leaves your family free to plan a memorial later, at your own pace.

What the $950 covers

• Collection of your loved one from the place of death, including hospitals, nursing homes, hospice and home
• Care and sheltering until the paperwork is complete
• Filing the death certificate and obtaining the disposition permit
• A simple cremation container
• The cremation itself
• Return of the cremated remains to the family

What may cost extra

• Certified copies of the death certificate
• Collection from outside the provider’s service area
• An urn, if you want something other than the standard container for the ashes

Ask for the General Price List before you agree to anything. Under the FTC Funeral Rule, every funeral home must give you one, and the price you are quoted should match it.

How $950 compares in Phoenix

The typical local charge for a direct cremation in Phoenix is about $1,437. Many Valley funeral homes now belong to national corporations while keeping their original names, so it is worth asking who owns a funeral home before you compare.

Our Phoenix partner is Abel Funeral Services & Memory Chapel, which serves the whole Valley at the same price, including Mesa, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, Scottsdale, Glendale and Peoria.

The price applies across Phoenix, including Downtown, Arcadia, Encanto, Sunnyslope, Ahwatukee, Laveen and Maryvale, and across the rest of the Valley.

If a death occurs in a Phoenix hospital

Hospital staff will ask which funeral home to call. Give them the name of your provider, and the release is arranged directly between the hospital and the provider. You do not need to collect anything yourself. Major hospitals in Phoenix include:

• Banner – University Medical Center Phoenix
• St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center
• Valleywise Health Medical Center
• Phoenix VA Medical Center

If a death occurs at home

If your loved one was under hospice care and the death was expected, call the hospice nurse first. The nurse confirms the death and then contacts the provider you have chosen. If the death at home was unexpected, call 911.

The medical examiner reviews every cremation

This is the step most families do not expect. In Arizona, whenever a cremation is requested, the county medical examiner reviews the death certificate and certifies that there is no sign of foul play (A.R.S. § 11-599). In Phoenix that is the Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner, and it applies to every cremation, not just unexpected deaths. Your provider handles the request. If your loved one is in the medical examiner’s care, you can still choose your provider at any time.

• Maricopa County Office of the Medical Examiner: (602) 506-3322

Winter residents and deaths away from home

Many Valley residents spend only part of the year here, with family in other states. After a direct cremation, the ashes can be shipped or carried home, and the memorial held wherever the family gathers.

What Arizona law requires

• No fixed waiting period: Arizona sets no single statewide minimum wait. The medical examiner’s review, the death certificate and the disposition-transit permit (A.R.S. § 36-326) usually take a few days.
• Written consent from the right person: A cremation needs the prior written consent of the authorizing agent (A.R.S. § 32-1365.02). The order is set by law (A.R.S. § 36-831), starting with the surviving spouse or a person given that authority in writing, then adult children, parents and adult siblings.
• No embalming or casket needed: Embalming is not required when the body is refrigerated, and a simple rigid container is used in place of a casket.

Veterans: National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona

Eligible veterans can be buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in north Phoenix. The VA provides the burial space, the opening and closing, and a government headstone or marker at no cost, and cremated remains are accepted. A spouse or dependent may also qualify. Your provider can help you request the burial.

Holding a memorial after the cremation

Many Phoenix families choose cremation first and a memorial later, often in the cooler months or back home in another state. A desert trailhead at sunset, South Mountain or the Phoenix Mountains Preserve, a church or a family home can all make a fitting setting. Check the park’s rules before scattering. For a national forest or national park, contact the ranger district or park office first. See our guide to planning a memorial after cremation.

Compare nearby areas: Mesa | Scottsdale | Maricopa County | Arizona

To arrange a direct cremation in Phoenix, or to plan ahead, call (602) 638-1151.