In comparison, my brother-in-law recently passed away, here in Texas. We are Jewish, and his funeral cost came to around 18,000. In the case of my wife, she was not Jewish and she and I had discussed how to handle her death arrangements. She had requested cremation, with no formal service as her relatives were spread from New York to California. Her arrangements cost less than $1,000. Plus $2400 to probate her Will. For the relatives, I set up a website with ForeverMissed.com and opted for the free functionality. It works great.