Best Burial Options in California: Comparing Costs, Services & Benefits
Farrington Mortuary is a family-owned funeral home serving Costa Mesa, Santa Monica, and Southern California, offering the full range of burial options with transparent pricing. Choosing a burial option in California means weighing cost, what each service includes, and the benefits that matter most to your family. This guide compares the leading burial options side by side, with real 2026 prices, so you can choose the farewell that fits your budget and your values.
Burial remains deeply meaningful for many California families, but "burial" is not one thing. It ranges from a simple graveside service to a green burial that returns the body to the earth naturally, to a full body burial at sea off the Southern California coast. Each carries a different cost and a different set of benefits. With the average California funeral running about $7,835, according to the National Funeral Directors Association, knowing your options is the key to a meaningful farewell that does not overstretch your budget.
Direct Burial
Direct burial is the simplest and most affordable burial option. It includes transport, storage, washing, dressing and casketing, hearse transport to the cemetery, and staff at the graveside, with a graveside service only and no viewing beforehand.
At Farrington, direct burial is $2,595, with the casket and cemetery fees billed separately. The benefit is cost control: it gives families a dignified burial at the lowest possible price, with the option to add a memorial later.
Natural (Green) Burial
Natural burial returns the body to the earth without embalming, a metal casket, or a concrete vault. The body is placed in a biodegradable shroud or simple casket in a green cemetery, allowing a natural return to the soil.
Priced at $2,640 at Farrington, natural burial includes transport, storage, shrouding or casketing, service to a green cemetery within 60 miles, and graveside staff. Its benefits are environmental and financial: it avoids the vault and embalming costs of conventional burial while aligning with a family's ecological values.
Burial With a Traditional Church Service
For families who want a full church funeral before burial, this option includes a viewing in a church or chapel, dressing, casketing, cosmetizing, hearse to the viewing and cemetery within 60 miles, and all professional services.
At Farrington, burial with a traditional church service is $3,395, with the casket and cemetery fees separate and embalming an added $650. The benefit is ceremony: it delivers the full ritual many faith traditions call for, with the community gathered in one place.
Full Body Burial at Sea
A distinctly Californian option, full body burial at sea wraps the body in a mandatory biodegradable sailcloth and places it in the ocean roughly six miles offshore, in full compliance with federal Environmental Protection Agency rules.
Starting at $4,500 at Farrington, it includes preparation, the shroud, boat coordination, transport to the vessel, and all permit work. Its benefits are natural and deeply personal: it is an all-natural, historic farewell on the open water, fully personalizable with music, flowers, or a dove release.
Home Wake Followed by Burial
A home wake brings the farewell into a familiar space before a graveside burial. It includes transport, preparation, flowers, and bringing your loved one home for a service of up to four hours, followed by graveside burial.
At $2,595 at Farrington, its benefit is intimacy: it lets families grieve in a personal, comforting setting at a fraction of the cost of a formal chapel service.
How the Burial Options Compare
Here is the practical comparison for California families at Farrington:
Direct burial: $2,595, lowest cost, graveside only
Natural burial: $2,640, eco-friendly, no vault or embalming
Home wake with burial: $2,595, intimate and personal
Burial with church service: $3,395, full ceremony
Full body burial at sea: from $4,500, natural ocean farewell
The right choice depends on what your family values most. Cost-focused families lean toward direct or natural burial. Faith-focused families choose the church service. Environmentally minded families choose natural burial or burial at sea. In every case, the casket and cemetery plot for ground burials are billed separately, so ask for those figures up front.
A Common Pattern When Families Choose
Operators who guide California families through burial decisions notice a consistent theme: the families who feel best about their choice started with the person and their values, not with a brochure. Someone who loved the ocean is honored by a burial at sea. Someone who cared about the environment is honored by a natural burial. A family rooted in faith is honored by a church service. The benefit of comparing options side by side is that you match the farewell to the life, rather than defaulting to the most expensive path by habit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most affordable burial option in California?
Direct burial is the most affordable, at $2,595 at Farrington Mortuary, with the casket and cemetery plot billed separately. Natural burial is comparably priced at $2,640 and avoids vault and embalming costs.
What is a green or natural burial?
A green burial places an unembalmed body in a biodegradable shroud or simple casket in a green cemetery, without a concrete vault. It returns the body to the earth naturally and is often more affordable than conventional burial.
Is burial at sea legal in California?
Yes, when it follows federal EPA rules and state permits. A licensed funeral home conducts the burial roughly six miles offshore and handles all the paperwork, which is why using a professional provider matters.
How much does burial cost in California compared to cremation?
Burial options at Farrington range from $2,595 to $4,500 before cemetery and casket costs, while direct cremation starts at $1,195. Burial generally costs more because of the casket, plot, and often a required vault.
Key Takeaways
California families have several strong burial options, each with a different cost and benefit: direct burial at $2,595 for the lowest cost, natural burial at $2,640 for an eco-friendly farewell, a home wake with burial at $2,595 for intimacy, burial with a church service at $3,395 for full ceremony, and full body burial at sea from $4,500 for a natural ocean farewell. The casket and cemetery plot are billed separately for ground burials. The best choice starts with your family's values, matched to the option that honors the life while fitting your budget.
Choosing a burial option should be about honoring a life, not decoding a price list. Farrington Mortuary lays out every burial option with transparent, itemized pricing so California families can choose with confidence. Call (800) 674-3659 anytime, or start your arrangements online in about five minutes.
