NOVEMBER 2019 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 41
JOURNEY TO LIFE EVER AFTER
PREMIUM Planning a funeral will save both money and tears. (Getty Images)
FOR PASSING
By DONNA CHRISTOPHER
It should come as no surprise that not only do Long Islanders contend with a high
cost of living, but dying here also comes with a lofty price tag.
Funerals typically cost about $9,744 in Nassau and Suffolk counties, which is 31
to 67 percent higher than the average cost in 100 large metro areas nationwide,
according to a recent New York Post analysis of funeral cost data compiled by
funeralocity.com
"One of the most expensive places to live is Nassau and Suffolk counties so, of
course, that trickles down to every business, not just the funeral business," says
John Vigliante, a fourth-generation funeral director and owner of Branch Funeral
Homes in Smithtown and Miller Place. “You can do a full-service funeral on Long
Island with the casket and everything for $7,500. The price ranges from $7,500 to
$15,000.”
That’s opposed to funerals reportedly costing between $2,124 to $7,422 elsewhere
in the United States.
ALTERNATIVE
BURIALS
44DIGITAL PROTECTING
LEGACIES 45
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FUNERAL DIRECTORS BREAK DOWN HIGH COST OF DYING ON LONG ISLAND
WHAT’S INSIDE
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