How Much Does It Cost to Store Ashes at a Cemetery: A Complete Guide
When someone passes away and families choose cremation, one of the important decisions they face is where to store or place the cremated remains. Many families turn to cemeteries as a final resting place for their loved ones’ ashes. Understanding the costs involved in cemetery storage is essential for planning and budgeting during an already difficult time.
What Is Cemetery Storage for Ashes?
Cemetery storage for ashes, also known as interment or inurnment, refers to the permanent placement of cremated remains in a designated location within a cemetery. This is different from keeping ashes at home or scattering them. When you choose cemetery storage, you are selecting a consecrated place where your loved one’s ashes will remain indefinitely. The Catholic Church and many other religious organizations specifically recommend this option, as they believe cremated remains should be interred in a consecrated place such as a cemetery, mausoleum, or columbarium, rather than scattered, divided, or stored indefinitely at home.[8]
Types of Cemetery Storage Options
Cemeteries offer several different ways to store ashes. The most common options include columbariums, cremation gardens, and niches. A columbarium is a structure with small compartments or niches designed specifically to hold urns containing cremated remains. Cremation gardens are outdoor spaces within cemeteries dedicated to ash scattering or burial. Niches are individual compartments within a columbarium or mausoleum where an urn can be placed.[5]
Each of these options provides a permanent, secure location for cremated remains. The choice between them often depends on personal preference, religious beliefs, and budget considerations.
The Cost of Cemetery Storage
The cost of storing ashes at a cemetery varies significantly depending on your location and the specific cemetery you choose. However, one important fact stands out: cemetery storage is considerably more expensive than other options like cremation diamonds or direct cremation alone.
According to information about cremation services in Toronto, Ontario, direct cremation costs between 1,525 and 3,500 dollars in 2025.[1] However, this price does not include cemetery storage. When you add cemetery storage to your costs, you are looking at additional expenses beyond the cremation itself.
One specific example shows that interring cremated remains at a cemetery can cost around 200 dollars for a basic burial service.[4] However, this appears to be on the lower end of the pricing spectrum and may represent a special program or discounted rate. The actual cost of a niche or columbarium space at a cemetery can be substantially higher, though exact figures vary widely by location.
Why Cemetery Storage Costs More
Cemetery storage involves several components that contribute to the overall cost. First, you must purchase or lease a niche space within the columbarium or a burial plot in the cremation garden. This is the primary expense. Second, there are often maintenance fees associated with keeping the cemetery grounds in good condition. Third, there may be fees for engraving the niche or installing a marker. Fourth, some cemeteries charge for opening and closing fees when the ashes are placed in the niche.
The financial difference between cemetery and columbarium costs can be huge, according to those familiar with these services.[7] This suggests that different types of cemetery storage options have significantly different price points.
Comparing Cemetery Storage to Other Options
To understand whether cemetery storage is the right choice for your budget, it helps to compare it to other options. Direct cremation in Toronto costs between 1,525 and 3,500 dollars.[1] A cremation with a memorial service costs between 4,500 and 7,000 dollars. A full funeral with cremation costs between 7,000 and 12,000 dollars.[1]
An emerging alternative is cremation diamonds, which are diamonds made from the ashes and hair of human beings. Cremation diamonds are described as more affordable than having a burial service, and they do not take up much space.[2] This option allows families to save money compared to traditional cemetery storage while still creating a meaningful memorial.
Another consideration is that cremation itself offers significant savings compared to traditional burial. Cremation can save families 75 percent or more compared to traditional burial options.[5] However, when you add cemetery storage costs on top of cremation, some of these savings may be reduced.
Religious Considerations and Cemetery Storage
The Catholic Church has specific teachings about where cremated remains should be stored. The Vatican has stated that they only approve of keeping ashes in sacred places such as a cemetery or a columbarium.[2] Other practices such as keeping the ashes at home, scattering the ashes in a particular place, storing them inside jewelry, or turning ashes into diamonds are prohibited by the Church.[2] However, the Church does allow keeping ashes at home upon receiving approval from a bishop.[2]
Many parishes now offer sites for the final resting place of loved ones’ ashes, recognizing that people like the idea of being buried on holy ground and on church property.[7] This religious preference for cemetery storage has made it a popular choice among Catholic families and families of other faiths that hold similar beliefs.
Special Programs and Reduced Costs
Some cemeteries and religious organizations have created special programs to help families afford cemetery storage for cremated remains. One example is the “Bringing Them Home” initiative run by the Catholic Cemeteries of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis. This program provides a proper Catholic burial for cremains that have been forgotten or abandoned. The cost for this service is minimal, around 200 dollars, and the deceased does not have to have been Catholic.[4] A formal record of burial is maintained at the cemetery, and the name of the deceased is inscribed in a book of remembrance.[4]
Since 2019, 95 urns have been interred in one of two chapel mausoleums set aside in Resurrection Cemetery in Mendota Heights and Gethsemane Cemetery in New Hope through this program.[4] This demonstrates that some cemeteries are working to make cemetery storage more affordable and accessible to families.
The Growing Importance of Cemetery Storage
The cremation rate in North America has grown significantly and is expected to continue rising. The cremation rate grew to nearly 62 percent in 2024 and is expected to rise to 65.2 percent in 2025 and nearly 73 percent by 2030.[4] On the West Coast, the cremation rate is nearing 80 percent.[4] As more families choose cremation, the need for cemetery storage options and affordable pricing has become increasingly important.
Factors That Affect Cemetery Storage Costs
Several factors influence how much you will pay for cemetery storage at a cemetery. Your location is the primary factor. Urban cemeteries in major cities typically charge more than rural cemeteries. For
