How much does a headstone cost?

A headstone is one of the costs families forget to budget for. It isn’t part of the funeral home’s price, it’s often ordered and set weeks or months after the service, and the bill can arrive after the funeral money is gone.

Typical headstone costs

Type	Typical cost	Source
Simple flat (flush) granite marker	From about $500	Dignity Memorial
Flush bronze marker or flush companion granite marker	$1,200–$5,000	Dignity Memorial
Upright headstone	From about $1,500	Dignity Memorial
Companion or family upright	From about $3,500	Dignity Memorial
Upright and specialty memorials	$5,000–$15,000 and up	Dignity Memorial
Basic marker, including engraving and setting	About $1,000	Funeral Consumers Alliance

Dignity Memorial is one large national funeral and cemetery provider, so its prices are examples, not a national survey. The Funeral Consumers Alliance (FCA), a nonprofit consumer group, uses about $1,000 as a typical figure for a marker with engraving and setting, and its Rochester, New York, chapter found the same in its 2026 local guide.

Flat markers vs. upright headstones

• Flat (flush) markers lie level with the grass. They use the least stone and are the least expensive. Some cemeteries, often called memorial parks, allow only flush markers, and many limit their size.
• Upright headstones stand on a base, use much more stone and cost more. Some cemeteries allow them only in certain sections.
• Granite vs. bronze. Granite is the most common material. Bronze plaques, usually mounted on a granite base, generally cost more than a comparable flat granite marker.
• Companion stones carry two names, usually a married couple. They cost more up front but can save buying a second marker later.

The extra charges: engraving, setting and cemetery fees

• Engraving. Dignity Memorial puts engraving a name, birth date and death date at about $500. Epitaphs, images and etched portraits add more.
• Installation (setting). Most cemeteries charge to set a marker. Dignity Memorial lists starting prices of $200 to $2,000, depending on the size of the stone and the cemetery. Upright stones usually need a foundation.
• Cemetery rules. Every cemetery sets its own rules on size, material, color and style. The FCA warns that some cemeteries insist families buy the headstone from them, or charge “inspection” fees for markers bought elsewhere. The FTC’s Funeral Rule, which requires itemized prices, doesn’t cover cemeteries unless they sell both funeral goods and funeral services.

Tip: Get the cemetery’s written marker rules before you buy a stone, and ask the monument dealer for a quote that separates the stone, engraving, and setting.

Free headstones for eligible veterans

The VA provides a government headstone or marker at no charge for eligible veterans. Options include upright marble or granite headstones, flat granite, marble or bronze markers, and bronze niche markers. If the grave already has a private headstone, VA may provide a medallion to attach to it instead.

• Who qualifies: generally veterans who weren’t dishonorably discharged and service members who died on active duty. The grave must be unmarked, or, if the veteran died on or after November 1, 1990, it can already have a privately purchased headstone. Minimum service requirements apply to many people who enlisted after September 7, 1980.
• Who pays to set it: in national, military post and base cemeteries, VA sets the headstone free. In a private cemetery, placement costs are the family’s, and some state veterans cemeteries charge a small setting fee.
• Spouses: a spouse buried in a private cemetery isn’t eligible for a separate VA headstone, though they may be able to have an inscription added to the veteran’s.
• How to apply: VA Form 40-1330, Claim for Standard Government Headstone or Marker.

Planning for it

A headstone is a final expense like any other. If your family would have to pay for it out of pocket months after the funeral, it belongs in your number. Final expense insurance pays cash to your beneficiary, who can use it for the marker, the engraving and the setting fee. The final expense calculator includes a line for it.

Sources: Dignity Memorial — How Much Does a Headstone Cost?; Funeral Consumers Alliance — Guide to Cemetery Purchases; Funeral Consumers Alliance of Greater Rochester — Guide to Cemetery Purchases (2026); FTC — Buying a Cemetery Site; VA National Cemetery Administration — Headstones, Markers and Medallions; VA — Request a headstone or marker.