Before beginning, browse the rest of the Cemlist resources for buying, selling, and transfer guidance.
Why Los Angeles costs more than the national average
Three things push Los Angeles cemetery prices above the national range:
- Land scarcity. Most LA-area cemeteries were built out decades ago on a fixed footprint, so remaining inventory in desirable sections is limited and priced accordingly.
- A concentration of major operators. A small number of large cemetery groups, including Forest Lawn's several Southern California locations, control much of the market, which keeps competitive downward pressure on price limited compared to areas with many smaller independent cemeteries.
- Section-level premium pricing. Within a single cemetery, a garden section with better views, mature landscaping, or proximity to a chapel or mausoleum commonly costs more than a standard section - the same pattern that drives real estate premiums within a single neighborhood.
What Los Angeles cemeteries actually charge
Reported new-plot pricing varies widely even within a single cemetery chain. This is a representative range, not a single LA-wide number - always confirm the current price with the specific cemetery office before comparing it to a resale listing.
| Cemetery | Reported price for a standard single grave space |
|---|---|
| Forest Lawn - Covina Hills / Cypress | around $7,935 |
| Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills | around $17,538 |
| Forest Lawn - Glendale | around $18,975 |
| Forest Lawn - Long Beach | around $26,450 |
| Rose Hills Memorial Park (Whittier) - resale asking price | roughly $2,000-$3,900 |
| Inglewood Park Cemetery (Inglewood) - resale asking price | roughly $8,000-$20,000, median around $17,500 |
| Modeled LA County median (standard single grave, before opening/closing and vault fees) | roughly $9,000-$13,000 |
Rose Hills and Inglewood Park are independent LA-area operators, not Forest Lawn locations, and their figures above are private-seller resale asking prices from third-party marketplaces, not the cemeteries' own new-plot price lists - a different data type than the Forest Lawn figures, and one more reason to confirm with each cemetery office directly rather than compare listing to listing. Rose Hills' lower range reflects older or less central sections; its own current new-plot pricing runs considerably higher for developed sections, per its published price list.
For comparison, California's statewide typical range runs from about $2,000 at the low end to roughly $5,000 average, with premium sections reaching $20,000 or more. Nationally, public cemeteries average $1,000-$2,500 for a single space and private cemeteries average $2,500-$5,000, with a national average around $2,600. Los Angeles sits above all of these benchmarks.
The Forest Lawn figures come from a third-party industry report compiling individually sourced cemetery pricing, not from the cemeteries' current published price lists. Prices change, and a specific section within any of these cemeteries can cost meaningfully more or less than the figure shown. Call the cemetery office for its current price before you budget against any number here.
What resale listings are asking
Resale asking prices - plots individual owners are trying to sell, not new plots from the cemetery - give a second data point. Third-party resale marketplace listings for LA-area cemeteries have recently shown single grave spaces asking $10,000-$18,000 depending on the cemetery, and companion (double-depth) spaces asking considerably more. These are asking prices, not confirmed sale prices, and they are not evidence of what a cemetery currently charges for a new plot in the same section.
If you're comparing a resale listing to buying new, verify the seller's ownership and the cemetery's transfer requirements before paying anything, and confirm the cemetery's current new-plot price for a comparable space so you know whether the resale asking price is actually a discount.
What the sticker price doesn't include
A cemetery's quoted plot price is rarely the full cost. Ask about:
- Opening and closing fees - the cost of digging and closing the grave at time of need, billed separately from the plot itself.
- A vault or liner, if the cemetery requires one - most do.
- A transfer fee if you're buying a resale plot rather than a new one from the cemetery - this is separate from the plot price and is paid to the cemetery to update its records.
If you're in California and considering buying or selling, the California transfer rules guide covers what the cemetery or district needs to process the change of ownership.