Funeral prices in Polk County, Iowa
The median and the least expensive, service by service
| Service | Median | Least expensive |
|---|---|---|
| Direct cremation | $1,910from only 3 price lists | $1,010Simplify Cremations & Funerals |
| Cremation with a service | $8,615from only 2 price lists | $8,365McLarens Resthaven Chapel & Mortuary |
| Immediate burial | $4,388from only 2 price lists | $4,340McLarens Resthaven Chapel & Mortuary |
| Burial with a graveside service | $6,298from only 2 price lists | $6,200McLarens Resthaven Chapel & Mortuary |
| Traditional funeral | $8,085from only 2 price lists | $7,935McLarens Resthaven Chapel & Mortuary |
3 published funeral homes in Polk County, side by side.
A figure drawn from only a few price lists is a marker of the range rather than a going rate. Every price behind it is real and posted, and there are not yet enough of them for the middle to settle.
The newest price list behind these figures is dated Aug 4, 2026. Tax is always approximate. Ask the funeral home for the exact amount.
How much does a funeral cost in Polk County, Iowa
What each home charges
| Funeral home | Town | Direct cremation | Cremation with a service | Immediate burial | Burial with a graveside service | Traditional funeral | Price list posted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ankeny Funeral Home and Crematory Ankeny Map | $1,910 | $8,865 | $4,435 | $6,395 | $8,235 | Aug 4, 2026 | |
| McLarens Resthaven Chapel & Mortuary West Des Moines Map | $3,575 | $8,365 least expensive here | $4,340 least expensive here | $6,200 least expensive here | $7,935 least expensive here | Aug 4, 2026 | |
| Simplify Cremations & Funerals Des Moines Map | $1,010 least expensive here | not posted | not posted | not posted | not posted | Mar 8, 2024 |
Sorted by funeral home name.
What each column means
- Direct cremation
- No viewing and no ceremony. The transfer into the funeral home's care, the cremation itself, and the filings.
- Cremation with a service
- A viewing or a ceremony first, then cremation.
- Immediate burial
- Burial with no viewing and no ceremony beforehand.
- Burial with a graveside service
- The ceremony is at the graveside, with none at the funeral home beforehand.
- Traditional funeral
- A viewing, a ceremony, then burial.
A filled dot marks the least expensive figure in that column among the homes on this table.
A cell reading "not posted" means that home's own price list carries no figure for that service. We never estimate one.
Every figure is that home's own posted price with its county's permit fee and one certified copy of the death certificate added, wherever both are on file, rounded once. Open a home to change the county or the number of copies. These prices do not include a casket. The casket is chosen and priced separately at the funeral home. Tax is always approximate. Ask the funeral home for the exact amount.
How this table is built
We do not yet publish how many funeral homes operate in this county, so this is every published home here rather than a proportion of the county's total. That total is still being collected.
Statewide there are 229 funeral homes operating today in Iowa, by the state rosters. 50 of them post a price list we hold, and 20 have been read and reviewed far enough to publish. The rest are homes our collecting has not reached, not homes that charge nothing.
Every price here is rounded on purpose. A funeral home's own general price list is the only source, the date it carries is on the row, and the home's name links to the page that shows the document. Where a figure is missing the row says so rather than leaving a blank a reader would have to interpret.
See something wrong?
If a price here does not match what a funeral home told you, or we are missing a home's price list, please tell us. Every message is read by a person.