A casual Google search will reveal around 18 notable cemeteries in Metro Vancouver. A more serious inquiry will reveal around 90 cemeteries in Greater Vancouver. You might think that you have options and time regarding burial plots. Unfortunately, you’re running out of both and might not even know it.
The gradual building shortage of burial spaces, inflation, and the profit-oriented mindset of cemeteries have caused the cost of burial plots in Greater Vancouver to skyrocket in recent years. The average cost of burial niches has gone to over $7,000, and casket spaces on average can cost over $30,000 in 2024. Over 80% of people now choose cremation as they don’t want to pay exorbitant prices.
Burial Plots began to rise in cost in 2011, with many cemeteries slowly increasing their rates. In 2015, the shortage of burial plots caused prices to skyrocket, which led to people scattering cremated ashes in public spaces. In this blog, we’ll take a brief look at how much a burial plot costs at notable cemeteries and why the price will keep increasing.
How Much Does Burial Cost in Greater Vancouver?
In 2011, a cemetery in Port Coquitlam raised the price of their burial sites for residents by $212.8 to $5,447.68. The cemetery stated that they hadn’t raised prices since 2007, and have only decided to raise prices now to match market rates. This was noteworthy enough to warrant multiple new articles.
Since 2015, burial spaces have become rare and expensive. The Township of Langley recommended a $500 increase in casket burials and a $339 increase in cremation fees for residents. The crisis got so severe that most people in the Greater Vancouver area began to spread their loved one’s cremated remains in public spaces. To solve this issue, notable cemeteries ended up offering garden spaces for spreading the ashes instead.
Since 2015, approximately 80% of the people in Greater Vancouver have chosen cremation annually due to the skyrocketing costs. Unfortunately, the cost has risen so much that it has become impossible to even consider burial niches for most people. While the market rate for a single-depth burial plot in 2024 was $20,000, the true cost of burial niches easily went over it.
In 2023, a burial plot in a Burnaby cemetery was sold online privately for $54,000 in March. In that same year, experts projected that a burial niche for an urn would cost between $5,000 to $25,000. The cheapest Catholic burial plot for urns in Lower Mainland costs above $3,000. A renowned cemetery in Southern Surrey could have charged you $30,000 for it.
According to the City of Vancouver’s 2024 report on “Fee Increases & Adjustments”, the market average price for niches for 2 urns was $5,611 and the price for 2-casket space was $15, 514. This statistic is quite deceiving, as the cost of burial in reputed cemeteries was far beyond this price bracket.
Moving to 2025, a Vancouver cemetery reported a shocking increase in prices. Above-ground plots for urns would now cost a staggering $7,700 and in-ground plots $6,100. The proposed cost for 2-casket spaces is $36,200. The staff has admitted that the cemetery has generated more revenue than its annual targets since 2014, bar one exception.
Yet, the cemetery staff have chosen to charge 27% more for granite. In 2024, only 36 granite foundations were installed in this graveyard. The cost for other exported items was not cited, but the staff hinted that everything would experience a notable hike.
In August 2024, a cemetery in Burnaby announced a 30% increase in resident rates and an unimaginable 80% on non-resident rates. The cemetery also introduced a 10% increase in disinterment costs and a 13% increase in columbarium fees.
Experts are now concerned as they have begun to notice 2-casket burial sites being auctioned online for up to $70,000. As ridiculous as the price sounds, the situation has become desperate enough for people to consider this as acceptable. And as time passes, the price will continue to rise.
At this point, you’re probably wondering why the cost of burial keeps increasing. Well, let’s look at the answer in the next section.
Why Will the Cost of Burial Increase Forever?
The simple answer is that burial plots are real estate, and this is a game of supply and demand. However, there are more factors at play. Let’s explore the key 5 reasons why the cost of burial plots will never stop going up.
- It’s Real Estate: Burial plots of any kind are real estate or property. The market value for any kind of land will always go up due to limited supply and potential growth in market value. For specialized real estate like burial plots, this factor is even more potent.
- Limited supply: While all real estate is in limited supply, burial spots are scarce in Greater Vancouver due to poor planning. For example, a cemetery in Vancouver has been unable to sell spaces from 1996 to 2008. Even now, it’s only able to sell columbarium niches. Many cemeteries are now unable to sell burial spaces for families, resulting in family members being buried in scattered spaces.
- A Unique Market: The burial space market is a unique business where the cemetery has full control over its pricing. Prices can increase due to the environmental conditions, the location, and even maintenance fees. The market rates only serve as a suggestion, not a standard.
- Change in Ownership: Notable private cemeteries in the area have become owned by large US corporations. These cemeteries are no longer working to service the community but to generate profits. Coupled with the shortage of space, this has driven up prices to outrageous amounts.
- Inflation: The effect of inflation is also visible in the burial space. In April 2022, inflation rates reached 8.1%. While it may have come down to 2.5% in 2024, the effects of the Canadian Dollar being less valuable will never go away.
Unfortunately, these factors are here to stay. At large, there are no real solutions to the rise in burial costs. The longer you wait, the worse the situation gets.
Want a Solution? Choose Bakerview.
Bakerview Memorial Cemetery is Metro Vancouver’s newest large-format cemetery. It is located in Langley, BC near the Aldergrove Town Centre, offering a uniquely tranquil, and beautiful setting, and the highest degree of professional care for your loved ones. The cemetery is open to people of all religions and cultures, and the owners have been investing in and caring for their local lower mainland communities for decades.
At Bakerview, prices start from $4,300 for burial niches, and $11,900 for burial sites, with options for family burial sites. You won’t find better pricing in Greater Vancouver, Aldergrove, Abbotsford, or Chilliwack. We even have a 10% Annual Fall Sale going on right now. So, why wait?
Conclusion
Because of the current state of cemeteries in Greater Vancouver, waiting for the right time or when the need arises is highly unwise. Instead, you should invest in burial niches or plots now. There is no greater misery than dealing with the loss of a loved one and dealing with the complex process of purchasing an expensive burial space. Lock the price in now, and you’ll save yourself and your family the harrowing experience.
Published: October 30, 2024
