How Much Does an Obituary Cost? Newspaper and Online Pricing Breakdown

Newspaper Obituary Costs in 2026

Newspaper obituary pricing depends on the publication and may be based on line count, column inches, or word count. In line-based pricing, text costs more when it adds billable space.

Major metro dailies (New York Times, LA Times, Chicago Tribune): $400 to $2,000+ for a standard obituary. Pricing may be per line, column inch, or word. Newspaper columns often fit roughly 25-40 characters per line, so a 200-word obituary can occupy several dozen lines; request the paper's formatted proof for an accurate count.

Regional and mid-size papers: $100 to $500. Rates and flat-rate packages for standard-length notices differ by publication; ask for its current price list.

Small-town and weekly papers: Rates are set by each publication. Some community papers publish short death notices for free or at a lower cost; request a quote for the length and placement you want.

These are base prices. Three common surcharges push the final bill higher.

Hidden Surcharges That Inflate the Bill

Photo insertion fees. Adding a portrait to a print obituary can cost $100-$250 as a flat surcharge in major markets. Some papers charge by the column inch the photo occupies, which can double the cost of a small notice. Online memorial platforms differ on whether photos are included or priced separately.

Sunday and holiday premiums. Running an obituary on a Sunday or major holiday may add a 20-50% surcharge. A $300 weekday obituary would become $360-$450 with that surcharge. Ask the paper to compare publication dates, prices, and circulation before choosing.

Multi-day and multi-paper bundles. Newspaper groups that own multiple papers in a region offer package deals to run the same obituary across several publications. The per-paper rate is discounted, but the total bill climbs. Ask whether the obituary is already syndicated online — if it appears on the paper's website automatically, you may not need multiple print runs.

Legacy.com and Online Portal Costs

Legacy.com is the largest obituary aggregation site in the US, partnered with thousands of newspapers. When a newspaper publishes your obituary, Legacy.com often picks it up automatically — but with a catch.

Online publication: A current direct online obituary package is a fixed $159 and includes unlimited text, photos, and an optional guest book.

Legacy.com may also receive notices through newspaper partnerships. Confirm the price and features with the newspaper or Legacy.com before submitting.

The value proposition depends on reach. Legacy.com has strong search engine visibility, which means distant friends and colleagues often find the obituary there first. But free alternatives exist.

Free and Low-Cost Alternatives

Funeral home website: Most funeral homes publish obituaries on their websites at no additional charge as part of their service package. The downside: these pages typically disappear or become hard to find after a few years.

Ever Loved: Free standard memorial site. The premium upgrade is a one-time $199.99 fee and adds features such as password protection and control over who can post.

GatheringUs: Memorial pages are being moved to Keeper in 2026; new memorial pages are created on Keeper. Keeper offers free and paid memorial pages, so check its current pricing and features.

Facebook memorial page: Free. Convert the deceased's existing Facebook profile to a "memorialized" account, or create a dedicated memorial page. The downside: Facebook controls the platform, and memorial pages can be flagged or removed without warning.

Personal website or blog: If you're comfortable with technology, a simple memorial page on a free platform like WordPress.com or Google Sites costs nothing and gives you full control over content.

The Smart Cost-Saving Strategy

The most reliable way to honor someone publicly without spending $500+ on print:

1. Run a short death notice in the local paper (3-5 lines, $50-150). Name, age, city, date, one-line descriptor, service details, and a URL directing readers to the full tribute.
2. Host the complete obituary on a free or flat-rate site. This is where the full biography, photo gallery, and guest book can live without newspaper per-line charges. Check the site's length limits and hosting terms.
3. Share the online link through email, social media, and text messages to the deceased's extended network.

This approach can cost less than a full-length newspaper obituary, especially when the online memorial uses a free tier. The total depends on the newspaper's quote and any online upgrades. The newspaper notice serves local readers; the online tribute can be shared with a wider network.

How to Estimate Your Total Cost Before Submitting

Before committing to any publication, get exact pricing:

• Call the newspaper's classified advertising desk (not the newsroom). Ask for per-line rates, photo surcharges, Sunday premiums, and the submission deadline. Request a formatted proof showing the line count for your draft.
• Count your words. Standard columns fit 25-40 characters per line. A rough estimate: divide your total character count by 30 to get approximate lines.
• Ask about online bundling. Many papers include free web posting with a print obituary. If yours does, you may not need a separate online listing.

The obituary writing toolkit includes a newspaper cost estimation worksheet that calculates per-line charges across different publications — so you know what the bill will look like before you submit, not after.