Death is something that no one wants to talk about yet everyone must face.
And if you or your loved one plans on living in Thailand until the final day of life, you have to think about how much it’s going to cost for funeral and cremation arrangements.
After all, when you or your loved one passes away in Thailand, someone has to cover the bill. Even if someone requests to have his or her remains returned to their home country, there’s a cost involved in that process too.
In this guide, you’re going to find out how much it will cost when passing away in Thailand. While no one wants to think about these things in advance, it’s always better to be prepared.
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Contents
(And How It’s Costing Them)
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Breakdown of the Costs
There are many costs associated with dying in Thailand. These include:
- Coffins
- Temple fees
- Decorations
- Foods and drinks
- Scattering of ashes
- Repatriation
- Miscellaneous (urns, transportation, formalin, etc.)
Let’s take a look at each cost in more detail.
Coffins
The cost of coffins starts from THB1,500 and can go up to more than THB100,000 depending on these four factors:
- Size
- Decoration
- Materials
- Features
For the most basic coffin made of standard wood, expect to pay around THB1,500.
In most cases, people pay about THB5,000 for a standard coffin in Thailand. If they want to upgrade to a coffin made from teak wood, prices can exceed THB30,000.
Some coffins come with built in air conditioning, which helps preserve the body much longer. The price for these coffins ranges from THB50,000 to THB100,000.
You can buy a coffin from a temple or a specialty store that builds coffins.
Low-income families can contact a non-profit organization like Poh Teck Tung and get a free coffin that was built using donation money.
Cultural insight: In Thailand, you should never try to negotiate over the price of a coffin because it’s considered bad luck.
Temple Fees
Temple fees make up a majority of the costs associated with passing away in Thailand.
Being primarily Buddhists, Thais usually hold cremation and funeral ceremonies at a temple. Even when Christians die in Thailand, in most cases their bodies will be cremated at a Buddhist temple.
Here’s what you should expect to pay for funeral and cremation services at a temple in Thailand:
| Item | Cost | Details |
| Ceremonial items | THB5,000 | Incense, candles, offerings, and other essentials |
| Monk donation fees | THB300 to THB500 per monk/per day | Usually involves four monks |
| Room rental | THB3,000 to THB5,000 per day | Air conditioned rooms are generally more expensive than non air conditioned rooms |
| Cremation fee | THB3,000 to THB5,000 | Covers basic cremation services |
Temples offer funeral and cremation packages that include the above items. Prices for these packages range from THB10,000 to THB20,000 per day, on average.
In Thailand, arrangements usually last for at least three days. Although some families hold funerals for as long as five to seven days.
To come up with your final price, multiply the costs above by how many days you expect to hold funeral arrangements for.
Decorations
Decorations, including flowers, may or may not be included in package prices offered by a temple.
With that said, expect to pay around THB3,000 to THB5,000 for standard flower decorations. If you’d like a lot of flowers, prices can range from THB15,000 to THB20,000.
Foods and Drinks
Food and drinks are another major cost associated with funerals in Thailand.
If you live in Bangkok or other big cities, buying snack boxes from S&P for guests of the funeral is very common. They cost THB68 per box and include a sandwich and juice.
You’ll need to buy water separately, and it costs around THB5 per bottle.
Assuming you have 50 guests, expect to pay around THB3,650 per day on food and drinks.
On the other hand, if you live in a rural area, your food budget will be surprisingly higher because of the number of guests. Food costs alone can easily exceed THB10,000 per day.
Scattering of the Ashes
After cremation services, it’s common among Thais to scatter the ashes at the mouth of a river or in the ocean. This costs around THB2,000 to THB3,000, depending on how many people board the boat.
Miscellaneous
We can round up the cost of urns, transportation fees, formalin, paperwork, miscellaneous fees, and more to THB5,000 in total.
Optional Costs Associated With Dying in Thailand
Here is a list of other costs that you or your family might have to pay, depending on what kind of service you have.
Burials
Burials aren’t common in Thailand except with wealthy Chinese or Muslim families.
The total cost can be expensive. For instance, depending on the location of the cemetery, prices can range from THB100,000 to THB1,000,000 for a burial, with yearly maintenance fees of THB1,000.
Repatriation
Returning the remains to the U.S., U.K., or Australia costs around THB80,000 to THB100,000. For returning just the ashes, you’ll pay around THB10,000.
For repatriation services, it’s better to get help from a funeral home in Thailand.
How Much Should You Expect to Pay in Total?
This depends on many factors, including the choice of temple, the amount of days, the number of guests, decorations, food, and more.
Here’s an estimated amount for a funeral with 50 to 100 guests:
- Three days: THB40,000 to THB60,000
- Five days: THB60,000 to THB80,000
- Seven days: THB100,000 to THB120,000
If there are more than 200 guests, the price can easily exceed THB200,000 or even THB300,000.
For families who forgo a Thai ceremony and opt to repatriate the remains or ashes back home, then the cost is going to be around THB50,000 to THB100,000.
Now, on to You
As you can see from this guide, it’s not cheap to pass away in Thailand.
For this reason, many expats in the country buy life insurance so that their families will benefit from some financial security if they pass away and/or need a funeral ceremony or repatriation.
Yet other expats forgo life insurance and instead set aside money for funeral arrangements so that their next of kin (NoK) can use that money to pay for those arrangements.
Whichever option you choose, it’s always a great idea to file a last will and testament in Thailand. At the very least, it helps you or your loved ones manage inheritances in the event that someone passes away.
Read our guide on How to Write and File Your Last Will and Testament in Thailand to find out more.
