Hawaii frequently is at the top of “most expensive” lists, and now the Aloha State leads the country when it comes to the cost of dying — with average end-of-life expenses totaling $41,467, a new study says.
Average funeral expenses in 2016 in Hawaii amounted to $14,975, while end-of-life medical costs averaged $26,492, according to the study by GoBankingRates.com, an online personal finance company.
California was the second-priciest place to die at $32,611, followed by New York, Oregon and Massachusetts.
The cheapest state in which to die was Mississippi, where the cost burden was $18,509, with average funeral expenses totaling $6,684 and medical costs associated with dying at $11,825. Following Mississippi for the cheapest are Arkansas, Oklahoma, Missouri and New Mexico.
Not only do Hawaii residents pay more than twice as much as Mississippi residents for end-of-life expenses, but the company says the state is the most expensive in which to live in America, with island residents paying 88.3% more than the national average.
“(But) nobody wants to die in Mississippi; they want to die in paradise,” said Vita DeCeglio, a company representative. “It’s just going to cost you.”
The study used National Funeral Directors Association data from 2017, with out-of-pocket funeral costs adjusted for 2019 inflation.
COST OF DYING
Most expensive:
Hawaii: $41,467
California: $32,611
New York: $29,902
Oregon: $28,849
Massachusetts: $28,290
Cheapest:
Mississippi: $18,509
Arkansas: $18,681
Oklahoma: $18,702
Missouri: $18,724
New Mexico: $18,810
Source: GoBankingRates.com
