At Rookwood General Cemetery, the cheapest adult burial on the operator's official price list costs $14,058.20 including GST. That covers the grave site (interment right), the lawn burial, a granite headstone and the government levy, at prices the operator lists as correct on 13 October 2026. In the Catholic part of Rookwood, the basic adult burial on the operator's guide is $11,629.48 (from 1 August 2026), with no monument included. In the other Sydney cemeteries we checked, the cheapest listed adult burial ranged from $7,233.20 at Field of Mars to $23,753.20 at Macquarie Park. Funeral director fees, the coffin and weekend surcharges are not included.
Key takeaways
- Every figure below comes from a cemetery operator's or council's own published price list. We note its date and what it includes. Where we couldn't check a list, we say so rather than estimate.
- Rookwood has more than one operator. Metropolitan Memorial Parks (MMP) manages about two-thirds of the site. Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria manages the rest and publishes its own fee schedule (ABC News, September 2026).
- A burial bill has three main parts: the interment right (the site), the interment fee (the burial itself) and mandatory extras such as a plaque or headstone and the NSW Interment Services Levy.
- Weekend burials cost more. At MMP cemeteries, a Saturday burial before 2pm adds $1,855 and a Sunday burial before 2pm adds $3,185.
- Check whether the right is perpetual or renewable. Waverley Cemetery's 2026–27 schedule lists 25-year renewable rights for new coffin sites.
How much does a burial at Rookwood cost in 2026?
MMP publishes a "basic price list" for Rookwood General Cemetery and Crematorium. The list shows the least expensive option in each category, with GST included where it applies. These are the lines for a basic adult burial:
| Rookwood General: basic adult burial | Ex GST | Inc GST |
|---|---|---|
| Interment right: Independent Lawn E (the site) | $9,260.00 | $9,260.00 |
| Interment of remains: lawn burial | $2,895.00 | $3,185.00 |
| Additional fee: granite headstone | $1,305.00 | $1,435.00 |
| Government interment service levy | $162.00 | $178.20 |
| Total | $13,622.00 | $14,058.20 |
Source: MMP basic price list, Rookwood General Cemetery and Crematorium, prices correct as of 13 October 2026 and subject to change.
The same list sets out the fees that usually change the total:
- Full monumental burial (a grave with a full monument rather than a lawn grave): $3,710 instead of $3,185 for the interment.
- Saturday before 2pm: +$1,855. Sunday before 2pm: +$3,185. Weekdays from 2pm: $660 per 15 minutes.
- Site preparation: exploratory excavation $1,540, concrete cover (capping) $1,540, crane-assisted lowering $965.
The list warns that third-party costs, such as contracted site preparation, may not be included.
Rookwood Catholic Cemetery
The Catholic part of Rookwood is run by Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria. It publishes a basic product price guide and a fee schedule covering Rookwood Catholic and North Rocks, both effective from 1 August 2026. The operator says its prices can change without notice. These are the lines for its basic adult burial:
| Rookwood Catholic: basic adult burial | Price |
|---|---|
| Interment right: monumental section grave (room for up to two burials, monument not included) | $7,900.00 (no GST) |
| Weekday adult interment | $3,551.28 inc GST |
| NSW Interment Services Levy (burial) | $178.20 inc GST |
| Total | $11,629.48 |
Source: Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria, basic product price guide and Rookwood Catholic and North Rocks fee schedule, both effective 1 August 2026.
According to the guide, the interment right price covers administration, land value, site development and maintenance. Funeral director fees aren't included, and this basic option comes without any memorial. The same fee schedule lists:
- Lawn grave package (grave, shared headstone and the first 60 characters of inscription): $10,177.75, before the burial fee and levy. A monumental lawn grave without a monument is $9,000.34.
- Saturday burial: $3,945.69, against $3,551.28 on a weekday. No Sunday or public holiday rate is listed.
- Late fee: $507.65 for each 30 minutes or part of 30 minutes.
Neither document says whether these rights are perpetual or renewable, so ask. The schedule shows no separate site prices for North Rocks, and the operator's customer information page links no price lists for its other cemeteries, such as Liverpool and Kemps Creek. Some faith communities arrange burials through their own burial society, which publishes its own charges.
Sydney cemetery fees compared: basic adult burial
The table shows the cheapest adult burial listed by each operator, with all amounts in AUD. MMP lists show the GST-inclusive figure. Interment rights in public cemeteries don't attract GST (CCNSW), but burial fees and memorials usually do.
| Cemetery (operator) | Interment right (site) | Burial fee | Memorial / other mandatory | Levy | Total inc GST | Price list date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Field of Mars, East Ryde (MMP) | $2,990 (general plaque lawn) | $3,185 | $880 medium plaque | $178.20 | $7,233.20 | 21 Sep 2026 |
| Rookwood Catholic (Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria) | $7,900 (monumental section grave) | $3,551.28 | None included (monument extra) | $178.20 | $11,629.48 | From 1 Aug 2026 |
| Rookwood General (MMP) | $9,260 (Independent Lawn E) | $3,185 | $1,435 granite headstone | $178.20 | $14,058.20 | 13 Oct 2026 |
| Woronora, Sutherland (MMP) | $11,380 (Casuarina lawn) | $3,185 | None listed | $178.20 | $14,743.20 | 21 Sep 2026 |
| Frenchs Forest Bushland (MMP) | $11,100 (Casuarina lawn) | $3,185 | $1,240 large plaque | $178.20 | $15,703.20 | 13 Oct 2026 |
| Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park, Matraville (MMP) | $18,630 (Pioneer Park) | $3,185 | None listed | $178.20 | $21,993.20 | 21 Sep 2026 |
| Macquarie Park (MMP) | $17,265 (Ascension Hill Granite) | $3,185 | $1,885 headstone + $1,240 large plaque | $178.20 | $23,753.20 | 13 Oct 2026 |
| Castle Hill (The Hills Shire Council) | $6,914 (lawn grave, flagged as the Interment Industry Scheme basic burial site) | $2,555 listed for graves bought before 1 July 2019 and for second interments. No separate fee shown for other first burials, so confirm. | Lawn sites need a council sloper. Concrete sloper and plaque placement: $796. | $171.60 (2025–26 rate) | Not totalled: digging is done by a council-approved gravedigger and isn't priced | 2025–26 schedule (no 2026–27 schedule found) |
| Waverley, Bronte (Waverley Council) | $30,945 (25-year renewable right, GST-free) | $4,708 weekdays, described as including a service fee paid to the NSW Government | Monument permit $473 | A separate section lists a $156 coffin interment levy. It isn't clear whether this is added to the $4,708, so confirm. | Not totalled | 2026–27 schedule |
| North Rocks, Liverpool, Kemps Creek and other Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria sites | Not published. North Rocks shares a fee schedule with Rookwood Catholic, but no North Rocks site price is listed. We found no price lists for the other sites, so ask the operator. | — | ||||
Three cautions apply to this table:
- These are the cheapest listed options, not typical ones. MMP states that more expensive options exist, and that any contract must break them down in the same format.
- Like-for-like matters. A plaque lawn, a headstone lawn and a full monumental grave are different products.
- Dates matter. Both MMP and Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria say their prices can change, and councils set cemetery fees each financial year. On 4 November 2026, The Hills Shire Council's Castle Hill Cemetery page still linked only its 2024/25 schedule. We found no 2026–27 cemetery schedule, so ask the council.
Two Waverley lines to check. The schedule describes its $4,708 coffin burial fee as one that "includes service fee paid to NSW Government". Section 5.8 of the same schedule also lists a $156 coffin interment levy, but doesn't say whether that is charged on top. Ask the council for an itemised quote. A $1,385 weekday line, labelled as a burial interment fee for all locations, appears under ash interment services. It therefore looks like the fee for burying ashes in the ground, not a coffin burial, which is priced in section 5.3. The council hasn't published a definition, so check this too.
Ash interment costs compared
If the person is cremated, placing the ashes in a niche wall or garden costs much less than a burial. These are the lowest-priced ash interments on the same official lists (AUD):
| Cemetery | What the list includes | Total inc GST | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rookwood General (MMP) | Wall niche right $1,155 + full ash interment $930 + small plaque $675 + levy $71.50 | $2,831.50 | 13 Oct 2026 |
| Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park (MMP) | Niche wall right $1,060 + half ash interment $930 + medium plaque $880 + levy $71.50 | $2,941.50 | 21 Sep 2026 |
| Woronora (MMP) | Niche wall right $1,060 + half ash interment $930 + medium plaque $880 + levy $71.50 | $2,941.50 | 21 Sep 2026 |
| Rookwood Catholic (Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria) | Bethany Garden Niche package $3,217.67 (right, one ash interment and a bronze plaque) + levy $71.50 | $3,289.17 | From 1 Aug 2026 |
| Frenchs Forest Bushland (MMP) | Bushland memorial garden F right $2,315 + $930 + medium plaque $880 + levy $71.50 | $4,196.50 | 13 Oct 2026 |
| Field of Mars (MMP) | Columbarium niche wall right $4,050 + $930 + levy $71.50 (no plaque listed) | $5,051.50 | 21 Sep 2026 |
| Macquarie Park (MMP) | Garden of Eternity right $3,360 + $930 + large plaque $1,240 + levy $71.50 | $5,601.50 | 13 Oct 2026 |
| Castle Hill (Hills Council) | Columbarium wall placement $4,795, attended ash interment $574, ash levy $69.30. Ash lawn plot $4,672 as an alternative. | Not totalled | 2025–26 |
| Waverley (Waverley Council) | Single garden, 25-year renewable right $2,341.25 (renewal $468.25 per 5 years). Weekday ash interment is extra: $1,385 in the ground or $587 into a vault or mausoleum. A $63 ash levy is listed. | Not totalled | 2026–27 |
Scattering is cheaper again. MMP charges $155 to scatter ashes, Castle Hill charges $408 for its ash gardens and Waverley charges $495 for its scatter garden. See our guide to scattering ashes in Sydney.
What each fee covers, and what it doesn't
Interment right
This is the exclusive right to bury remains at a particular site. You don't own the land. MMP's lists describe the right as held "either for a specified time or in perpetuity" and say its price covers the site only. Ask which type you're buying and get it in writing. Our guide to renewable vs perpetual burial rights explains the difference.
Interment fee
This is the cemetery's charge for carrying out the burial or placing the ashes. On MMP's 2026 lists, an adult lawn burial is $3,185 and an adult ash placement is $930. Rookwood Catholic charges $3,551.28 for a weekday adult burial and $917.08 to inter cremated remains. Monumental, vault and crypt interments are priced differently.
Interment Services Levy
Cemeteries & Crematoria NSW (CCNSW) sets this levy. For 2026/27 it's $162 per burial, $65 per ash interment and $43 per cremation. For 2025/26 the rates were $156, $63 and $41 (CCNSW). The GST-inclusive amounts on MMP's lists ($178.20, $71.50 and $47.30) match the 2026/27 rates. Rookwood Catholic's schedule shows the same three amounts. The $171.60 burial levy on The Hills' 2025–26 schedule matches the earlier rate. Waverley's 2026–27 schedule lists $156 and $63 in its GST-inclusive fee column. Those figures match CCNSW's 2025/26 rates, not the 2026/27 ones.
Usually not included
- The funeral director's professional fees, transfers and coffin (see our 2026 Sydney funeral cost guide)
- Chapel hire. At MMP, it's $675 per 45 minutes on weekdays.
- A monument beyond any headstone or plaque the list includes, plus the mason's permit. Castle Hill charges $672 for monument permission and Waverley charges $473 per permit.
- Third-party site work. The Hills Shire Council states it doesn't dig graves, and gravediggers must be council-approved.
- Maintenance. Castle Hill lists a $1,595 perpetual maintenance fee, so ask whether it applies to your site. Waverley sells grave care plans.
Weekend and transfer charges by operator
| Charge | MMP cemeteries (Sep–Oct 2026) | Castle Hill (2025–26) | Waverley (2026–27) | Rookwood Catholic (from 1 Aug 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saturday burial | +$1,855 (before 2pm) | +$562 (weekends) | +$680 (weekends and public holidays) | $3,945.69 Saturday burial fee, against $3,551.28 on weekdays |
| Sunday burial | +$3,185 (before 2pm) | +$562 | +$680 | Not listed |
| Public holiday | Not listed on the basic list | +$702 | +$680 | Not listed |
| Transfer of the right | $410 | $338 | $379 (renewable) / $3,205 (perpetual) | $344.06 |
| Exhumation | Price on application | $2,135, excluding digging | $13,000 | Not checked |
How to get a firm cemetery quote: checklist
- [ ] Name the cemetery, section and grave type (lawn, monumental, double depth, niche).
- [ ] Ask for the operator's current price breakdown: interment right, interment fee, mandatory extras and levy, each shown separately.
- [ ] Ask whether the right is perpetual or renewable. If renewable, ask for the term and how the renewal fee is calculated.
- [ ] Confirm the day and time. Weekend surcharges on these lists range from $562 to $3,185, and weekday late fees can apply from 2pm.
- [ ] Ask about third-party costs: digging, shoring, monument permits and the mason.
- [ ] Check whether your funeral director's quote already includes the cemetery fees as a disbursement, so you don't pay twice.
FAQ
How much is a burial plot at Rookwood? On MMP's basic price list for Rookwood General (13 October 2026), the cheapest adult burial right is $9,260 for Independent Lawn E. With the burial, a granite headstone and the levy, the total is $14,058.20 including GST. At Rookwood Catholic Cemetery, the basic adult burial is $11,629.48 from 1 August 2026, including a $7,900 grave right but no monument.
What is the cheapest cemetery in Sydney for a burial? Of the official lists we checked, Field of Mars had the lowest basic adult burial, at $7,233.20 including GST (21 September 2026). Availability by section changes, so ask the cemetery what is currently on offer.
Do cemetery fees include GST? Interment rights in public cemeteries are GST-free. Burial fees, memorials and the levy generally include GST, which is why MMP's lists show both ex-GST and inc-GST columns.
Can I buy a grave in advance? Yes. You can buy the interment right now and pay the interment fee at the time of need. MMP's lists show every price element whatever the payment timing. Without CCNSW approval, one person can't hold more than two unused sites in a cemetery.
Is a weekend burial much more expensive? It can be. At MMP cemeteries, a Sunday burial before 2pm adds $3,185 to the $3,185 lawn burial fee. Rookwood Catholic charges $3,945.69 for a Saturday burial, against $3,551.28 on a weekday. Council cemeteries such as Castle Hill and Waverley charge smaller weekend surcharges.
Compare before you commit
You can compare published listings of Sydney funeral directors by area and service, and shortlist three. Then ask each one to quote the same arrangement, with cemetery fees shown as separate disbursements. If you're planning ahead, you can also request funeral comparison guidance. Farewell Index doesn't take emergency bookings. If you need help now, call a funeral director directly.
Related: Burial services in Sydney · What a funeral really costs in Sydney (2026) · Renewable vs perpetual burial rights in NSW · Can't afford a funeral in NSW?
Please note: This article is general information, not financial or legal advice. Figures are copied from the dated operator and council price lists below and are not quotes. Prices can change at any time. Always confirm the current price breakdown with the cemetery operator before you commit. Concerns about cemetery pricing can be raised with Cemeteries & Crematoria NSW.
Sources
- Basic price list: Rookwood General Cemetery and Crematorium (correct as of 13 October 2026) – Metropolitan Memorial Parks
- Basic price list: Macquarie Park Cemetery and Crematorium (13 October 2026) – Metropolitan Memorial Parks
- Basic price list: Frenchs Forest Bushland Cemetery (13 October 2026) – Metropolitan Memorial Parks
- Basic price list: Field of Mars Cemetery (21 September 2026) – Metropolitan Memorial Parks
- Basic price list: Eastern Suburbs Memorial Park and Crematorium (21 September 2026) – Metropolitan Memorial Parks
- Basic price list: Woronora Memorial Park and Crematorium (21 September 2026) – Metropolitan Memorial Parks
- Price guides – Metropolitan Memorial Parks
- Cemetery fees and charges 2025–2026 – The Hills Shire Council
- Castle Hill Cemetery (fees and forms page) – The Hills Shire Council
- Fees & Charges 2026–2027 (section 5, Cemetery) – Waverley Council
- Basic product price guide, Rookwood Catholic Cemetery (effective 1 August 2026) – Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria
- Rookwood Catholic and North Rocks Catholic fees (effective 1 August 2026) – Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria
- Customer information – Catholic Cemeteries and Crematoria
- Interment Services Levy – Cemeteries & Crematoria NSW
- Interment rights – Cemeteries & Crematoria NSW
- The Southern Hemisphere's biggest necropolis is bursting at the seams – ABC News, 12 September 2026
Independent general guidance. Provider prices, availability, package inclusions and legal obligations may change. Ask for an itemised written quote and verify your own circumstances before making arrangements.