Dying in Canberra is becoming an expensive business. Being buried in the capital can cost as much as buying a house.
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In Canberra an eight space family estate in the Christ the Redeemer Mausoleum at Woden Cemetery is the largest offering and will set you back $353,760.
And while the figure might seem steep to some, it remains a bargain compared to some interstate plots, with news that a final resting place in Melbourne's General Cemetery has now passed the $1 million mark.
CEO of Canberra Cemeteries, Hamish Horne said while technically it was possible to sell a grave privately, the ACT market for this sort of thing was almost non-existent.
"There wouldn't even be one open market sale every year," he said.
"What happened in Melbourne with that particular one, there will only be one or two sold like that, so that is a rare occurrence too."
Mr Horne said the high price for the large above ground mausoleum in Melbourne was likely the result of low supply in an area challenged to expand.
When cemeteries sold out of space and all that remained were un-used burial reservations he said other jurisdictions had witnessed the market for private sale boom.
"The Melbourne Cemetery is an example of this as they are getting full, as is Woden, and in future people here may want to divest themselves of graves that way," he said.
"It is a result of less supply in mature areas, but we are not there yet and don't suspect we will be for some years."
All six family estates in the Christ the Redeemer Mausoleum have sold, but a multimillion dollar expansion is hoped to increase supply and prevent demand driving up prices, Mr Horne said.
The existing mausoleum has a capacity of 308 spaces including six, eight-space family estates.
Once extended the mausoleum will allow for an extra 280 spaces including two new family estates that are expected to be available for sale by September this year.
Despite the rising cost of graves in bigger cities and a drive toward cremation as a more affordable alternative, Mr Horne said lawn graves were still the most popular burial with internment choices available at Woden, Gungahlin and Hall.
How much does it cost
Single space $8,641 - $44,000
Double allotment - $13,667 - $88,000
Family estate (for eight) - $353,760
Lawn burial or reservation - $7,120
Headstone burial or reservation - $8,852
Vault burial or reservation $17,029
Oak Boulevard earth burial - $13,966
Oak Boulevard vault burial - $22,149
Oak Boulevard Ashes internment - $8,505
Ash internment and memorial options - $2,932 - $4,138
