Even Death Has Become a Luxury: At Least 2,000 KM Needed for a Burial

The cheapest funeral in East Sarajevo costs between 1,200 and 1,500 KM, plus a meal for the deceased's soul which costs almost as much as the entire funeral, writes the BH news agency Patria (NAP).

One of Patria agency's interlocutors, who could not reveal his identity due to the nature of his work, said that citizens in East Sarajevo are increasingly burying their loved ones on credit, as the prices of these services are too high for many of them, given their low purchasing power.

- Citizens pay particularly high prices for funeral customs. For example, the meal after the funeral costs as much as the funeral itself – this interlocutor explained.

- A grave plot in East Sarajevo costs around 750 KM, the cheapest coffin is around 250 KM. People are usually buried according to religious rites, so you also have the costs of the priest, the use of the chapel... All of this together costs between 1,200 and 1,500 KM. However, the meal after the funeral, which is nothing more than a folk custom, costs almost as much. This represents a great financial burden for the families of the deceased; many of them borrow money from friends or banks to bury their loved ones – he says.

Burial and funeral costs are also high in the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The cheapest burial in Sarajevo also exceeds 1,000 KM. For example, the cheapest is at the Vlakovo cemetery, where 1,950 KM is needed for burial and funeral.

Citizens will fare better only if they are members of one of the funeral societies. There are four in Sarajevo: Funeral Society Sv. Anto, Sv. Marko, Jedileri, and Bakije. The monthly membership fee for these societies costs between 4 and 6 KM. The advantage for members of these funeral societies is that when a person dies, the association pays for their entire funeral. If a person wants a burial according to religious customs, they must also be a member of a religious community during their lifetime. The annual membership fee in the Islamic Community of BiH in Sarajevo costs 45 KM.

- It should be known that there is a difference in the approach to membership in funeral societies. For those who have not reached the age of 50, membership is six KM, which is the monthly fee. For people between 50 and 55 years of age, the entry fee is 300 KM, for those over 55 it is 600 KM... Also, to realize the benefits of the association, you must be a member for at least three years – they say from the Catholic Funeral Association Sv. Anto.

- Therefore, it is very important for people to start joining funeral societies at a young age; it all pays off in the end. If they are not members of a funeral society, burials are quite expensive for most citizens – this association states, NAP writes.