Survivors of the obese will find that end-of-life expenses also exact hefty penalties, says Gail Rubin, an event planner based in Albuquerque, N.M., who specializes in funerals and memorial services.
"The difference between a standard size, 18-gauge steel casket and a 36-inch oversized one is $1,400," she says.
Rubin, author of "A Good Goodbye: Funeral Planning for Those Who Don't Plan to Die," says that in Albuquerque, N.M., a standard, nongalvanized vault runs about $1,670, but the oversized version is $2,410.
Even pallbearers can be pricier, she says.
"One funeral home I work with will provide a complement of four for $165, but recommends eight for oversize caskets at $330 -- if it can in fact be carried at all. Also, the cemetery may require two adjacent plots for burial, and heavy machinery may be needed to lower the casket into the ground."
All told, she says, burial costs for the obese are likely to run about $2,500 higher.