Cost. The cost of obituary announcements in local newspapers fluctuates between PS50 and PS300, depending on the number of words contained and the price policy of the newspaper company in question. Obituary notices in big publications can cost hundreds, if not thousands of pounds. An estimate for one small country town in Australia was $12,000 (AUS) for three columns of an average-size newspaper. The exact amount you will be charged depends on many factors, such as the size of the notice, where it is placed, how long it runs and whether it is paid or free. The more words there are in the notice, the higher the charge will be. Generally, the smaller the community, the lower the cost per notice. There are two types of obituaries: paid and unpaid. A paid obituary provides information about the deceased person, including their life story, and allows readers to leave personal memories and photos. These are usually written by professional journalists and can be very moving. Unpaid obituaries are simply lists of names of people who have died. They often include age, date and place of birth, residence, occupation and sometimes family details. There should be no mention of causes of death or places of burial or cremation.