What's the best way to fake one's death?

Question

cost must be no more than a few tens of thousands of dollars, not including later costs, such as subsistence

Answer 1

Why would you want to do this?  By posting your question publicly, on the internet, you have virtually guaranteed that it will be impossible to pull off this deception.  Pretending to be dead, to avoid bills or collect life insurance, would surely be fraud, and the type of offense that would be prosecuted by the DA.  

If you are trying to escape from a threat of violence or death, disappearing without a trace seems a more honorable way to go than faking your own death.