* Publication costs vary around the state with $200 being about the cheapest and $1,000 being about the most expensive. Some cities only have one adjudicated paper so in cases you are stuck with a very expensive publication charge. Other cities have multiple papers that work. Adjudicated papers are not only the major newspapers in a city and often a “throw away” or “freebie” paper are the cheapest to publish in. This page is designed to help estimate the California probate fees.