Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
November 2024 - November 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Across all industries and all countries, Facebook Ads cost-per-click (CPC) followed a clear seasonal arc with a late-year peak, a Q1 reset, and a steady slide into summer before a modest Q4 rebound. The period opened at a holiday-inflated $1.47 in November 2024 and closed at $1.21 in November 2025 — down 17% year over year, but notably higher than the late-summer trough. Volatility was mild overall, with average month-to-month moves of roughly $0.06 (about 5%), punctuated by sharper shifts around the holidays. This analysis is based on $3B worth of advertising data from our dataset, which provides strong directional benchmarks. This analysis explores ad performance trends for all industries in all countries compared to the global benchmark.
The median CPC over the 13-month window averaged $1.15. The high point landed in November 2024 at $1.47, while the low arrived in September 2025 at $1.04 — a 37% spread relative to the average. After November’s elevated pricing, CPC fell to $1.28 in December and $1.14 in January, a two-month drop of 22%. From January through May, costs were remarkably stable, hovering near $1.13–$1.14.
The next leg lower began in June ($1.07), continued through July ($1.07) and August ($1.09), and reached the annual low in September ($1.04). October edged up slightly to $1.06, then November 2025 climbed meaningfully to $1.21, the largest single-month increase of the year (+$0.16, +15% vs. October). The steepest monthly declines came early: November to December (−$0.18, −13%) and December to January (−$0.14, −11%).
Seasonality is evident in the CPC trends. Late Q4 pricing was elevated, consistent with intensified competition during peak retail periods. Q1 settled into a lower band, with January–March averaging about $1.14. Q2 eased further to roughly $1.11, and Q3 marked the softest stretch at $1.07 on average — the year’s clearest “low season.” Early Q4 ticked higher, averaging $1.14 across October and November, signaling a measured return to higher auction pressure heading into the holidays.
Because this view aggregates all industries across all countries, it is the global benchmark. There is no gap between the selected series and the baseline; every monthly data point is identical. In relative terms, the global market moved down steadily from Q1 to Q3 (−6% from Q1 to Q3 averages), then rebounded into early Q4 (+6% vs. Q3). The pattern is smoother than many country-specific ad costs, with limited whipsaw outside of the November and December inflections.
In sum, Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost-per-click across all industries and all countries show a classic holiday peak, a Q1 reset, and a gradual summer softening before a Q4 lift. Understanding CPC trends in this global view helps situate industry ad performance in context and complements broader CPM analysis and CTR performance benchmarks for a fuller read on efficiency across markets.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. Geographic targeting affects ad costs based on market competition and user engagement in different regions. Different campaign objectives lead to varying costs based on how Facebook optimizes for your specific goals. The data shown represents median values across multiple campaigns, and individual results may vary based on ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
We use the median CTR because the underlying distribution of click-through rates is highly skewed, with a small share of campaigns achieving extremely high CTRs. These outliers can inflate a simple average, making it less representative of what most advertisers actually experience. By using the median—which sits at the midpoint of all campaigns—we provide a more rigorous and realistic benchmark that reflects the true underlying data model and helps you set attainable performance expectations.
Note: This data represents industry median values and benchmarks. Your actual costs may vary based on specific targeting, ad creative quality, and campaign optimization.
Improve your Facebook ad performance
• Instant performance insights – See which ads, audiences, and creatives drive results.
• Data-driven creative decisions – Spot patterns to improve ROAS.
• Effortless reporting – No spreadsheets, just clear insights.
All data is sourced from over $3B in Facebook ad spend, collected across thousands of ad accounts that use Superads daily to analyze and improve their campaigns. Every data point is fully anonymized and aggregated—no individual advertiser is ever exposed.
This dataset updates frequently as new ad data flows in. It will only get bigger and better.
CPC (Cost Per Click) is what you pay each time someone clicks on your ad, on any Facebook Ads placement. It's calculated by dividing your total spend by the number of clicks received. Facebook Ads lists Clicks, Link Clicks and Outbound Clicks separately. The former is the sum of all types of clicks (including, for example, clicks to your profile page, to a link or to a comment).
The truth is that varies, so play with our tool to get some benchmarks that are relevant to you. CPC values are highly dependent on the region, industry and campaign objective. The US is one of the most expensive markets.
Several factors affect CPC: your audience targeting, competition in your industry, ad relevance score, and creative performance. If your ad isn't getting engagement or relevance is low, CPC tends to spike.
CPC spikes usually happen because of increased competition in your target audience, seasonal trends (like holidays), poor ad relevance scores, or algorithm changes. Check if your audience targeting has become too narrow or if your creative is showing fatigue.
Yes, there's a noticeable difference between platforms. Mobile CPCs often run lower than desktop. How many times do check Instagram on your phone and how often do you open it in your computer? There's simply much more mobile inventory. Tip: segment your performance data by placement to understand where your clicks are coming from. Spoiler: it's likely all mobile.
For most businesses, optimizing for conversions will deliver much better ROI than focusing purely on CPC. A low CPC is meaningless if those clicks don't convert. However, if you're running awareness campaigns or some kind content promotion, CPC optimization might potentially make sense, although most experts have switched to conversion optimization by now.
Your specific audience targeting, creative quality, bidding strategy, and account history all influence your CPC. Industry averages provide a reference point, but your historical performance is a more reliable benchmark for setting expectations and measuring improvement.
Instagram CPCs are generally slightly higher due to stronger purchase intent and higher competition among advertisers. But it depends on the audience and creative.
Discover detailed cost benchmarks for different Facebook advertising metrics:
Average cost per click benchmarks across industries
Cost per thousand impressions across different markets
Benchmark click-through rates for Facebook ads
Cost per lead across different markets
Average cost per purchase benchmarks across industries
See how much it costs to get users to install an app
Explore how different campaign objectives affect your CPC performance:
See how CPC varies across different geographic markets: