See how your CPL compares. Explore lead generation cost benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Australia’s cost-per-lead trend tells a tale of two halves: a soft, uneven start that gives way to a steep winter lift and an elevated run through spring before the typical December reset. Across all industries, Australia’s CPL over the period averaged about 41, slightly higher than the global benchmark near 40, but with far sharper swings month to month. The standout months were a May trough followed by a June–July surge, making Australia’s market notably more volatile than the global baseline.
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 Australia compared to the global benchmark.
The series opens at 27.56 in December 2024 and closes at 32.59 in December 2025, an 18% lift year over year. Through 2025, Australia’s median CPL averaged 42.11, peaking at 55.67 in July and bottoming at 21.92 in May—a 33.8-point range. The sharpest single-month moves were a drop from April to May (−23.25) and a snapback from May to June (+31.10). On average, monthly volatility in Australia measured 11.6 points, almost three times the global benchmark’s 3.9-point swing.
H1 2025 averaged 37.14, while H2 stepped up to 47.08—about a 27% jump between halves. The winter climb (June–July) defined the year’s peak, with levels hovering in the low-to-mid 50s through October–November before a seasonal cooldown to 32.59 in December.
The rhythm through the year shows familiar social ads seasonality, but with bigger amplitudes in Australia:
Globally, H2 also ran higher than H1 (+15%), but Australia’s H2 lift (+27%) was decisively larger, indicating stronger seasonal expansion in country-specific ad costs.
In 2025, Australia’s CPL averaged 42.11 versus the global 40.19—roughly 4.8% above market. Australia tracked above the global benchmark in 8 of 12 months, most clearly in winter and early Q4. The narrowest gaps appeared in August (Australia +0.7%) and December (nearly level), while the widest gaps flipped directionally: Australia sat 44% below global in May (21.92 vs. 38.89) and 38% above in July (55.67 vs. 40.27). Relative positioning shifted across the year—below market in February, March, May, and September; above market from January, April, and then June through November, with December effectively equal.
By December 2025, both Australia (32.59) and the global benchmark (32.53) converged at similar levels, reinforcing the consistent seasonal step-down after a high-cost October–November.
Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per lead across all industries in Australia point to a market that runs slightly above the global average but with materially higher volatility. Understanding CPL trends and country-specific ad costs in Australia helps teams benchmark lead-gen performance and compare local dynamics to the global pattern.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Facebook advertising costs vary based on many factors including industry, target audience, ad placement, and campaign objectives. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting Australia, advertisers typically see good engagement rates despite moderate costs. 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.
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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.
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Late December (Christmas and Boxing Day), Early December (Cyber Monday), January (Back-to-school), May (Mother's Day)
Ad costs could spike around major holidays, especially Easter, Anzac Day, and Christmas. Increased budgets and earlier scheduling may be necessary. Retailers should consider planning promotions around back-to-school and Mother's Day to maximize campaign effectiveness.
A good CPL usually ranges from $10 to $50, depending on your industry and target audience. B2C offers tend to be cheaper, while B2B or high-ticket services may see CPLs over $100.
Your CPL could be high due to weak creative, irrelevant targeting, or an offer that doesn't resonate. Low engagement or poor conversion rates on your landing page can also drive up costs.
Yes. Campaigns optimized for conversions or leads tend to generate cheaper and more qualified leads compared to traffic or engagement objectives. Facebook needs clear signals to find the right users.
Focus on improving your offer, targeting the right audience, and using high-converting creative. Test native lead forms, but make sure you're still qualifying users properly.
If your goal is sales or revenue, optimizing for deeper funnel conversions is better. Optimizing for leads alone can inflate volume but hurt quality.
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
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