Facebook Ads Cost Per Lead Benchmarks for Marketplaces

Introduction

Marketplaces lead-gen costs started the period well above the market and then flipped dramatically. Across all countries, Cost per Lead (CPL) for Marketplaces opened at $64.64 in November 2024, surged to a January crest of $78.70, and then entered a pronounced descent to $18.06 by October 2025. The path wasn’t smooth: large early swings gave way to a long, steady cool-down that diverged from broader Facebook Ads benchmarks, which generally tightened in Q1 and then climbed through late Q3.

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 Marketplaces in all countries compared to the global benchmark.

Section 1: The story in the data

Marketplaces CPL averaged $46.91 for the year, ranging from a high of $78.70 in January to a low of $18.06 in October. The period began elevated—$64.64 in November and $56.69 in December—followed by the sharp January spike. From there, the metric pivoted: after a brief plateau around $58–$60 in February–April, CPL fell from $60.00 in April to $38.24 in May, briefly rebounded to $49.97 in June, and then slid consistently through Q3 into October ($32.00 in July → $24.85 in August → $22.20 in September → $18.06 in October).

Volatility was notable. Average month-to-month movement was $10.73, roughly 23% of the segment’s mean CPL. The biggest shifts came during the regime change: +$22.01 from December to January, −$20.66 from January to February, and −$21.76 from April to May. By contrast, late-period moves were smaller, reflecting a steadier glide lower.

Section 2: Seasonal and monthly dynamics

Seasonally, the data shows a Q1 crest unique to Marketplaces: Q1 2025 averaged $65.41, outpacing late 2024 ($60.66 for November–December). The turning point arrived in May, after which CPL declined across most months. Q3 was the softest stretch, averaging $26.35, with a further easing into October, the low for the entire period. This rhythm runs counter to typical patterns where competition often intensifies from late Q3 into Q4; here, Marketplaces CPL kept compressing, suggesting progressively cheaper lead acquisition as the year advanced.

Section 3: Country vs. Global

Compared with the global all-industry baseline (average CPL $40.94), Marketplaces across all countries averaged 14.6% higher CPL ($46.91). But the year split into two clear regimes. From November through April—and again in June—Marketplaces ran above market by sizable margins (+43% to +120%), peaking in January when CPL was more than double the global benchmark. The gap narrowed sharply in May (−6% versus global) and then flipped decisively through Q3–Q4, with CPL running below global by −25% to −60% from July to October. At its narrowest gap, Marketplaces was 6% below the all-industry average in May; at its widest, it was 120% above in January and 60% below in October.

Trendlines also diverged. While the global benchmark climbed from November to October by about 9% (from $41.47 to $45.08), Marketplaces declined by 72% over the same span. Volatility was higher for Marketplaces as well: average monthly swings were 3.3× the global baseline ($10.73 vs. $3.22).

Closing

In short, Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per lead in Marketplaces across all countries show a high-cost Q1 peak followed by a steady deflation through Q3 and into October, reversing from far above-market CPLs to materially below the global average. Understanding CPL trends for Marketplaces across all countries helps teams evaluate country-specific ad costs, interpret CPM analysis alongside CTR performance, and compare industry ad performance to global CPC trends without prescribing next steps.