See how your CPL compares. Explore lead generation cost benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type
February 2025 - February 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
New Zealand’s cost-per-lead story in 2025 reads as a year of sharp swings around an otherwise steady line. Across all industries, Facebook Ads benchmarks for CPL averaged 42.14 NZD in New Zealand—slightly above the 41.53 NZD global median—but the path there was anything but smooth. The year featured a March lift, a late-summer surge, an October peak, then a dramatic November collapse before stabilizing into December. Volatility was the defining theme, with standout months in both directions.
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 New Zealand compared to the global benchmark.
New Zealand began the year at 31.59 NZD in January and ended nearly flat at 32.21 NZD in December (+2%). The average for the year was 42.14 NZD, spanning a very wide range: a high of 71.69 NZD in October and a low of just 15.01 NZD in November. That 56.68-point spread equals roughly 135% of the annual average, indicating unusually choppy country-specific ad costs.
The monthly rhythm shows clear inflection points:
Volatility averaged 14.6 points month to month in New Zealand, compared with just 3.1 points globally—about 4.7 times more turbulent than the global Facebook Ads benchmarks for CPL.
Seasonally, New Zealand showed a Q1 build that crested in March, softer conditions across Q2, and the year’s strongest average in Q3 (46.47 NZD), buoyed by August’s surge. Q4 was the most dramatic: October delivered the annual peak, then November reset to the lowest month of the year before December stabilized. Globally, CPL typically climbs through Q3 into an October high and eases into November–December; New Zealand mirrored the October pressure but overcorrected far more sharply in November.
Quarterly perspective:
On average, New Zealand sat about 1–2% above the global CPL level in 2025 (42.14 vs 41.53). But the relative position shifted frequently: New Zealand was above the global benchmark in six months (notably March, August, and October) and below it in six months (especially November and December). The trendlines diverged too—global CPL rose about 21% from January to December (35.04 to 42.24), while New Zealand finished almost flat (+2%).
The gap swung widely:
In sum, 2025 CPL trends in New Zealand across all industries showed average costs close to global norms but with far greater swings—peaking in October, plunging in November, and stabilizing by year-end. Understanding Facebook Ads cost-per-lead benchmarks and country-specific ad costs for all industries in New Zealand helps marketers frame industry ad performance against global patterns and seasonality.
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 New Zealand, advertisers should consider local market factors and user behavior. 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 November–early December (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), Christmas season (Boxing Day sales), Mid‑year promotions (Matariki in June), Back-to-school (late January/early February)
CPM and CPC might rise around Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day as public events increase media consumption. Matariki is new public holiday with growing awareness—advertising may see elevated competition. Late November–December Black Friday/Cyber Monday could drive ad costs significantly. Regional anniversary holidays may cause local inventory shifts.
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:
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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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