Facebook Ads Cost Per Lead Benchmarks in South Africa

Introduction

South Africa’s cost-per-lead story over the past eight months reads like two markets in one: unusually low CPLs clustered in the 3–4 range for most months, interrupted by three outsized spikes that dramatically lifted the average. Against the steady global benchmark, the South African line was far more volatile—mostly well below market with sudden surges in January, February, and June. The net effect is a period that feels inexpensive on typical days but expensive on headline averages.

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 South Africa compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

South Africa’s monthly median CPL opened at 0.94 in December 2024, then vaulted to a record 238.04 in January 2025 and 103.56 in February, before resetting to low single digits through spring: 4.33 in March, 3.96 in April, and 3.48 in May. June jumped again to 91.15, followed by a return to 3.75 in July. Over the period, the average CPL landed at 56, but the median month sat near 4.1—capturing how a handful of spikes defined the average while most months remained inexpensive. The range from low to high was extreme (0.94 to 238.04).

Month-to-month moves underscored the volatility. The average absolute swing was about 92 points, with sharp reversals such as February to March (−96%) and May to June (+2,500%+). By comparison, the global benchmark moved just 3.3 points on average month to month.

Globally, CPLs were steadier: an average of 37.9 across the same window, oscillating narrowly between 33.16 (March) and 40.63 (June) and ending July at 40.27. Where the global line hummed along, South Africa’s zig-zagged.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

• Q1: Atypical for South Africa. While global CPLs were softer in January–March (mid-30s), South Africa surged: 238.04 in January and 103.56 in February before normalizing in March. The Q1 average in South Africa (≈115) was more than triple the global Q1 average (≈36).
• Q2: Mixed rhythm. April (3.96) and May (3.48) sat in a tight, low-cost band, before June spiked to 91.15. The Q2 average (≈32.2) came in slightly below the global Q2 average (≈38.9).
• Early Q3: July reset to the low band at 3.75, far below the global 40.27.

Across the period, five of eight months in South Africa landed below the global benchmark, and three months (January, February, June) ran well above it.

South Africa vs. Global

Relative to global Facebook Ads benchmarks:

• South Africa’s CPL was 85–92% below global in most low-cost months (March–May, July).
• Spikes lifted the market to 2–7x above global levels in January, February, and June.
• On average for December–July, South Africa’s CPL printed about 48% higher than the global average due to those spikes, despite a typical monthly band around 3–4 that sits roughly 90% below global levels.
• Volatility was the distinguishing feature: South Africa’s average month-to-month movement (~92 points) was nearly 30x the global change (~3.3 points).

Closing

In short, Facebook Ads cost-per-lead benchmarks for all industries in South Africa show a market that is usually inexpensive but punctuated by rare, pronounced surges—producing a choppy profile versus a steady global baseline. Understanding these CPL trends in South Africa helps advertisers interpret country-specific ad costs and compare industry ad performance to global patterns.