Facebook Ads Cost Per Purchase Benchmarks for Media

Introduction

The Media industry ran well below the global Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per purchase throughout 2025, delivering consistently cheaper conversions with a choppier monthly rhythm. Costs opened the year near $19, eased through midyear, hit a November trough, and rebounded into December — a classic dip-and-recover profile. The standout outlier arrives in early 2026: a near-zero January reading that breaks from the prior year’s range.

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 Media across all countries compared to the global benchmark.

The story in the data

In 2025, cost per purchase (CPP) for Media averaged $18.23, starting at $19.09 in January and finishing at $19.40 in December. The yearly high landed in February at $20.31; the low came in November at $15.81, a $4.49 peak-to-trough swing (about 25% of the average). Month-to-month movements averaged $1.74, with the sharpest shifts clustered mid-to-late year: July to August fell by $3.83, and November to December rebounded by $3.59.

Quarterly cadence shows a softening over time: Q1 averaged $19.78, easing to $18.18 in Q2, $17.67 in Q3, and $17.30 in Q4. The December lift pulled the year-end close slightly above the January start (+1.6%), despite the broader downtrend across the middle of the year.

January 2026 breaks pattern: Media CPP prints at $0.37 — far outside the 2025 range and down roughly 98% from December, a single-month anomaly against a year of mid- to high-teens costs.

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The year followed a familiar rhythm: firmer costs in early Q1, a steady ease through late spring and summer, and a Q4 trough before a holiday-period bounce. February set the ceiling; June–October marked a sustained softer band; November saw the lowest CPP of the year with a clear rebound in December. This aligns with common seasonal dynamics where performance typically softens through Q4 as competition rises, with engagement rebounding in early Q1.

Country vs. Global

Against the global all-industry benchmark, Media remained materially below market every month. The global 2025 average was $51.65 versus $18.23 for Media — about 65% cheaper on average. The monthly gap was consistent: Media ran 59–70% below global levels, narrowing in July and December (about 59% below) and widening in August and October (about 68–70% below).

Trend lines diverged as well. From January to December 2025, the global benchmark declined from $53.15 to $47.62 (−10%), while Media ended roughly flat (+2%). Volatility looked different in context: absolute monthly moves were similar ($1.74 Media vs. $1.59 global), but proportional swings were larger for Media (about 10% of its mean vs. 3% globally). Global costs also peaked in February and bottomed in November, with a December uptick, mirroring Media’s calendar shape but at substantially higher levels.

In January 2026, both series dropped, though to different degrees: the global all-industry CPP fell to $25.15 (−47% vs. December), while Media’s early reading collapsed to $0.37, a singular outlier relative to 2025 patterns.

Closing

Understanding Facebook Ads cost per purchase benchmarks for the Media industry across all countries helps quantify country-specific ad costs in a global context and compare industry ad performance to market-wide patterns. While this report centers on CPP, it complements broader Facebook Ads benchmarks spanning CPC trends, CPM analysis, and CTR performance for a fuller read on channel dynamics.