Facebook Ads Cost Per Purchase Benchmarks in South Africa

Introduction

South Africa’s cost per purchase (CPP) moved through the year like a rollercoaster: a near-zero starting point, a December price surge, a short-lived plateau in early Q1, and then a steep slide into ultra-low territory by mid-year. Compared to a remarkably steady global benchmark, the South African market was far more volatile, with dramatic month-to-month swings and a single outsized spike that reshaped the average. 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 opened at a very low CPP of 0.13 in November 2024, surged to a yearly high of 305.77 in December, then normalized to 29.08 in January and 49.19 in February before peaking again locally at 61.33 in March. After a data gap in April, the series dropped to 4.89 in May, ticked up to 23.02 in June, and sank to its lowest point of 0.12 in July before ending at 0.18 in August.

Across the nine reported months, South Africa’s average CPP landed at 52.63, though this mean is skewed by December’s spike. The median month told a different story at 23.02, indicating that a typical month sat well below the global level. Volatility was the defining feature: average month-to-month movement was 89.0 points, versus just 2.36 points globally over the same period. The range in South Africa stretched from 0.12 to 305.77; globally, it ranged from 42.61 to 53.84.

Key swings stood out:

• November to December: +305.64 points (from 0.13 to 305.77)
• December to January: −276.69 points (305.77 to 29.08)
• February to March: +12.14 points (49.19 to 61.33)
• March to May: −56.44 points (61.33 to 4.89)
• June to July: −22.91 points (23.02 to 0.12)

Seasonal and monthly dynamics

The December spike aligns with the well-known Q4 peak when auction pressure tends to intensify. Early Q1 showed a return toward mid-range levels (29–61 across January–March). After April’s gap, the market cooled markedly: single digits in May, a brief rise in June, and then a collapse to sub-1 values through July and August. In contrast, the global CPP followed a familiar seasonal rhythm: costs generally rose into late Q4 and early Q1 and then eased slightly into mid-year, but stayed within a tight band.

South Africa vs. Global

Against a global average of roughly 50.0 for November–August, South Africa’s average of 52.6 was technically higher, but that headline was almost entirely driven by December. The median month in South Africa (23.0) was less than half the global norm, underscoring persistent below-market conditions outside of the spike.

Month-by-month, South Africa sat below global CPP in seven of nine observations:

• November: −99.7% vs. global (0.13 vs. 42.61)
• December: +511% above global (305.77 vs. 50.04)
• January: −44%
• February: −9%
• March: +17%
• May: −90%
• June: −52%
• July: −99.8%
• August: −99.6%

The gap was narrowest in February (−9%) and widest in July (−99.8%) on the downside, with the most extreme upside gap in December (+511%). Globally, CPP trended gently upward from November to August (+18%), while South Africa’s path was markedly choppier.

Closing

Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per purchase across all industries in South Africa reveals a year defined by extreme volatility, a singular December price surge, and sustained below-market CPP for most months. For marketers tracking country-specific ad costs and broader industry ad performance, these CPP trends—viewed alongside CPM analysis and CTR performance—help frame how South Africa’s market diverged from the steadier global benchmark.