Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
The core story is steadiness punctuated by a sharp year-end swing. Across 2025 to date, global Facebook Ads cost-per-click (CPC) benchmarks for the Arts category hovered in a narrow band for most months before a pronounced spike in November and a quick correction in December. That pattern frames expectations for the Arts industry in the United Arab Emirates: while local month-by-month figures are not recorded in this dataset for the period, the global series offers a clear directional backdrop. 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 Arts in the United Arab Emirates compared to the global benchmark.
Globally, Arts CPCs averaged about $1.13 for 2025, beginning at $1.12 in January and finishing at $1.06 in December, a net decline of roughly 6% across the year. The high point arrived in November at $1.32, while the low came just one month later at $1.06. That sets a full-year range of approximately $0.26, or about 23% of the annual average.
The midyear picture was notably calm. From January through October, CPCs stayed between $1.09 (September) and $1.15 (May), a tight $0.05 spread. Month-to-month volatility averaged roughly $0.06 across the year, but that figure is heavily skewed by the late-year moves; excluding the November surge and December drop, typical monthly changes were closer to $0.02. In percentage terms, November’s peak sat about 16% above the yearly average, while December settled around 7% below it.
Quarterly pacing underscores the rhythm: Q1 averaged $1.13, Q2 eased to $1.13 (rounded), Q3 dipped to about $1.11, and Q4 lifted to $1.17 on the strength of November before the December reset. The sequence reads as a gentle first-half plateau, a soft Q3, and then a brief Q4 lift followed by a pullback.
Seasonality shows up most clearly around the holidays. After a contained run through spring and summer, CPCs lifted into October and surged in November, before correcting in December. Earlier in the year, the Arts category moved within a predictable corridor—January to September largely clustered around $1.10–$1.14—suggesting steady competitive pressure and consistent engagement pricing. September marked the softest pre-Q4 month at roughly $1.09, May the early-year high near $1.15, with small, alternating upticks and dips through the summer.
Performance typically softens through Q4 as competition rises, with costs often stepping up before year-end promotions. In this dataset, the spike concentrated in November, followed by a marked December cool-down—an exaggerated but recognizable seasonal rhythm for Arts CPC trends.
For the Arts industry in the United Arab Emirates, no in-country CPC values are recorded for this window, so a direct gap-to-market cannot be quantified. The global trajectory therefore serves as the reference band for country-specific ad costs: $1.06 to $1.32 across the year, averaging $1.13, with calm midyear movement and pronounced late-Q4 whiplash. Any UAE-specific variance versus these Facebook Ads benchmarks—whether above market, below average, or more volatile—cannot be measured from the available data, but the global series establishes a clear directional context for industry ad performance.
In short, Facebook Ads CPC trends for the Arts category show a stable year punctuated by a November spike and December correction, averaging $1.13 globally. While localized readings are not available for the Arts industry in the United Arab Emirates, these benchmarks offer a useful frame for interpreting country-specific ad costs and comparing Arts industry ad performance to global CPC patterns in the United Arab Emirates.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. In the Arts industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. For campaigns targeting United Arab Emirates, 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.
Improve your Facebook ad performance
• Instant performance insights – See which ads, audiences, and creatives drive results.
• Data-driven creative decisions – Spot patterns to improve ROAS.
• Effortless reporting – No spreadsheets, just clear insights.
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.
This dataset updates frequently as new ad data flows in. It will only get bigger and better.
Ramadan + Eid (Mar–Apr), End of November–December (UAE National Day, Christmas, New Year), Dubai Shopping Festival (mid-Dec through Jan)
CPMs may rise sharply during Ramadan and Eid, especially in e‑commerce, gifting, F&B, and beauty sectors. UAE National Day campaigns could lead to high local bidding activity in travel, banking, and luxury retail. Dubai Shopping Festival drives elevated CPMs from mid-December to mid-January. Islamic holidays shift each year, affecting year-over-year comparisons.
CPC (Cost Per Click) is what you pay each time someone clicks on your ad, on any Facebook Ads placement. It's calculated by dividing your total spend by the number of clicks received. Facebook Ads lists Clicks, Link Clicks and Outbound Clicks separately. The former is the sum of all types of clicks (including, for example, clicks to your profile page, to a link or to a comment).
The truth is that varies, so play with our tool to get some benchmarks that are relevant to you. CPC values are highly dependent on the region, industry and campaign objective. The US is one of the most expensive markets.
Several factors affect CPC: your audience targeting, competition in your industry, ad relevance score, and creative performance. If your ad isn't getting engagement or relevance is low, CPC tends to spike.
CPC spikes usually happen because of increased competition in your target audience, seasonal trends (like holidays), poor ad relevance scores, or algorithm changes. Check if your audience targeting has become too narrow or if your creative is showing fatigue.
Yes, there's a noticeable difference between platforms. Mobile CPCs often run lower than desktop. How many times do check Instagram on your phone and how often do you open it in your computer? There's simply much more mobile inventory. Tip: segment your performance data by placement to understand where your clicks are coming from. Spoiler: it's likely all mobile.
For most businesses, optimizing for conversions will deliver much better ROI than focusing purely on CPC. A low CPC is meaningless if those clicks don't convert. However, if you're running awareness campaigns or some kind content promotion, CPC optimization might potentially make sense, although most experts have switched to conversion optimization by now.
Your specific audience targeting, creative quality, bidding strategy, and account history all influence your CPC. Industry averages provide a reference point, but your historical performance is a more reliable benchmark for setting expectations and measuring improvement.
Instagram CPCs are generally slightly higher due to stronger purchase intent and higher competition among advertisers. But it depends on the audience and creative.
Discover detailed cost benchmarks for different Facebook advertising metrics:
Average cost per click benchmarks across industries
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
See how much it costs to get users to install an app