Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
February 2025 - February 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
The clearest story in the Facebook Ads benchmarks this period is a global CPC that climbed gently through mid‑year, spiked hard in November, then reset sharply into January. Against that backdrop, Arts in the United Arab Emirates has no recorded monthly medians in this window, so the comparison relies on the global baseline to frame country‑specific ad costs. The global series shows classic seasonal momentum: a steady first half, a calm summer band near $1.10, then a pronounced Q4 lift followed by a year‑end cooldown. Volatility was generally contained, with one dramatic holiday surge and an equally notable correction.
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.
Global CPC opened 2025 at $1.12 and closed the 13‑month window at $0.85 in January 2026, a 24% decline end‑to‑end. Across 2025, the global median averaged roughly $1.13, with monthly values generally orbiting $1.10–$1.15. The high landed in November at $1.32, while December marked the year’s low at $1.05 before CPC reset further to $0.85 in January 2026.
Month to month, the baseline moved modestly for most of the year. Typical changes were within 1–3 cents, producing an average absolute swing of about $0.07 per month (roughly 6–7% of the mean). The calm broke in Q4: October to November jumped by $0.19 (+17%), then November to December fell by $0.26 (−20%), followed by another $0.21 slide into January 2026 (−20%). The overall range from the November peak to the January trough was $0.47, a swing of about 56% from the low.
The data sketches a familiar rhythm for CPC trends. Early‑year performance is softer, with prices easing into January. Spring builds gently through May, then summer stabilizes in a narrow $1.09–$1.13 corridor. Q4 competition tightened auctions: October nudged higher, November surged to the period’s high, and December cooled quickly as peak shopping moments passed. Engagement costs then reset more materially in January 2026, underscoring how post‑holiday demand typically thins while CTR performance and auction dynamics normalize.
For the Arts industry in the United Arab Emirates, there are no segment‑specific CPC medians available in the selected timeframe, so a direct month‑by‑month comparison to the global benchmark isn’t quantifiable. If the UAE Arts segment were to mirror the market, the reference frame would be a global median near $1.13 in 2025, with average month‑to‑month volatility around $0.07 and a pronounced November lift followed by a December–January pullback. Without UAE readings, the gap to global levels cannot be measured, and relative positioning (above market, below average, or more volatile) remains undetermined for this cut.
While the dataset does not include monthly CPC medians for Arts in the United Arab Emirates during this period, the global Facebook Ads benchmarks outline clear CPC trends: steady mid‑year costs, a November spike, and a sharp reset into January. Understanding Facebook Ads CPC benchmarks for the Arts industry in the United Arab Emirates helps contextualize country‑specific ad costs and compare industry ad performance to broader global patterns.
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