Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Australia’s all-industry Facebook Ads cost-per-click (CPC) spent most of 2025 below the global benchmark, running leaner on average but far more volatile. The year tracked a mostly steady range around the one-dollar mark, punctuated by a sharp November spike and an equally abrupt December reset. Then, an extraordinary early-2026 drop pushed CPC to a near-zero floor, marking the most dramatic outlier in the series.
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 Australia compared to the global benchmark.
Australia opened 2025 at $0.92 CPC in January and closed at $0.86 in December, a 6% decline across the year. The annual average landed at $1.01, bounded by a low of $0.82 in February and a high of $1.55 in November — a $0.73 spread. Through most months, CPC hovered between $0.86 and $1.16, with a brief late-summer plateau near $1.00 (August–September) and a deeper dip in October ($0.89).
The standout move came in Q4: CPC jumped 74% from October to November (to $1.55), then fell 44% into December ($0.86). Earlier inflection points included a spring lift into May ($1.16) followed by a June pullback ($0.86). On a month-to-month basis, Australia’s absolute CPC change averaged 0.21 points — over three times the global average movement — with the November and December swings alone accounting for more than half of the year’s total variability.
January 2026 registered at $0.10, a single-month collapse that sits far outside the prior range and starkly below the 2025 average.
Seasonality followed a familiar arc, but with sharper edges:
Against the global benchmark, Australia’s 2025 CPC averaged 11% lower ($1.01 vs. $1.13). The global range was tighter — from $1.05 in December to $1.32 in November — and the month-to-month movement was milder (average 0.06 points vs. Australia’s 0.21).
Month by month, Australia trailed the global CPC in most periods:
Both Australia and the global benchmark drifted modestly lower from January to December (each down about 6%), but Australia’s path was notably choppier. In January 2026, the divergence widened dramatically: Australia’s $0.10 CPC sat roughly 89% below the global $0.85, marking an exceptional outlier relative to typical country-specific ad costs.
In sum, Facebook Ads CPC trends for all industries in Australia in 2025 ran below global levels on average, with higher volatility and a pronounced Q4 spike-and-retracement, followed by an anomalously low January 2026. Understanding these Facebook Ads benchmarks for CPC helps frame industry ad performance in Australia against global patterns and adds context to country-specific ad costs across the year.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting Australia, advertisers typically see good engagement rates despite moderate costs. 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.
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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.
Late December (Christmas and Boxing Day), Early December (Cyber Monday), January (Back-to-school), May (Mother's Day)
Ad costs could spike around major holidays, especially Easter, Anzac Day, and Christmas. Increased budgets and earlier scheduling may be necessary. Retailers should consider planning promotions around back-to-school and Mother's Day to maximize campaign effectiveness.
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
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