Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Design advertisers in South Africa ran well below the global cost curve in 2025, with click costs cheap by international standards but moving in sharper bursts. The year opened soft, dipped to an April low, then surged in May before settling into a steadier band through mid-year and a modest lift into November. Against the global benchmark, South Africa stayed persistently inexpensive, though the relative month-to-month swings were larger locally than worldwide.
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 the Design industry in South Africa compared to the global benchmark.
CPC in South Africa’s Design category averaged $0.28 across the months observed in 2025, starting at $0.21 in January and ending at $0.29 in November—an overall rise of about 39%. The April trough was the low point at $0.20, followed by a sharp May peak at $0.39, the highest CPC of the year. That May spike widened the annual range to roughly $0.20–$0.39, a spread equal to about 71% of the average level.
Month-to-month movement told a choppier story than the smooth average suggests. The steepest climb came from April to May, nearly doubling (+99%). The largest pullback followed in May to June (−32%), before stabilizing into July (+4%) and a measured step-up into November (+6% from July). On average, absolute month-to-month changes ran about $0.08—sizeable relative to the $0.28 mean—underscoring a market that moves in quick pulses rather than slow drifts.
Early Q1 showed a brief lift (January $0.21 to February $0.31), then eased in March ($0.25). Q2 displayed the most dramatic seasonality: an April reset to the yearly low, immediately followed by the May surge, a hallmark inflection in the period. Q3 moderated (June $0.27, July $0.28), trading in a tighter band after the Q2 swing. Limited Q4 read shows November at $0.29—higher than mid-year but below the May peak—hinting at a late-year firming without a full-scale spike.
Globally, CPCs typically rise into Q4 as competition intensifies, then cool in December. South Africa’s Design CPCs, by contrast, saw their crest earlier in May, with year-end levels firm but not extreme.
Relative to the global benchmark across the same months, South Africa’s Design CPC averaged $0.28 versus $1.15 globally—about 76% lower. The gap was consistent, ranging from 66% below the benchmark in May to 83% below in April. While the global trend rose steadily into Q4 (+18% from January to November), South Africa’s path was choppier but ultimately steeper (+39%).
Volatility profiles differed, too. The global market moved about $0.05 per interval on average (roughly 4% of its mean), while South Africa moved about $0.08 per interval (around 29% of its mean). November underscored the contrast: the global market reached one of its highest points at $1.32, while South Africa printed $0.29—higher than mid-year locally, yet far below international levels.
Facebook Ads benchmarks for CPC show that the Design industry in South Africa is markedly cheaper than the global average, with a pronounced April-to-May swing and a late-year firming that stops short of a Q4 surge. Understanding CPC trends and country-specific ad costs helps frame industry ad performance in South Africa against 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 Design industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. For campaigns targeting South Africa, 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.
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Late November (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), December (Christmas & Day of Goodwill), Mid-year retail (June Youth Day promotions)
CPM and CPC might rise during long weekends like Human Rights Day, Freedom Day, and Heritage Day as leisure and travel-related media consumption increases. Retail CPMs may spike in late November–December for holiday shopping. Youth Day and National Women's Day might drive regional campaigns. Weekend extensions across public holidays may benefit weekend campaigns.
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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