Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Education advertisers in South Africa ran on a very different cost curve than the global market in 2025. Facebook Ads cost-per-click (CPC) stayed sharply below the global benchmark all year, but the path wasn’t smooth: a mid-year lull, a September trough near zero, and a steep Q4 surge that more than doubled January’s levels. 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 Education in South Africa compared to the global benchmark.
South Africa’s Education CPC opened at $0.22 in January and closed at $0.47 in December—up roughly 110% over the year. The annual median pattern averaged $0.32, with the high at $0.67 in November and an extreme low of $0.01 in September. Seven of twelve months landed below $0.30, underscoring generally low country-specific ad costs for this industry.
Momentum came in waves. Early-year CPCs were modest—$0.22 in January up to $0.33 in February, then easing to $0.26–$0.30 through June. July fell to $0.10, before a sharp rebound to $0.43 in August. September marked the standout dip at $0.01, followed by a dramatic rebound to $0.47 in October and a Q4 peak of $0.67 in November, cooling slightly to $0.47 in December. Month-to-month volatility averaged $0.18, indicating sizable swings (about 57% of the annual average), far choppier than the global pattern.
The cadence across the year clustered into four chapters:
Globally, CPCs followed a steadier rhythm typical of end-of-year competition: a mostly stable $1.09–$1.15 range through October, a November spike to $1.32, and a December pullback to $1.06.
Relative to Facebook Ads benchmarks worldwide, South Africa’s Education CPCs were consistently below market—averaging $0.32 versus the $1.13 global median, about 72% lower. The gap narrowed the most in November (about 49% below the global CPC of $1.32) and widened dramatically in September (about 99% below the $1.09 global level). The global series was comparatively steady, with an average monthly swing of $0.06, while South Africa’s month-to-month change averaged $0.18—over 3x more volatile. Across the year, the global trend edged slightly down from January to December (−6%), while South Africa finished notably higher than it started but with far more turbulence along the way.
Facebook Ads benchmarks show that CPC trends for the Education industry in South Africa were markedly below global levels in 2025, with pronounced volatility and a late-year surge that defined Q4. Understanding cost-per-click benchmarks for Education in South Africa helps performance marketers gauge country-specific ad costs and compare results to 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 Education industry, Facebook ad costs can be moderate, with higher costs for professional and specialized courses. 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.
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