Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Finance ran hot on Facebook Ads in 2025. Across all countries, cost-per-click (CPC) in the Finance industry consistently priced above the global benchmark, widening through midyear and holding a premium into Q4 before a sharp reset in January 2026. The year showed a clear cost build, punctuated by a July spike and a November high, then a steep post-holiday drop.
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 Finance across all countries compared to the global benchmark.
Finance CPC opened 2025 at $1.44 and closed December at $1.54, a modest +7% rise over the year. The median peaked at $1.85 in November, with the low at $1.44 in January (noting an even lower $0.72 in January 2026). The 2025 average settled at $1.66, with a range of $1.44–$1.85 and five months above $1.70 (April, July, September, October, November).
Momentum came in waves:
Volatility was pronounced. The average absolute month-to-month change in 2025 was 0.19 points, about three times higher than the global benchmark’s 0.06. The most dramatic move came after the holiday season: January 2026 fell 53% month over month (to $0.72), and roughly 50% year over year vs. January 2025.
The pattern followed familiar auction rhythms: steadier costs through Q1, firmer pricing into spring, a brief June lull, and elevated CPCs through late summer and early Q4. Q3 averaged $1.72 and Q4 inched slightly higher to $1.73, with November setting the annual high before December’s seasonal softening. The reset was more forceful than usual this cycle: the drop into January 2026 was sharper than the late-year easing, highlighting how year-end competition can be followed by an aggressive early-Q1 repricing.
Finance outpriced the global benchmark in every month of 2025. The year’s average premium was roughly 47% ($1.66 vs. $1.13 globally). The gap was narrowest in January (+28%) and widest in July (+67%). Quarter by quarter, Finance maintained a large cost delta: +56% vs. global in Q3 and +49% in Q4.
The benchmark itself was relatively flat for most of 2025 (H2 up just +0.6% vs. H1), with a notable November surge ($1.32) followed by a December low ($1.05). Finance moved more decisively: H2 averaged $1.73, about 8% higher than H1’s $1.60, and held near the top end through October–November before easing. Into January 2026, Finance CPC fell to $0.72—about 15% below the global CPC of $0.85—marking a rare instance where the industry dipped under the broader market.
In sum, Facebook Ads CPC trends for the Finance industry across all countries show elevated costs versus global Facebook Ads benchmarks, stronger midyear and Q4 intensity, and a sharp early-Q1 reset. Understanding cost-per-click benchmarks for Finance across all countries helps teams interpret country-specific ad costs, benchmark CPC performance, and compare Finance against broader CPC, CPM analysis, and CTR performance patterns worldwide.
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 Finance industry, Facebook ad costs can be typically higher due to high competition and valuable conversions. Geographic targeting affects ad costs based on market competition and user engagement in different regions. 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.
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:
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Cost per thousand impressions across different markets
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