Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Finance advertisers in South Africa spent most of the second half of 2025 paying far less per click than the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, then faced a sharp Q4 surge that echoed worldwide seasonality. Median CPC hovered near the floor through July–August before a pronounced November jump and a December cooldown. The level remained structurally lower than the market throughout, but the step-change into November made volatility feel outsized relative to South Africa’s very low base.
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 in South Africa compared to the global benchmark.
Across the four observed months, South Africa’s median CPC averaged about $0.15 (median ≈ $0.09), with a low of $0.03 (July) and a high of $0.39 (November). The range—$0.36—was large in absolute terms given the low starting level. Checkpoint-to-checkpoint swings averaged ~$0.20: +22% from July to August, +943% from August to November, then −65% in December from the November peak. The rhythm points to an ultra-low midyear baseline punctuated by a dramatic Q4 peak.
For context, the global benchmark over the same checkpoints averaged about $1.16, moving from $1.08 in July to $1.32 in November and easing to $1.12 in December. Absolute global swings between checkpoints averaged ~$0.15—smaller than South Africa’s in dollar terms and far smaller in relative terms.
Seasonality shows clearly. South Africa’s Finance CPCs were unusually soft through Q3, then surged in November, a period when competition typically intensifies. December cooled from the peak yet remained well above midyear levels. This mirrors the global cadence: modest midyear movements, a pronounced November lift, and a partial December pullback. In short, 2025’s second half followed the classic Q4 pattern—just from a much lower South African price base.
South Africa’s Finance CPCs sat far below global levels throughout the window:
Trendlines diverged in magnitude. The global benchmark rose modestly from July to December (+4%), while South Africa climbed substantially (+345%) due to the very low July base and the November spike. Absolute variance in South Africa (~$0.36 range) approached the global range across July–December (~$0.26), highlighting how a single Q4 surge can reshape year-to-date averages in a low-cost market.
Taken together, these Facebook Ads benchmarks show that Finance CPC trends in South Africa were structurally lower than global CPCs, with a pronounced Q4 spike and a December cooldown that still landed well above midyear levels. Understanding cost-per-click benchmarks and country-specific ad costs for Finance in South Africa—alongside CPM analysis and CTR performance context—helps frame industry ad performance relative 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 Finance industry, Facebook ad costs can be typically higher due to high competition and valuable conversions. 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.
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.
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
See how much it costs to get users to install an app