Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Hardware and Networking advertisers in South Africa spent 2025 moving through a distinctly cheaper—but far more volatile—CPC environment than the global market. Costs swung sharply month to month, with deep troughs in April and September and a brief surge in November. The year opened near a dollar and closed near forty cents, underscoring a steady downshift punctuated by sudden rebounds. Meanwhile, the global benchmark stayed comparatively stable, aside from a predictable Q4 lift.
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 Hardware and Networking in South Africa compared to the global benchmark.
South Africa’s Facebook Ads cost per click (CPC) began at $0.99 in January and ended at $0.43 in December, a 57% decline across the year. The local high landed in March at $1.01, while the low hit in September at $0.31. On average, CPC settled at $0.65 for the year.
Monthly movement was choppy. After a January start just under a dollar, February fell 30% before a March rebound back above $1. April then dropped 59% month over month to $0.41, followed by a mid-year recovery that peaked at $0.80 in August. September delivered the sharpest dip of the year (−62% vs. August), October recovered modestly, and November spiked to $0.83—more than doubling from October—before December pulled back 48% to $0.43. Volatility averaged $0.27 per month in absolute terms, equivalent to roughly 42% of the annual mean, signaling pronounced swings in country-specific ad costs.
Globally, CPC averaged $1.12 in 2025, ranging from a low of $1.06 in September to a high of $1.31 in November. The global curve was comparatively smooth: an average monthly swing of $0.06, with a late-year lift typical of Q4 competition.
The rhythm in South Africa clustered into four phases:
This contrasts with the global pattern, where CPCs typically soften in midyear and rise through late Q4. The November spike appeared in both series, but South Africa’s magnitude was more dramatic relative to October.
Across the year, South Africa’s CPC trailed the global benchmark every month, averaging 42% below the world level ($0.65 vs. $1.12). The gap was narrowest in January and March (about 12% below market) and widest in September (about 71% below). Where the global trend slipped slightly overall (−2% from January to December) with a notable November peak, South Africa’s trajectory was choppier, falling 57% from start to finish with several abrupt swings. Volatility in South Africa was roughly five times higher than the global benchmark ($0.27 vs. $0.06 monthly absolute change).
In short, Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost per click in Hardware and Networking show South Africa running cheaper and more volatile than the global average—marked by steep dips in April and September and a brief surge in November. Understanding CPC trends and country-specific ad costs for Hardware and Networking in South Africa helps contextualize industry ad performance 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 Hardware and Networking 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.
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