Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
June 2025 - June 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
India’s cost-per-click (CPC) profile ran well below the global benchmark across the 12-month window, with steep momentum swings and a dramatic trough in February 2026. 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 All industries available in India compared to the global benchmark.
India began the period in June 2025 at roughly $0.19 per click and finished in May 2026 near $0.05 — a drop of about 74% from start to finish. Across the year India’s median CPC averaged about $0.11, ranging from a high of $0.21 in August 2025 to a low of $0.025 in February 2026. Monthly volatility was substantial: the sample standard deviation sits near $0.062 (about 55% of the mean), while the average month-to-month absolute move was roughly $0.026.
By contrast, the global baseline averaged about $1.06 per click over the same months, ranging from roughly $0.92 (January 2026) to $1.29 (November 2025). Global CPC variability was much lower — a standard deviation near $0.09 and a coefficient of variation around 8–9%. In raw dollars India’s range (≈ $0.184) is smaller, but relative to its mean India’s swings were far larger.
India’s narrowest performance gap versus the global benchmark came in August 2025, when Indian CPCs were roughly 19% of the global level (India $0.21 vs global $1.09). The widest gap appeared in February 2026, when India registered only about 2.7% of the global CPC (India $0.025 vs global $0.96).
The rhythm shows a summer plateau (June–August) with the highest local CPCs, followed by a steady decline into autumn and early winter. October–January produced sustained lower CPCs (~$0.10 to $0.085), then a sharp collapse in February 2026 to the series low. March and April saw partial rebounds into the $0.06–$0.07 range before a further dip to $0.049 in May 2026. The baseline signal carried its own seasonal signature — a pronounced November uplift — that did not translate into higher CPCs in India during the same month.
Framed relatively, India’s cost-per-clicks ran materially below market: typically 80–95% lower than the global benchmark across the year. Where global CPCs were essentially flat-to-mildly up over the window (June to May moved from about $1.07 to $1.08, a ~+1.5% change), India’s trend was choppier and deeply negative overall (≈ −74% from the June start point). India also registered far greater month-to-month volatility relative to the global baseline, demonstrating more abrupt lifts and declines within the 12-month span.
Understanding Facebook Ads cost-per-click benchmarks for all industries in India provides a quantitative lens on CPC trends, complements CPM analysis and CTR performance comparisons, and contextualizes country-specific ad costs and broader industry ad performance.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting India, 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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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.
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October (Diwali), Late November (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), December (Christmas), July–August (Raksha Bandhan, Ganesh Chaturthi)
CPMs might spike significantly during Diwali, especially in electronics, apparel, jewellery, and gifts. Black Friday/Cyber Monday and December could drive elevated ad competition. State-specific festivals might see regional campaign spikes. Bank closures during holidays may push online shopping to cluster in end-of-week periods.
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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