Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Across all industries in Italy, cost-per-click (CPC) trended well below the global Facebook Ads benchmark for most of the year, but with sharper swings and a dramatic Q4 finish. Italy’s CPC averaged 0.56 over the 13-month window versus a 1.14 global median — roughly half the market rate — yet it closed the year with a December surge that narrowed the gap to its tightest point. Volatility was the other headline: Italy’s CPC moved around twice as much month to month as the global series, with distinct troughs and rebounds that shaped the storyline.
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 in Italy compared to the global benchmark.
Italy opened at 0.61 in December 2024 and ended at 0.98 in December 2025 — a +60% climb December over December. The year’s low arrived in July at 0.39, while the high was that December peak at 0.98, creating a 0.59-point range. The full-period average landed at 0.56.
Momentum unfolded in clear swings:
Volatility in Italy averaged 0.12 points in absolute month-to-month change, nearly double the global average of 0.06 — a sign of more pronounced swings in country-specific ad costs across all industries.
The rhythm was seasonal: a soft Q1 start, a choppy spring, a July trough, and a decisive Q4 lift. H1 2025 averaged 0.51; H2 rose to 0.61, a +19% second-half elevation. The steadiest stretch sat between late summer and early fall (August–October), with only minor month-to-month movement before the Q4 climb accelerated into year-end.
Globally, CPCs also firmed into Q4, but more moderately: Q4 averaged 1.18 vs. 1.08 in Q3. Italy mirrored this direction but with a larger amplitude — Q4 averaged 0.71 versus 0.50 in Q3.
Relative to Facebook Ads benchmarks worldwide, Italy’s CPC remained below market across most months:
In short, the global curve was flatter and slightly down overall, while Italy’s CPC trends were lower in level but more dynamic, culminating in a strong Q4 convergence.
Taken together, these CPC trends show that Facebook Ads benchmarks for all industries in Italy were consistently below global levels, with a sharper Q4 lift that narrowed the gap at year-end. Understanding CPC performance in Italy — alongside broader CPM analysis and CTR performance context — helps benchmark country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance against the global standard.
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 Italy, 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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Late November (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), Christmas & post‑Christmas sales (late December), Ferragosto (mid‑August) summer tourism, Back‑to‑school (September)
CPM and CPC might increase during spring holidays when Italians engage in travel or leisure. Ferragosto may see travel and hospitality ads face high competition while retail CPMs dip. Late November and December see ad demand surges. 'Ponte' long weekends could affect ad pacing with stronger performance on adjacent weekdays.
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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