Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Across all industries in New Zealand, Facebook Ads CPC trends told a two-act story in 2025: a low-cost start, a steep midyear climb, then a sharp reset and a quiet finish. Compared with the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, New Zealand ran cheaper overall but far more volatile, with a dramatic surge through June–August and no year-end spike. 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 New Zealand compared to the global benchmark.
New Zealand’s all-industry CPC opened at 0.67 in January and ended close to flat at 0.63 in December (−7% from start to finish). The year’s median averaged 0.88, well below the 1.13 global average. The local high came in August at 1.58, while the low landed in February at 0.42—an annual range of 1.16.
Movements were pronounced. CPC dipped 37% from January to February, then more than doubled in March (0.88). After a softer April (0.59), costs accelerated: May jumped to 1.09 (+85% vs. April), June to 1.21 (+11% MoM), July to 1.41 (+17%), and August peaked at 1.58 (+12%). September brought the inflection point: a 56% month-over-month drop to 0.69. Q4 hovered at subdued levels—0.79 in October, 0.61 in November, and 0.63 in December.
Volatility was the defining feature. The average month-to-month absolute move in New Zealand was 0.29, nearly five times the global benchmark’s 0.06, highlighting sharper swings than the broader market. Two-thirds of the year (8 of 12 months) sat under 1.00, while the global series stayed at or above roughly 1.06 throughout.
The rhythm split cleanly by halves: H1 averaged 0.81, H2 averaged 0.95. But the back half was uneven—Q3 did the heavy lifting with July–August highs, followed by a cooling Q4. New Zealand’s CPC curve lacked the typical late-year lift seen in many markets; instead, the crest arrived in mid-to-late Q3 before a pronounced September correction and a calm landing into the holidays. Troughs clustered in February and November, with a modest October bounce that didn’t carry through.
Against the global baseline, New Zealand’s CPCs were 22% lower on average. The gap varied widely month to month:
Trajectory also differed. Globally, CPCs were steady through most of the year with a pronounced November spike (1.32, then a December pullback). New Zealand climbed sharply into Q3, then retraced and finished near its starting point—more volatile, more seasonal in midyear, and notably softer in Q4 relative to global patterns.
Understanding Facebook Ads CPC benchmarks for all industries in New Zealand reveals a midyear surge, a steep September correction, and a lower-cost profile versus global CPC trends. This country-specific CPC analysis helps marketers gauge New Zealand’s ad cost dynamics and compare them to global Facebook Ads benchmarks across 2025.
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 New Zealand, 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–early December (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), Christmas season (Boxing Day sales), Mid‑year promotions (Matariki in June), Back-to-school (late January/early February)
CPM and CPC might rise around Waitangi Day and ANZAC Day as public events increase media consumption. Matariki is new public holiday with growing awareness—advertising may see elevated competition. Late November–December Black Friday/Cyber Monday could drive ad costs significantly. Regional anniversary holidays may cause local inventory shifts.
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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Cost per thousand impressions across different markets
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Cost per lead across different markets
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