Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
November 2024 - November 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
The headline for South Africa is clear: country-specific ad costs for Facebook Ads run far below the global benchmark but swing more sharply month to month. From November 2024 through October 2025, South Africa’s all-industry CPC trends show an early-year lift, a mid-year slide to ultra-low levels, and a late-year rebound—an eightfold swing from trough to peak. By contrast, the global curve is higher and steadier, with the expected Q4 elevation and a softer mid-year floor.
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 South Africa compared to the global benchmark.
South Africa’s median CPC averaged $0.21 across the period, ending at $0.21 in October 2025, up 19% from $0.17 in November 2024. The high came in March at $0.398 (just above February’s $0.397), while the low hit in July at $0.049—an eightfold range across the year. The steepest movements were pronounced: January to February surged +131% (+$0.225), March to April eased −25% (−$0.100), and September to October rebounded +246% (+$0.147).
Day-to-day calm this was not. Month-to-month volatility in South Africa averaged $0.075, roughly 35% of its average CPC—sharper than the global series. The global benchmark averaged $1.14 over the same months, with a milder $0.045 average monthly swing (about 4% of its mean), peaking at $1.46 in November 2024 and bottoming at $1.04 in September 2025.
The rhythm in South Africa followed a distinctive arc:
Global CPCs tracked a more conventional seasonal pattern: elevated in Q4 (average $1.27 across Nov–Dec 2024 and Oct 2025), stable through Q1 ($1.14), softer in Q2–Q3 (bottoming at $1.04 in September), and a mild lift into October.
Relative to Facebook Ads benchmarks worldwide, South Africa’s CPCs remained well below market throughout. On average, South Africa ran about 82% lower than the global benchmark ($0.21 vs. $1.14). The gap narrowed most in February–March (South Africa was 65% below global), then widened markedly in July at the trough (−96% vs. global). Despite the lower price point, South Africa was more volatile in both absolute terms ($0.075 vs. $0.045 average monthly move) and especially in proportional terms (35% vs. 4% of each series’ mean).
Trend-wise, the global benchmark drifted down from its Q4 2024 peak to a mid-year trough (−28% from November to October), while South Africa’s path was choppier—rising into Q1 highs, sliding through winter, then rebounding into October (+19% from November to October).
In short, Facebook Ads CPC trends for all industries in South Africa show consistently lower country-specific ad costs than the global market, paired with more pronounced monthly swings and strong seasonal pulses. This CPC analysis, viewed alongside CPM analysis and CTR performance within broader Facebook Ads benchmarks, helps frame industry ad performance in South Africa against the global benchmark.
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 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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