Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
November 2024 - November 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Media advertisers in South Africa ran on markedly lower cost-per-clicks than the global market, but with sharper swings. Over the past 12 months, CPCs in South Africa averaged $0.25 versus a $1.14 global benchmark — roughly 78% below global Facebook Ads benchmarks — while tracing a pronounced mid-year trough before rebounding into October. The period opened with a late-year lift into January, then fell hard through mid‑year, and regained momentum in Q3 into early Q4. Volatility was notably higher than the global trend.
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 Media in South Africa compared to the global benchmark.
South Africa’s Media CPCs began at $0.36 in November, climbed to $0.40 in December, and peaked at $0.43 in January. The inflection arrived in February, dropping 58% month over month to $0.18 and settling near $0.21–$0.27 through May. Costs softened again into June ($0.13) and hit the yearly low in July at just $0.02. From that floor, CPCs rebuilt steadily: $0.13 in August, $0.30 in September, and $0.35 in October — almost back to where the period began.
Across the 12 months, South Africa’s Media CPC averaged $0.25, with a high of $0.43 (January) and a low of $0.02 (July). Month-to-month movement averaged $0.09, indicating a choppier pattern than the global benchmark. The largest single-month swing was January to February (−$0.25), while the July-to-October climb represented a 14.5x increase from the low.
The series showed a late-year lift into January, consistent with elevated year-end competition carrying over into early Q1, followed by a February reset. April through June marked a softer stretch, culminating in the July nadir. From August onward, the market regained momentum in a clean stair-step: modest rebuild in August, pronounced lift in September, and a further rise entering October. In short, a crest into January, a long mid-year valley, and a clear rebound heading into Q4.
Relative to the global CPC trend, South Africa’s Media market was consistently below market throughout the period. By averages, South Africa ran 78% cheaper ($0.25 vs. $1.14 globally). The monthly gap ranged from 62% below global levels at its narrowest (January) to 98% below at its widest (July). October’s CPC ($0.35) remained 66% below the global October median ($1.05).
Trend-wise, South Africa finished almost flat versus where it started (−1% from November to October), but only after a deep mid-year dip and a late recovery. The global benchmark moved in the opposite direction — a steady, milder slide of roughly 28% from November ($1.46) to October ($1.05) with considerably lower volatility. Average month-to-month movement globally was $0.05, about half of South Africa’s $0.09, underscoring more pronounced local swings in country-specific ad costs for Media.
Taken together, these CPC trends show Media in South Africa operating far below the global benchmark with a sharper mid-year trough and a clear rebound into October. Understanding Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost-per-click in the Media industry in South Africa helps teams gauge industry ad performance, compare local CPC trends against global patterns, and frame country-specific ad costs within broader marketplace dynamics.
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 Media 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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