Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
November 2024 - November 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
New Zealand’s Facebook Ads cost-per-click (CPC) told a two-act story over the past year: a steep early-year slide followed by a dramatic mid-year surge that briefly ran above the global benchmark, before a sharp correction into spring. Across all industries, New Zealand’s CPC averaged about $0.87 from November 2024 to October 2025, materially below the global average of $1.14. Yet the path was far more volatile than the global trend, with standout extremes in February (the trough) and August (the peak). 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.
CPC in New Zealand began at $0.94 in November 2024 and ended at $0.74 in October 2025, a 21% decline across the period. The average was $0.87, ranging from a low of $0.33 in February to a high of $1.55 in August. The first quarter softened quickly: $0.82 in December fell to $0.57 in January and bottomed at $0.33 in February (down 65% from November). Momentum then flipped. After a partial rebound in March ($0.73), CPC climbed steadily through winter and peaked in August at $1.55—up roughly 366% from February’s trough. September marked a sharp reset to $0.66 (−58% month over month), with a modest October rebound to $0.74 (+13%).
Volatility stood out. New Zealand’s average month-to-month swing was about $0.28, roughly six times larger than the global benchmark’s average monthly move of $0.05. The mid-year run—May ($0.98), June ($1.15), July ($1.40), August ($1.55)—was the clearest sustained upswing, followed by the most abrupt pullback of the year in September.
Seasonality came through in two waves. Q4 was comparatively soft in New Zealand, with CPC easing from $0.94 in November to $0.82 in December. Q1 marked the trough (January–March averaged $0.54), consistent with lighter auction pressure after the holidays. From April into late winter, CPCs firmed: Q2 averaged $0.90 and Q3 climbed to $1.20, led by July–August highs. That surge did not persist into spring; CPCs fell hard in September and stabilized closer to historical means in October.
Globally, the pattern was steadier. CPCs hovered in a narrower band—mostly $1.04 to $1.14—with the main seasonal lift concentrated in Q4. The global high was November 2024 at $1.46, and the low was September 2025 at $1.04.
Across the full period, New Zealand’s CPC averaged about 24% below the global benchmark ($0.87 vs. $1.14). The gap, however, shifted materially month to month. New Zealand trailed global CPC by 36%–71% from November through April, narrowed to just 14% below in May, then ran above market from June to August—by 8% in June, 30% in July, and 43% in August. The spread reversed again in September and October, with New Zealand dropping 29%–37% below global levels. While the global trend drifted lower in a tight range, New Zealand’s path was choppier, defined by a deep Q1 trough, a pronounced Q3 spike, and a swift early-spring correction.
These Facebook Ads benchmarks highlight clear CPC trends for all industries in New Zealand: a low-cost start to the year, a mid-year surge that briefly led the global market, and a reset into spring. Understanding cost-per-click performance for all industries in New Zealand—relative to the steadier global benchmark—helps illuminate country-specific ad costs and the rhythm of industry ad performance over the year.
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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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–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.
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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