Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Public Administration in Australia doesn’t surface a localized CPC series in this window, so the clearest story comes from the global Facebook Ads benchmarks: a year of steady costs through mid-2025, a sharp Q4 spike, and an even sharper reset into early 2026. CPC trends held in a tight band for most of the year before peaking in November and dropping hard in December, with an additional slide in January 2026. Volatility was modest until the year-end pivot, when pricing swung by multiple tenths month to month.
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 Public Administration in Australia compared to the global benchmark.
Across 2025, the global median cost per click averaged about $1.13. It opened at $1.12 in January and ended at $1.05 in December, a 6% decline across the year. Most months clustered between $1.10 and $1.15: February ($1.13), March ($1.14), April ($1.13), May ($1.15), June ($1.10), July ($1.10), August ($1.13), September ($1.09), and October ($1.12). The high came in November at $1.32; the low for the year was December at $1.05.
Month-to-month movement through October was restrained, with an average swing of roughly six cents. The cadence shifted dramatically in Q4: CPC jumped by $0.19 from October to November, then fell by $0.26 into December (about a 20% drop from the November high). Early 2026 extended that slide, landing at $0.85 in January—about 25% below the 2025 average and the lowest point in the 13-month span.
Taking the full 13 months together, the global CPC averaged about $1.11, ranging from the $1.32 November peak to the $0.85 trough in January 2026—a total range of $0.47. The core of 2025, however, was notably stable: February through August largely held within a five-cent band around the $1.12–$1.14 zone.
Seasonality is visible in the rhythm of the global series. CPCs were broadly steady through Q1 and Q2, held a similar profile in Q3, then climbed into November before reversing hard in December. Performance typically softens through Q4 as competition rises, with engagement rebounding in early Q1; here the pricing data mirrors that pattern in reverse—tight costs most of the year, an end-of-year inflation point, and a pronounced reset into January 2026.
A country-specific read for Public Administration in Australia is not available for this period, so a direct gap-to-market cannot be measured. Relative to the global benchmark, the reference points are clear: a 2025 average CPC near $1.13, a November high at $1.32 (+16% vs. the annual average), a December pullback to $1.05 (−20% vs. November), and a further step down to $0.85 in January 2026 (−25% vs. the 2025 mean). Without the Australian series, whether the market sat above or below global levels remains unknown for this window, but the global curve provides the directional context for country-specific ad costs.
While this readout focuses on CPC trends, many Facebook Ads benchmarks also consider CPM analysis and CTR performance to round out industry ad performance. Understanding cost-per-click dynamics for Public Administration in Australia—compared against the global benchmark—helps contextualize country-specific ad costs and the seasonal cadence that shaped 2025 into early 2026.
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 Public Administration industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. For campaigns targeting Australia, advertisers typically see good engagement rates despite moderate costs. 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 December (Christmas and Boxing Day), Early December (Cyber Monday), January (Back-to-school), May (Mother's Day)
Ad costs could spike around major holidays, especially Easter, Anzac Day, and Christmas. Increased budgets and earlier scheduling may be necessary. Retailers should consider planning promotions around back-to-school and Mother's Day to maximize campaign effectiveness.
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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