Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Real Estate advertisers in South Africa ran at markedly lower cost-per-clicks than the global benchmark, with a steady early-year footing and an unexpected compression into November. While the worldwide market spiked in Q4, South Africa diverged, trading clicks at a fraction of global costs. The overall picture is a low-cost, low-volatility start followed by a sharp late-year dip—an inversion of typical global seasonality.
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 Real Estate in South Africa compared to the global benchmark.
From the observed months, South Africa’s Real Estate CPC began at 0.34 in March, lifted 6% to 0.36 in April, and then fell to 0.13 in November. Across these three points, the median CPC averaged 0.28, with a narrow early-year band and a significant late-year trough. The high-water mark was April (0.36), and the low was November (0.13), a 63% decline from peak to trough and a 61% drop from March to November. Changes between observed points ranged from a modest +0.02 to a sharp −0.23, indicating mild stability early and a clear break lower by Q4.
Globally, CPCs averaged roughly 1.13 for the year and 1.20 for the same three months (March, April, November). The global series climbed from 1.14 in March to 1.32 in November, with April dipping slightly to 1.13. That created a 0.18 spread between April and November globally, versus a 0.23 spread locally in South Africa—smaller in absolute terms worldwide, but far larger relative to the local average in South Africa (about 82% of the local mean vs. 15% of the global mean across the same months).
Seasonally, global CPCs tended to warm through spring, cool mid-year, spike in November, and reset in December—a recognizable Q4 premium effect. South Africa’s Real Estate CPCs did not mirror that rhythm. Early-year costs in March and April were relatively steady and subdued, but instead of a Q4 lift, South Africa posted its lowest CPC in November. The rhythm here reads as: stable shoulder season, followed by late-year softness rather than escalation.
Compared to the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, South Africa’s Real Estate CPCs stayed well below market throughout the observed months:
On average across the observed months, South Africa’s 0.28 CPC was about 77% below the global 1.20. Trendwise, the global path rose from April to November (+16%), whereas South Africa’s fell sharply (−63%). The gap widened materially into Q4, marking November as the widest divergence between country-specific ad costs and the global benchmark.
In sum, Facebook Ads CPC trends for Real Estate in South Africa showed consistently lower costs than global benchmarks, stable early months, and a pronounced Q4 dip that diverged from worldwide patterns. Understanding cost-per-click benchmarks for Real Estate in South Africa helps situate country-specific ad costs within global CPC analysis and frames industry ad performance relative to broader market 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 Real Estate 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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