Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Recreation and Travel CPCs across all countries ran well below the global all‑industry benchmark this year, with a sharp holiday peak giving way to a deep January reset and a choppy mid‑year. The category averaged $0.60 per click versus the global median of $1.14, and moved with roughly three times the month‑to‑month volatility of the market. The standout moments: an elevated December 2024, a January trough, a late‑summer dip, and a clear Q4 climb.
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 Recreation and Travel across all countries compared to the global benchmark.
CPC for Recreation and Travel opened at $0.86 in December 2024 and ended at $0.69 in November 2025—down about 20% from December, but up 90% from the January low. The year’s high was December ($0.86); the low was January ($0.36). Across the period, CPC averaged $0.60 with a median monthly swing of 0.14 points, signaling a more jagged profile than the broader market.
Momentum came in waves:
The pattern mirrors familiar auction rhythms. CPCs were elevated in December, then reset to a January trough, followed by a mixed Q1–Q2 where gains faded into May. Early summer delivered a brief lift (June), while late summer (August–September) marked the softest stretch of the year. As competition typically intensifies into Q4, CPCs climbed again in October and November, retracing much of the late‑summer dip.
Against the global all‑industry benchmark, Recreation and Travel CPCs remained below market all year—trailing by 32% to 68% depending on the month. The narrowest gap appeared in December 2024 (−32% vs. $1.27 globally), while January widened to −68% ($0.36 vs. $1.13). For most months, the gap hovered 40%–55% below global levels: June (−40%), October (−40%), November (−48%).
The baseline itself was steady for most of the year—averaging $1.14 with a lower volatility profile (0.05 points average monthly move). The global series stayed clustered around $1.10–$1.14 from January through October, then surged in November to $1.31 (+19% month over month), with December 2024 also high at $1.27. In contrast, Recreation and Travel showed a choppier arc: two clear dips (January and August–September) and a pronounced late‑year rebound.
These Facebook Ads benchmarks highlight CPC trends for Recreation and Travel across all countries: an average of $0.60, a high of $0.86, and sustained underperformance versus the $1.14 global market, with greater month‑to‑month variability. While this view centers on CPC, it complements CPM analysis and CTR performance workstreams used to understand country‑specific ad costs and industry ad performance at scale. Understanding CPC benchmarks for Recreation and Travel across all countries helps quantify how the category tracks against global CPC trends throughout 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. In the Recreation and Travel industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. Geographic targeting affects ad costs based on market competition and user engagement in different regions. 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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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
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