Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Recreation and Travel CPCs across all countries ran well below the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, but the story isn’t just “cheap clicks.” The year opened at a deep trough, rebounded fast, slid again in late summer, and finished with a firm Q4 lift that carried into January 2026. Volatility was a touch higher than the overall market, with a few sharp month-to-month pivots defining the narrative.
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 trends for Recreation and Travel started at $0.36 in January 2025 and ended at $0.65 in January 2026, a 79% rise across the period. The 2025 yearly average landed near $0.56, and the 13‑month average came in at roughly $0.57. The year’s low was January 2025 ($0.36), with a swift reset to the annual high in February ($0.66). After a steady spring and early summer ($0.54–$0.63 from April through July), the category hit a two‑month trough in August–September ($0.47 and $0.43). A Q4 rebound followed: October rose to $0.61, November eased slightly to $0.59, and December closed strong at $0.63, with January 2026 edging higher to $0.65.
Month-to-month volatility averaged about $0.08, with standout swings in February (+$0.30 vs. January) and October (+$0.18 vs. September). Smaller oscillations characterized midyear, aside from the August drop (−$0.13 vs. July), underscoring a choppier rhythm than the headline market.
The category showed an atypically low January, then settled into mid‑range CPCs through spring. Early summer held near the category average, followed by pronounced softness in late summer (August–September). Performance tightened and rose through Q4, which was the strongest quarter (average ~$0.61), consistent with broader holiday competition dynamics. Notably, CPCs stayed elevated into January 2026, bucking the typical early‑Q1 reset seen in many categories.
Against the global CPC benchmark, Recreation and Travel remained materially below average throughout the period. The global 13‑month mean was ~$1.11 versus ~$0.57 for Recreation and Travel—about 49% lower on aggregate. Monthly gaps typically sat 40–60% below the market, with the widest discount in January 2025 (−68%) and the narrowest in January 2026 (−23%) as global CPCs fell and the category held firm.
Momentum diverged as well: the global trend was relatively steady through most of 2025, spiking in November ($1.32) before resetting sharply in December ($1.05) and January 2026 ($0.85). Recreation and Travel, by contrast, traced a U‑shaped path—early spike, late‑summer dip, and a sustained Q4/January lift. Volatility was modestly higher in the category (average monthly move ~$0.08) than globally (~$0.07), with sharper inflections around February and October.
In short, Facebook Ads CPC benchmarks for Recreation and Travel across all countries show a market priced below the global average, with a pronounced late‑summer dip and a strong Q4 rebound that extended into January 2026. Understanding category‑level CPC trends and country‑agnostic ad costs helps situate Recreation and Travel industry ad performance within broader global patterns.
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:
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