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 advertisers faced a markedly cheaper click environment than the broader market, but with choppier month-to-month swings. Across all countries, Facebook Ads cost-per-click ran at roughly half of the global all‑industry benchmark, dipping to a deep trough in January before stabilizing, softening again into late summer, and then spiking in October. Volatility was the defining characteristic: bigger swings than the global trend, with standout moves in January and October shaping the year’s 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 in all countries compared to the global benchmark.
For context, the global all‑industry CPC averaged $1.15 over the same period, sliding from $1.44 in November 2024 to $1.27 in November 2025 (−12%), with a mid‑year low around $1.05 in September and a gradual lift into Q4.
The pattern aligned with familiar travel rhythms. After a late‑year peak in December, CPCs hit a January low, then recovered through early spring and hovered in a mid‑$0.50s to mid‑$0.60s band. Late summer (August–September) softened further, before a pronounced October jump and a mild November pullback. In practice, that cadence looked like: $0.36 in January, stabilizing in March–July ($0.59–$0.66), troughing again in September ($0.43), and spiking in October ($0.65). By November, the series settled back near its annual mean.
The baseline market moved more smoothly: a gentle decline from Q4 into mid‑year, a small dip in September, and a steady lift into November—less dramatic peaks and troughs than Recreation and Travel.
Recreation and Travel CPCs across all countries consistently ran below the global all‑industry benchmark—by 32% to 68% each month, averaging 47% lower over the period. The gap narrowed in December 2024 (−32% vs. global) and again in June and October (about −40%), but widened most in January (−68%) and September (−59%). The global trend rose modestly into Q4 (+16% from September to November), while Recreation and Travel was choppier, with larger month-to-month moves and a stronger October spike.
Overall, this was a cheaper but more volatile click market for Recreation and Travel relative to the broader Facebook Ads benchmarks worldwide.
Understanding Facebook Ads cost‑per‑click benchmarks for Recreation and Travel across all countries—how CPC trends fell 29% year over year, ranged from $0.36 to $0.86, and averaged 47% below the global benchmark—helps quantify country‑specific ad costs and compare industry ad performance to 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.
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