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 advertisers in India saw ultra-low Facebook Ads cost-per-clicks through 2025, tracking far below the global benchmark while moving with sharp, low-dollar swings. The year opened comparatively “expensive” for India in January, then dropped in steps through spring, briefly cratered in May, rebounded modestly in June, and eased steadily into October. Against a global market that hovered around $1.12 CPC across the same months, India’s country-specific ad costs averaged just over two cents per click — an unusually low base with outsized relative volatility.
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 India compared to the global benchmark.
From January to October 2025, India’s median CPC fell from $0.104 to $0.005, a 95% decline. The average across the period landed at $0.025, with a high in January ($0.104) and an extraordinary low in May ($0.0008). Movements were lumpy: a sizable step-down from January to February (−$0.068), a smaller drift into April, then a near-zero trough in May. June marked a partial rebound to $0.0159 before values tapered across the summer and early fall to $0.005 in October.
Globally, CPCs were comparatively steady: $1.12 on average from January to October, fluctuating within a narrow $1.09–$1.15 band, and moving about 2.2 cents month to month on average. In dollar terms, the world was more stable; in relative terms, India was more volatile.
The rhythm in India shows a pronounced first-quarter lift followed by progressive softening:
The global pattern was flatter: Q1 averaged about $1.13, Q2 roughly $1.13, and Q3 eased to $1.11. Typical industry seasonality appeared in the global series later in the year: CPCs lifted into November ($1.32) before falling in December ($1.05) and January 2026 ($0.85), consistent with holiday competition followed by a new-year reset. India’s 2025 data through October didn’t capture that Q4 holiday crest.
Across January–October, India’s CPC averaged about $0.025 versus the global $1.12 — roughly 98% below market. The gap was narrowest in January (India at 9% of global levels, or −91%) and widened sharply thereafter:
Trend-wise, the global curve moved sideways within a tight band, while India’s line stepped down early, plunged in May, rebounded in June, and drifted lower into October.
In sum, Facebook Ads CPC trends for Recreation and Travel in India in 2025 were exceptionally low in absolute terms and relatively more volatile than the global benchmark, with a dramatic early-year descent, a May trough, and a subdued late summer into fall. Understanding Facebook Ads cost-per-click benchmarks for the Recreation and Travel industry in India — alongside broader CPM analysis and CTR performance context — helps position these country-specific ad costs against global industry ad performance 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. For campaigns targeting India, 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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October (Diwali), Late November (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), December (Christmas), July–August (Raksha Bandhan, Ganesh Chaturthi)
CPMs might spike significantly during Diwali, especially in electronics, apparel, jewellery, and gifts. Black Friday/Cyber Monday and December could drive elevated ad competition. State-specific festivals might see regional campaign spikes. Bank closures during holidays may push online shopping to cluster in end-of-week periods.
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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