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 the Netherlands saw consistently lower cost-per-clicks than the global Facebook Ads benchmark, paired with sharper swings month to month. CPC trends showed two spring peaks and a soft summer, then a late-year cool-down before a dramatic drop in January 2026. The global series, by contrast, stayed relatively steady with a pronounced November surge typical of Q4 competition.
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 the Netherlands compared to the global benchmark.
CPC in the Netherlands began 2025 at 0.23, climbed to a local high in March (0.79), dipped, then spiked again in May (0.78). Summer costs softened to the annual low in August (0.14), rebounded into October (0.49), then eased through November (0.44) and December (0.31). January 2026 marked the series low at 0.06.
Across 2025, CPC averaged 0.41 (0.39 when including January 2026). The year’s range ran from 0.14 to 0.79, indicating a wide cost band within Recreation and Travel in the Netherlands. Monthly volatility averaged about 0.23 points, with the largest shifts occurring in February→March (+0.45), April→May (+0.40), and May→June (−0.44). The late-year move from December→January 2026 was notably steep (−0.26), reinforcing the market’s choppier profile.
The rhythm of 2025 split cleanly by quarter:
While global CPCs often climb in Q4 as competition rises, the Netherlands’ Recreation and Travel CPCs peaked earlier and did not mirror the global November spike. Instead, the local pattern emphasized spring strength, a summer trough, and a modest autumn lift.
Relative to the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, the Netherlands’ Recreation and Travel CPCs stayed well below market throughout the period. The 2025 average sat at 0.41 versus 1.13 globally—about 64% lower. The gap was narrowest in March and May, when Netherlands CPCs were approximately 31–32% below global levels. It widened notably in August (−88%) and reached its widest point in January 2026 (−93%). On a trend basis, the global benchmark slipped modestly from January to December 2025 (−6%), punctuated by a pronounced November peak (1.32) before a December reset (1.05). The Netherlands moved in larger arcs—strong spring lifts, a deeper summer low, and a softer Q4—resulting in roughly three times the month-to-month volatility versus the global series (0.23 vs. 0.07 points).
These Facebook Ads benchmarks highlight sustained, below-market CPCs for Recreation and Travel in the Netherlands, with pronounced spring peaks, a summer dip, and a milder Q4 compared to the global pattern. Understanding CPC trends and country-specific ad costs for Recreation and Travel in the Netherlands helps contextualize industry ad performance against worldwide CPC analysis.
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 Netherlands, 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–early December (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), December (Christmas and Boxing Day sales), Spring holidays (April–June tourism)
CPM and CPC might rise during spring holiday cluster when travel and leisure ads see elevated engagement. Liberation Day (May 5) is mandatory national holiday—ad inventory might shrink. Ad competition increases in late December for holiday promotions. Few summer holidays mean more consistent campaign performance through summer.
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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