Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
The headline for Recreation and Travel in the Netherlands: cost-per-click has been consistently below the global Facebook Ads benchmarks, but far more volatile, with pronounced surges around spring and year-end. Across the year, CPC swung from ultralow summer troughs to sharp peaks in March, May, and December, narrowing the gap with the global market during those spikes.
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.
Over the 13-month window, CPC in the Netherlands averaged 0.44, starting at 0.24 in December 2024 and ending at 0.80 in December 2025—an overall lift of roughly 235%. The year’s low arrived in August at just 0.14, while highs clustered late and early in the travel calendar: March hit 0.79, May reached 0.77, and December closed the year at 0.80, the top of the range.
Month-to-month movement was choppy. After a steady Q1 build (0.24 in January to 0.34 in February), March jumped by about 132% versus February. April cooled (-53% vs. March) before another step-up in May (+106% vs. April). The summer decelerated—June fell -56% vs. May, July slipped slightly, and August reached the trough (-57% vs. July). Momentum then returned: September rebounded by about +280% vs. August, October edged higher, November eased (-45% vs. October), and December surged again (+164% vs. November).
Volatility averaged 0.26 points per month—around four times the global benchmark’s month-to-month shift—highlighting a market with sharper swings despite lower absolute costs.
The rhythm fits a familiar travel narrative but with exaggerated peaks and valleys in the Netherlands. Q1 built steadily, culminating in a March spike. Q2 was mixed: a strong May offset by a softer April and June. Q3 was the softest stretch, with July and especially August marking the low season for country-specific ad costs. Q4 re-accelerated, with an October lift, a brief November dip, and a decisive December high.
By quarter, averages illustrate this cadence: Q1 at 0.46, Q2 at 0.49, Q3 at 0.33, and Q4 at 0.55—placing the late-year period as the strongest on average, and summer as the clear trough.
Compared to the global CPC trends, the Netherlands operated well below market levels but with larger amplitude. The global median CPC averaged 1.14 during the same period, moving within a tight 1.06–1.32 band, with a predictable Q4 spike in November (1.32) and a dip to September’s low (1.07). In contrast, the Netherlands ranged from 0.14 to 0.80.
Relative performance varied month to month. The gap was widest in August, when the Netherlands trailed global CPCs by about 87%. The narrowest gaps came in March and December, both roughly 29–30% below global levels, and in May (about 32% below). Across the full period, Dutch CPCs averaged roughly 61% below the global benchmark. Volatility told the other half of the story: average monthly change of 0.26 points in the Netherlands versus 0.06 globally, indicating a more responsive, swing-prone market dynamic.
In sum, Facebook Ads cost-per-click benchmarks for Recreation and Travel in the Netherlands show low absolute CPCs versus the global market, punctuated by sharp seasonal spikes in March, May, and December and a clear summer trough. These CPC trends offer a grounded view of industry ad performance and country-specific ad costs, helping teams contextualize Netherlands performance against the global benchmark.
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.
Improve your Facebook ad performance
• Instant performance insights – See which ads, audiences, and creatives drive results.
• Data-driven creative decisions – Spot patterns to improve ROAS.
• Effortless reporting – No spreadsheets, just clear insights.
All data is sourced from over $3B in Facebook ad spend, collected across thousands of ad accounts that use Superads daily to analyze and improve their campaigns. Every data point is fully anonymized and aggregated—no individual advertiser is ever exposed.
This dataset updates frequently as new ad data flows in. It will only get bigger and better.
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.
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
Average cost per purchase benchmarks across industries
See how much it costs to get users to install an app