Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
January 2025 - January 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
South Africa’s Facebook Ads CPC tells a year-long story of inexpensive clicks with pronounced seasonality. Across 2025, median CPC in South Africa averaged $0.24, dramatically below the global benchmark average of $1.13. The market dipped to rock-bottom levels in mid-year before rebounding sharply into the holidays, with December peaking at the year’s high. The pattern: a firm Q1, a steady slide through Q2, a deep Q3 trough, and a strong Q4 lift.
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 all industries in South Africa compared to the global benchmark.
South Africa opened the year at $0.17 CPC in January and closed at $0.48 in December, a +180% swing end-to-end. The year’s high was December ($0.48), while July marked the low at just $0.05—nearly a tenfold gap between trough and peak. The full-year median settled at $0.24.
Momentum carried early: CPC jumped from $0.17 in January to $0.40 in February and held near that level in March. From there, costs eased—April ($0.30) and May ($0.28) softened, followed by June ($0.26). The most dramatic move arrived mid-year: July plunged to $0.05 (−81% vs. June), staying lean through August ($0.08) and September ($0.06). The market then rebuilt: October rose to $0.21, November to $0.24, before December’s surge to $0.48.
Volatility in South Africa averaged about $0.10 month-to-month (absolute change), notably choppier than the global benchmark’s $0.06. The global line held between $1.09 and $1.32 for most of the year, peaking in November before easing into December.
Viewed by quarter, South Africa’s CPC trends follow a pronounced U-shape:
This rhythm contrasts with the global pattern. Worldwide, CPCs were relatively steady in Q1–Q3 (roughly $1.10–$1.13), with the typical Q4 uplift—November climbed to $1.32—before a December reset to $1.06. South Africa also lifted in Q4, but the magnitude of its mid-year trough and year-end rebound was far sharper than the global cadence.
Relative to global Facebook Ads benchmarks, South Africa consistently delivered lower country-specific ad costs. The gap was widest in July (−95% vs. global) and remained substantial through September (−95%). The spread narrowed materially in December, when South Africa’s $0.48 CPC sat 55% below the global $1.06—its tightest month of the year. Across Q1, South Africa trailed by 65–85%; in Q2 by roughly 74–76%; in Q3 by 93–95%; and in Q4 by 55–82%.
The global trend edged slightly downward from January to December (−6%), while South Africa climbed from a low base to finish markedly higher. Both series show a Q4 lift, but South Africa’s curve was far more elastic, underscoring higher intrayear variability.
Closing
Facebook Ads CPC benchmarks for all industries in South Africa highlight a low-cost but more volatile market: a $0.24 average versus $1.13 globally, a deep Q3 trough, and a decisive December surge. For marketers tracking CPC trends and country-specific ad costs, South Africa’s 2025 profile underscores how this market’s seasonal swing diverged from the steadier global pattern.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting South Africa, 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 (Black Friday/Cyber Monday), December (Christmas & Day of Goodwill), Mid-year retail (June Youth Day promotions)
CPM and CPC might rise during long weekends like Human Rights Day, Freedom Day, and Heritage Day as leisure and travel-related media consumption increases. Retail CPMs may spike in late November–December for holiday shopping. Youth Day and National Women's Day might drive regional campaigns. Weekend extensions across public holidays may benefit weekend campaigns.
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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