Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
November 2024 - November 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
South Africa’s Facebook Ads cost-per-click sat well below global levels across the year, but the story isn’t just “cheaper clicks.” The market showed a classic early-year lift, followed by a mid-year slide and an unusually deep July trough before a modest August rebound. Volatility was sharper than the global benchmark, with a dramatic surge in Q1 and a sudden fall in midsummer that widened the gap to the rest of the world.
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.
CPC in South Africa averaged $0.23 from November 2024 through August 2025, starting at $0.17 in November and ending at $0.06 in August (down 65% from the start). The year’s high landed in March at roughly $0.40, narrowly topping February’s $0.40 peak; the low came in July at just $0.05.
Momentum built through early 2025: January’s $0.17 more than doubled to $0.40 by March (+132%). From there, costs eased through Q2 (April–June) to $0.27, then dropped sharply in July (–81% month over month from June), before a small August lift to $0.06 (+22% vs. July). The market’s average month-to-month absolute change was $0.07, with the largest single jump occurring in January→February (+$0.23) and the steepest decline in June→July (–$0.22). Across the period, the range was wide—about $0.35 between the March high and July low—signaling a choppy, momentum-driven CPC environment.
Globally, CPCs averaged $1.15 over the same months, with a steadier descent from $1.47 in November to $1.06 in August (–28%). Monthly volatility was gentler, averaging a $0.06 absolute change.
Seasonality came through in two acts for South Africa:
This rhythm partially echoes global patterns—global CPCs typically soften after the holiday peak and stabilize mid-year—yet South Africa’s mid-year dip was markedly deeper and faster than the market-wide trend.
South Africa’s CPCs were consistently below market. On average, they were about 80% lower than the global benchmark ($0.23 vs. $1.15). The gap narrowed during the Q1 peak—February and March sat roughly 65% under global CPCs (about $0.40 vs. $1.12–$1.15)—and widened dramatically in July when South Africa fell to about 95% below global levels ($0.05 vs. $1.05). In relative momentum terms, the global curve slid steadily (–28% from November to August), while South Africa’s path was more volatile, peaking in March before a steep midsummer reset.
South Africa also proved more volatile relative to its own mean: average month-to-month change equaled roughly 30% of its mean CPC, versus about 5% for the global series. That choppiness frames South Africa as a lower-cost, higher-variance market within Facebook Ads benchmarks for all industries.
Understanding Facebook Ads cost-per-click benchmarks for all industries in South Africa highlights a low-cost, high-variance landscape, with Q1 lift, Q2 easing, and an outsized July trough compared to the global trend. These CPC trends offer a clear read on country-specific ad costs and how South Africa’s industry ad performance tracks against global Facebook Ads benchmarks and broader CTR 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. 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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