Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Cost per click in South Africa sat dramatically below the global Facebook Ads benchmarks across the period, but the story is more than level—it’s rhythm. CPC in South Africa surged early in the year, collapsed mid-year, then staged a late recovery, producing a wider amplitude than the steady global baseline. The standout contrast: South Africa’s CPC averaged about one‑fifth of global costs, yet moved in bigger month-to-month swings.
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.
Across all industries in South Africa, CPC averaged $0.22 from December 2024 through November 2025, starting at $0.15 in December and ending at $0.28 in November—an 83% lift across the window. The period’s high landed in March at $0.40, narrowly topping February’s $0.40, while the low came in July at just $0.05, an 8x gap between peak and trough.
Momentum arrived early: January to February jumped 131% (to $0.40), held into March, then cooled through Q2—April $0.30, May $0.28, June $0.26. The sharpest reversal hit in July (down $0.21 from June), with August and September staying unusually soft at $0.08 and $0.06. A meaningful rebound followed into Q4: October at $0.21 and November at $0.28, a near 4.7x climb from the September trough. Volatility was pronounced: the average absolute month-to-month move was $0.08—about 35% of the South Africa mean.
Seasonality showed a clear arc. Q1 was the strongest stretch (average $0.32), Q2 moderated ($0.28), and Q3 hit the trough (average $0.06), before a Q4 recovery (October–November average $0.24). The mid-year softness was especially stark—Q3 ran roughly 71% below the South Africa annual average—while late-year CPCs firmed but stayed below the early-year peak.
Globally, seasonality was more muted. The world benchmark averaged $1.14, hovering near $1.13–$1.14 through most of the year, dipping slightly in September ($1.07) and lifting into November ($1.32), a modest Q4 rise consistent with broader CPM analysis and competition patterns.
Relative levels were consistently below market in South Africa. The country’s CPC averaged 81% under the global benchmark ($0.22 vs. $1.14). The gap narrowed most in February–March, when South Africa reached roughly 35% of global CPCs (about 65% below). It widened dramatically in July–September, when CPCs fell to just 4–7% of global levels (95–93% below). The baseline rose about 4% from December to November; South Africa climbed 83% over the same span, underscoring a choppier, more momentum-driven profile. Volatility also diverged: global month-to-month shifts averaged $0.05 (about 4% of the global mean), vs. $0.08 in South Africa (35% of its mean).
Viewed through Facebook Ads benchmarks, South Africa’s all‑industry CPC trends showcased low country-specific ad costs with outsized swings: an early surge, a deep Q3 trough, and a late‑year recovery, all well below the global baseline. Understanding Cost Per Click benchmarks for all industries in South Africa helps contextualize CPC trends within global industry ad performance and complements broader CTR performance and CPM analysis comparisons.
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.
Discover detailed cost benchmarks for different Facebook advertising metrics:
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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
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