Compare CPC benchmarks by industry, region, and campaign type.
October 2025 - September 2026
Benchmark observations based on the selected data
South Africa’s cost-per-click (CPC) profile tells a striking story of low absolute costs but pronounced month-to-month swings versus the global benchmark. 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 July 2025–June 2026 South Africa’s median CPC averaged about 0.174, starting the period at roughly 0.184 in July and finishing at a dramatic low of 0.020 in June — an ~89% decline from start to finish. The local high occurred in February at ~0.324 and the low in June at ~0.020; the full range spans roughly 0.304 points, with the peak nearly 16x the trough. Monthly values bounced between quiet troughs in April–June (April 0.042, May 0.087, June 0.020) and spikes in November–February (Nov 0.273, Dec 0.285, Feb 0.324). Volatility, measured as average absolute month-to-month change, was about 0.079 — showing meaningful short-term movement within the year.
By contrast the global baseline CPC sat near 1.07 on average over the same months, with a seasonal bump in November (~1.29) and a trough in January (~0.92). Global monthly volatility averaged ~0.075 in absolute terms, so South Africa was marginally more changeable month-to-month.
Seasonality is visible but not textbook: the global pattern shows the expected Q4 pressure (November peak at ~1.29) and a modest softening into January. South Africa’s rhythm diverged — it recorded its largest increases heading into late-year and early Q1 (Nov→Dec→Feb spike), then collapsed through late Q1 into Q2. April’s drop to ~0.042 and June’s trough at ~0.020 stand out as outsized soft periods, interrupting the November–February lift. Overall the series reads as short bursts of lift followed by steep declines rather than a steady seasonal slope.
South Africa’s CPCs consistently sat well below global medians: monthly gaps ranged from roughly 66% below the global level (narrowest in February) to more than 98% below (widest in June). On average, South Africa’s CPC was ~84% lower than the global benchmark (0.174 vs. 1.07). The global baseline was steadier and centered above 1.00, while South Africa showed both lower absolute costs and sharper episodic movement — higher highs relative to its own mean but much deeper troughs in late Q1–Q2.
Understanding Facebook Ads cost-per-click benchmarks and CPC trends for all industries in South Africa reveals a market of very low absolute CPCs, pronounced monthly swings, and a material gap to global CPM analysis and CTR performance norms. These country-specific ad costs and industry ad performance patterns for South Africa provide a clear comparative backdrop to global benchmarks.
Facebook advertising cost benchmarks
Cost Per Click (CPC) is the amount advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their Facebook ad. Ad costs vary across industries because of competition, audience demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting South Africa, advertisers should consider local market factors and user behavior. Campaign objectives affect costs because Facebook optimizes delivery for different goals. The data shows median values across multiple campaigns. Results can vary with ad quality, audience targeting, and campaign optimization.
A small share of campaigns has extremely high CPC values. Those outliers can inflate an average. The median is the midpoint across campaigns, so it better represents a typical result.
The data shows industry median benchmarks. Costs can vary with targeting, creative quality, and campaign optimization.
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The dataset includes over $3B in Facebook ad spend from thousands of ad accounts that use Superads to analyze and improve campaigns. Every data point is anonymized and aggregated. It does not expose an individual advertiser.
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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 may rise during long weekends such as Human Rights Day, Freedom Day, and Heritage Day as leisure and travel media consumption increases. Retail CPMs may rise in late November–December for holiday shopping. Youth Day and National Women's Day may prompt regional campaigns. Public-holiday weekends 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).
CPC varies by region, industry, and campaign objective. Use the filters to compare benchmarks that match your campaign. The US is one of the more expensive markets.
Audience targeting, industry competition, ad relevance score, and creative performance affect CPC. Low engagement or relevance can increase CPC.
CPC can increase with more competition in your target audience, seasonal trends such as holidays, lower ad relevance scores, or algorithm changes. Check whether your audience is too narrow or your creative is showing fatigue.
Mobile CPCs often run lower than desktop CPCs because there is more mobile inventory. Segment performance by placement to see where clicks come from.
For most businesses, conversion optimization produces better ROI than CPC alone. CPC optimization can suit awareness campaigns or content promotion when clicks are the goal.
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 because of purchase intent and advertiser competition. Results also depend on the audience and creative.
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