Understand how your CPC compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
December 2024 - December 2025
Detailed observation of presented data
Across all industries in the United Arab Emirates, Facebook Ads benchmarks for cost-per-click (CPC) tell a two-act story: a long stretch of below-market costs followed by a dramatic Q4 surge. Median CPCs in the UAE averaged 0.92 over the past 13 months, materially lower than the global average of 1.15. Most months tracked under the worldwide baseline by 25–50%, before a sharp lift in October and November pushed CPCs well above global levels. Volatility was pronounced, with large month-to-month swings and two standout inflection points—June and the Q4 run-up.
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 the United Arab Emirates compared to the global benchmark.
The period opens at 0.73 in November 2024 and closes at 1.86 in November 2025—an increase of roughly 154%. The UAE’s median CPC ranged from a low of 0.57 in August 2025 to a high of 1.86 in November 2025. The annual average landed at 0.92, with eight of the 13 months at or below 0.80, underscoring a generally low-cost environment for most of the year.
Key movements punctuate the arc:
Volatility averaged 0.21 points in absolute month-to-month change—roughly 3.6x higher than the global series (0.06), reflecting sharper swings and pronounced peaks in the UAE.
The rhythm of CPC trends in the United Arab Emirates shows softness through late Q2 and Q3, bottoming in August. From there, costs climbed steadily into Q4, with October–November marking the clear high season for CPC. Earlier in the year, January through May held within a narrow 0.69–0.84 range, interrupted only by June’s brief step-up. The late-summer trough and Q4 escalation mirror typical seasonal pressure: muted engagement costs midyear and intensified competition as the year closes.
Relative to the global benchmark, the UAE remained below market for most of the period, averaging about 20% lower CPCs overall. Month by month, the gap typically ranged from 27–49% below global levels (e.g., 0.73 vs. 1.44 in November 2024, 0.57 vs. 1.09 in August 2025). The gap narrowed in June (1.01 vs. 1.07, −6%) and September (0.98 vs. 1.05, −7%). The pattern flipped in Q4 2025: UAE CPCs rose above global by about 50% in October (1.62 vs. 1.08) and 46% in November (1.86 vs. 1.27). While the global trend was steady and compact—hovering around 1.05–1.27 with mild late-year lifts—the UAE displayed a choppier path, culminating in a strong year-end peak.
Facebook Ads CPC trends for all industries in the United Arab Emirates reveal a year defined by low country-specific ad costs for most months and a decisive Q4 escalation. Understanding cost-per-click benchmarks in the UAE helps contextualize industry ad performance against the steadier global baseline and highlights when CPCs typically compress or expand compared to worldwide 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 United Arab Emirates, 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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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.
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Ramadan + Eid (Mar–Apr), End of November–December (UAE National Day, Christmas, New Year), Dubai Shopping Festival (mid-Dec through Jan)
CPMs may rise sharply during Ramadan and Eid, especially in e‑commerce, gifting, F&B, and beauty sectors. UAE National Day campaigns could lead to high local bidding activity in travel, banking, and luxury retail. Dubai Shopping Festival drives elevated CPMs from mid-December to mid-January. Islamic holidays shift each year, affecting year-over-year comparisons.
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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