Understand how your CPM compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
February 2025 - February 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Australia’s cost per thousand impressions (CPM) sat consistently below the global benchmark for most of the past 13 months, but the story isn’t just lower costs—it’s sharper swings. Across all industries, Australia tracked a restrained, mid-year climb, then surged in November before resetting hard into December and January. The local market’s November spike nearly matched global levels, yet the year closed with CPMs back at trough levels. 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 Australia compared to the global benchmark.
CPM in Australia opened 2025 at $14.34 and finished January 2026 at $10.68, a 26% decline across the period. The year’s high arrived in November at $24.80, while the low was the final data point—January 2026 at $10.68. On average, CPMs in Australia were $15.73, compared with a global average of $19.81.
The rhythm was steady through most of the year: from February’s local low of $12.89, CPMs climbed into a mid-year band of $16–$18 (July peaked at $17.82). From January through October the range was tight—$12.89 to $17.82—before the standout move: a 68% month-over-month lift in November (+$10.08), followed by a 42% drop in December and a further 26% slide in January 2026. Monthly volatility in Australia averaged a $3.07 swing, almost double the global baseline’s $1.63, with the Q4 whipsaw driving the difference.
Seasonality showed in shape, not just level. Q1 was soft (average $13.90), Q2 lifted ($15.58), and Q3 plateaued slightly higher ($17.19). Q4 was split: October cooled to $14.72, November spiked to $24.80, and December reset to $14.36—essentially back to mid-year pricing. The familiar pattern of elevated Q4 competition was present globally, but in Australia it concentrated into a single month rather than a sustained quarter.
Australia ran below market every month of the period, averaging 21% under the global CPM. The gap narrowed meaningfully only once: November CPMs in Australia were just 2% below the global benchmark ($24.80 vs. $25.22). In contrast, the widest gaps appeared in December (35% below global) and again in January 2026 (32% below). Month by month, Australia trailed by 15–28% across most of Q1–Q3, with July the closest outside Q4 (9% below).
Trend-wise, the global series climbed steadily from Q1 through Q4 (averaging $18.29 in Q1, $22.98 in Q4) before cooling to $15.74 in January 2026. Australia’s curve was choppier: a gradual mid-year lift, a pronounced November surge, and a deeper January trough ($10.68 vs. global $15.74). The higher month-to-month volatility underscores more abrupt shifts in country-specific ad costs compared with the smoother global trajectory.
Within Facebook Ads benchmarks, this CPM analysis shows that all industries in Australia experienced consistently lower CPMs than the global market, punctuated by a brief November convergence and a sharp year-end reset. Understanding CPM trends and country-specific ad costs helps contextualize industry ad performance and compare Australia’s path to the global pattern. This is a data-driven view of Facebook Ads CPM benchmarks for all industries in Australia.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Mille (CPM) is the cost advertisers pay for 1,000 impressions of their Facebook ad. Different industries see varying ad costs due to market competition, user demographics, and conversion value. For campaigns targeting Australia, advertisers typically see good engagement rates despite moderate costs. 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 December (Christmas and Boxing Day), Early December (Cyber Monday), January (Back-to-school), May (Mother's Day)
Ad costs could spike around major holidays, especially Easter, Anzac Day, and Christmas. Increased budgets and earlier scheduling may be necessary. Retailers should consider planning promotions around back-to-school and Mother's Day to maximize campaign effectiveness.
CPMs are heavily influenced by competition, seasonality (e.g., Q4 costs more), audience size, and ad quality. Smaller audiences and lower relevance scores often lead to higher CPMs.
Different campaign objectives, bidding strategies, and even time of day can change your CPM. For example, conversion campaigns usually have higher CPMs than traffic ones. Also, broad targeting tends to drive lower CPMs.
In most industries, CPMs range from $5 to $18 depending on the region and objective. Retail and e-comm campaigns often sit at the higher end. Our live data above shows a breakdown by country and industry.
Both matter, but audience quality (intent + match with your offer) usually has more impact than pure size. However, extremely tight audiences often lead to expensive CPMs due to limited delivery opportunities.
Depends on your goal. For awareness, CPM is more relevant. For performance campaigns, CPC and CPA matter more. But all are connected—inefficient CPMs can inflate your entire funnel.
Discover detailed cost benchmarks for different Facebook advertising metrics:
Average cost per click benchmarks across industries
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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