Understand how your CPM compares. Dive into benchmark data by industry, region, and campaign type
July 2025 - July 2026
Detailed observation of presented data
Recreation and Travel CPMs ran consistently below the overall market this past year but ended the period with a notable closing of the gap. 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 Recreation and Travel in All countries available compared to the global benchmark.
Beginning in July 2025, Recreation and Travel cost-per-thousand-impressions (CPM) sat at about $11.63 and finished July 2026 around $14.88 — a net lift of roughly +28% across the 13-month series. The category’s average CPM was ~$11.94, with a low of $9.44 in December 2025 and a peak of $15.52 in June 2026. By contrast, the global baseline averaged ~$20.58 over the same months (range $16.47–$24.26).
Month-to-month movement was brisk: the largest single upward moves came in March→April (+33.6%) and May→June (+13.9%); the sharpest pullback was November→December (−24.8%). On average Recreation and Travel shifted by about $1.56 per month in absolute terms, which translates to roughly 13% average monthly volatility versus its own mean.
Seasonality shows classic holiday troughs and spring lifts for Recreation and Travel. Late Q4 (December) produced the year’s low ($9.44), followed by a gradual recovery through Q1 that accelerated into a spring/summer peak (April–June). June 2026 captured the high-water mark at $15.52, after which July edged modestly lower.
The global baseline followed a somewhat different rhythm: a pronounced spike in November 2025 (the year’s highest global CPM at $24.26) and a steep pullback into summer 2026 (July baseline fell to $16.47). That divergence in timing is why the relative gap narrowed substantially by the end of the series.
Across every month, Recreation and Travel CPMs were below the global benchmark. The sector trailed global CPMs by roughly 10% at its narrowest (July 2026) and by about 56% at its widest (March 2026). On average the Recreation and Travel CPM sat ~42% below the global level for this period.
In absolute dollars the sector moved less each month than the global baseline ($1.56 vs. $1.92 average absolute monthly change), but because its mean is lower that translates to higher percent volatility (≈13% vs ≈9% for the baseline). Put another way: smaller dollar swings, but choppier in relative terms compared with overall market CPMs.
This CPM analysis offers a clear view of Recreation and Travel industry ad pricing across All countries available versus the global benchmark. For people tracking Facebook Ads benchmarks, CPM analysis, CPC trends, CTR performance, country-specific ad costs, and broader industry ad performance, the data show a sector that spent materially less than the global average for most of the year, then moved closer to parity as global CPMs softened into mid-2026.
Insights & analysis of Facebook advertising costs
Cost Per Mille (CPM) is the cost advertisers pay for 1,000 impressions of their Facebook ad. In the Recreation and Travel industry, Facebook ad costs can be influenced by seasonal trends and market competition. Geographic targeting affects ad costs based on market competition and user engagement in different regions. 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.
This dataset updates frequently as new ad data flows in. It will only get bigger and better.
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:
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