How much do Facebook ads cost in Australia?
There is no price list: Meta auctions every ad slot. But there is published data on what Australian advertisers have actually paid, and it swings more than most owners expect.
By the Desk editorLast checked 3 October 20262 min read
The short answer
Across all industries, Australian Facebook and Instagram ads cost a median of about $14.38 per 1,000 impressions and about 95 cents a click from July 2025 to July 2026 (Superads, 13 months). The cheapest month cost under half the dearest: $9.63 in May 2026 against $21.73 in November 2025. You set the budget; there is no fixed minimum spend for a campaign.
What Australian advertisers paid
| Measure (Australia, all industries) | Median, averaged over 13 months | Cheapest month | Dearest month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost per 1,000 impressions (CPM) | about $14.38 | $9.63 (May 2026) | $21.73 (Nov 2025) |
| Cost per click (CPC) | about $0.95 | $0.49 (Jul 2026) | $1.53 (Nov 2025) |
Source: Superads' benchmark tool, from a dataset it describes as over $3 billion in Facebook ad spend across thousands of ad accounts, anonymised and aggregated; read 3 October 2026. Superads prints a dollar sign without naming the currency. Its Australian CPM ran about 30 per cent below its global average.
November is dear because everyone advertises for Black Friday and Christmas; May was the cheapest month in this data. If your business is not seasonal, the quiet months buy more.
How Meta decides what you pay
Every time someone could see an ad, Meta runs an auction. The winner is the ad with the highest "total value", which Meta says combines three things: the advertiser's bid, the estimated chance that this person will take the action the advertiser wants, and the ad's quality. So you do not pay a set price: you set a budget, Meta spends it chasing the result you chose (reach, clicks, leads or sales), and a more relevant ad can win for less. Your daily budget is an average: Meta may spend more on some days and less on others, but not more than your weekly limit.
Is $500 enough for Facebook ads?
For a local business testing one offer, $500 is enough to learn something. At the median above, $500 buys roughly 35,000 impressions or about 500 clicks, though your own numbers will differ. Spread it over at least two weeks, run one ad set aimed at people near you, and judge it on enquiries or sales, not likes.
Why is Meta charging me $2?
With automatic billing, Meta charges you each time your ad costs reach your "payment threshold", and again on your monthly billing date for anything left over. On a new account the threshold starts at a small amount and rises as payments go through, which is why small early charges appear. Check Billing and payments in your Meta account for the exact charges.
Is it worth paying for Facebook ads?
It is worth testing when you have a clear offer, a page that converts, and a way to count the results. It is rarely worth it as "boost post and hope". The cheaper alternatives for many local businesses are on marketing for tradies and letterbox drops.
Common questions
How much do Facebook ads cost per 1,000 views in Australia?
A median of about $14.38 per 1,000 impressions across all industries, July 2025 to July 2026, in the Superads data; monthly medians ran from $9.63 to $21.73.
How much do Instagram ads cost?
Instagram ads run through the same Meta auction and Ads Manager. The Superads figures cover Facebook ads; Instagram placements are priced by the same auction.
Is there a minimum budget for Facebook ads?
Meta sets a small daily minimum that varies by country, currency and what you are charged for; Ads Manager warns you if your budget is below it.
Sources
- Superads, Facebook Ads CPM benchmarks in Australia (October 2025 to September 2026 view; $3B ad spend dataset)
- Superads, Facebook Ads CPC benchmarks in Australia
- Meta Business Help Center, About ad auctions (bid, estimated action rates, ad quality)
- Meta Business Help Center, About payment thresholds for Meta ads
- Meta Business Help Center, About daily budgets
- Meta Business Help Center, Best practices for minimum budgets