Cost per lead by industry in the US#
WordStream’s 2026 report, updated on September 15, 2026, covers 452 US campaigns aimed at leads that ran from April 2025, with at least four campaigns in each category. Each figure is a median, the middle value, so half of the campaigns in a category paid more.
All industries, $27.39
- Career and employment$12.30, The 2025 report: $17.64
- Real estate$13.74, The 2025 report: $16.61
- Education and instruction$26.31, The 2025 report: $28.22
- Health and fitness$27.11, The 2025 report: $52.98
- Physicians and surgeons$32.14, The 2025 report: $47.47
- Home and home improvement$42.95, The 2025 report: $41.26
- Beauty and personal care$50.91, The 2025 report: $51.42
- Dentists and dental services$61.56, The 2025 report: $76.71
Health and fitness fell from $52.98 to $27.11 in one year, most likely because the campaigns in the sample changed. A benchmark built from a few campaigns per category moves a lot from year to year. Restaurants and food ($3.16) and attorneys and legal services ($18.17) appear in the 2025 report and are missing from the 2026 leads tables. Treat the restaurant figure with care, because in the 2025 report a category could rest on as few as two campaigns.
WebFX’s 2026 pricing page puts a US lead lower, at typically $8 to $25, and higher for a business that sells to other businesses. A store that counts orders rather than inquiries starts from the price of a click, and WordStream’s report puts a typical click at $0.60 across its 22 industries, in US campaigns aimed at website visits.
What Facebook ads cost in the UK#
Startups.co.uk (February 2026) and Whito (September 2026) do not state the data behind their figures, so treat them as rough.
| Measure | Startups.co.uk | Whito |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per click | 30p to £2 or more, average 43p | 72p |
| Cost to show the ad 1,000 times | £5 to £15, average £6.60 | £8.50 |
| Cost per lead | £10 to £40 or more, average £17.60 | £8 to £25, with under £10 called good |
Superads, which reports on ad accounts that use its own product, gives monthly median costs per lead for the UK from July 2025 to July 2026 that average about £37.80, with single months from £17.46 to £59.71. Estimates for UK trades alone are on Tradespeople in the UK.
Meta’s 2% location fee
Meta lists a 2% fee for ads delivered in the United Kingdom, to cover digital services taxes and similar costs. The fee is separate from your campaign budget and appears as its own line on the invoice. It follows where your audience is, wherever your business is based, so a £300 month of ads shown in the UK carries a £6 fee.
VAT
Meta says your daily budget does not include any VAT charged on your ad purchases. The UK standard rate is 20%, and how it reaches you depends on what your receipt says:
- If the ads were sold through Meta’s office in your country and you buy for business purposes, Meta adds VAT to the cost.
- If they were sold by Meta Platforms Ireland and you buy for business purposes, Meta does not add VAT, and you are required to account for it yourself at your local rate.
- If you buy for non-business purposes, Meta applies VAT.
Meta works VAT out on the ad cost plus the location fee. Whether you can reclaim it depends on whether your business is VAT-registered, which is a question for your accountant.
A worked month
A business sets £10 a day, and its ads are shown only in the UK.
| Ads, 30 days at £10 | £300.00 |
| Location fee at 2% | £6.00 |
| Subtotal | £306.00 |
| VAT at 20%, if Meta adds it | £61.20 |
| Total charged | £367.20 |
A business that is not VAT-registered should plan for the full £367. A VAT-registered business can usually treat the £61 like other VAT, and should confirm that with its accountant. The daily figure moves too. Meta may spend up to 75% more than a daily budget on one day, so £10 a day can mean £17.50 on a busy Saturday and less on other days.
Paying someone to run the ads comes on top of Meta’s invoice; see what agencies and freelancers charge.
Why the figures disagree#
The sources count different things. A lead can be a form filled out on Facebook, an inquiry on a website or a message, so two sources can mean different things by one lead. They also measure different advertisers. One reports on its own customers, and another gives a general average.
The sums differ as well. A median and an average give different answers when a few campaigns pay a great deal, and a category built from four campaigns says little about any one business. Even a single source moves within a year, as Superads’ monthly UK figures show.
Why your own leads may cost more#
A benchmark cannot tell you what your leads will cost. Your price, your photos, your page and your area decide that. A cost per lead goes up when:
- The area or audience is narrow
- There are fewer people to show the ad to.
- The trade is crowded
- More advertisers want the same people.
- The ad is weak
- When few people respond to it, each result costs more.
- The count is strict
- Counting only inquiries that could become work gives a higher cost per lead, closer to what a customer costs you.
A benchmark also says nothing about whether a lead is any good. Set these figures against the most you can afford to pay for a lead, which comes from what you would spend to win a customer. The sums and a calculator are in How much should you spend on Facebook ads?. After a month of ads, plan with your own cost per lead instead of any benchmark.
Your own cost per lead in Madder#
Madder is in early access and has no cost figures of its own to publish yet. In the product you see your own cost per lead, counted from the actions you chose. The spend Madder shows is what Meta reports for your campaigns, in your account’s currency. Meta bills your own ad account, so its invoice, with the UK fee and VAT lines, comes to you. Early access is free and invites US businesses first; UK owners can join the waitlist now.
Questions owners ask#
What is the average cost per lead on Facebook ads?
WordStream’s 2026 report puts the typical figure at $27.39 across US industries, from 452 campaigns. In the UK, Startups.co.uk gives an average of £17.60 and Superads’ monthly medians average about £37.80 (why they differ).
How much do Facebook ads cost in the UK?
You set the budget, and How much should you spend on Facebook ads? works it out from what a customer is worth. UK guides published in 2026 quote 43p to 72p for an average click and £8 to £40 or more for a lead, and Meta’s 2% location fee and VAT come on top of the budget.
Is there VAT on Facebook ads in the UK?
Yes, at the UK standard rate of 20%. Meta either adds it to your invoice or, for business purchases sold by Meta Platforms Ireland, leaves you to account for it yourself.
What is the 2% fee on my Facebook ads invoice?
It is Meta’s location fee for ads shown to people in the United Kingdom. Meta lists it at 2% and shows it as a line of its own, separate from your budget.
Why is my cost per lead higher than the benchmark?
Often because you count differently. A benchmark that counts every form sent includes people who never answer, while your own count may hold only the inquiries that could become work.