Australia & New Zealand paid media benchmarks
Across Australian and New Zealand accounts managed by Carter Media, Google Ads cost per lead ranges from $48 in home services to $310 in B2B, while e-commerce Search and Shopping returns between 3.1x and 7.4x ROAS. Meta Ads lead costs run $18 to $110 depending on category. Figures below are aggregated medians and interquartile ranges, updated August 2026.
paid media managed across Australia and New Zealand since 2020
tracked client revenue generated from that spend
brands across e-commerce, lead generation, SaaS and trades
Google Ads benchmarks by industry
| Segment | Avg CPC (AUD) | Avg CPL (AUD) | Conv. rate | ROAS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home services / trades | $6.80 – $14.20 | $48 – $135 | 8.5% – 14% | n/a (lead gen) |
| E-commerce (Search + Shopping) | $0.75 – $2.10 | n/a | 1.8% – 4.2% | 3.1x – 7.4x |
| B2B services | $4.20 – $11.60 | $95 – $310 | 3.9% – 7.1% | n/a (lead gen) |
| SaaS (trial signups) | $3.10 – $9.80 | $60 – $220 | 2.6% – 6.0% | n/a (CAC-led) |
| Professional services | $5.40 – $13.00 | $70 – $260 | 4.5% – 9.0% | n/a (lead gen) |
Meta Ads benchmarks by campaign type
| Segment | Avg CPC (AUD) | Avg CPL (AUD) | Conv. rate | ROAS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| E-commerce prospecting | $0.55 – $1.60 | n/a | 1.1% – 2.8% | 1.8x – 4.2x |
| E-commerce retargeting | $0.40 – $1.20 | n/a | 3.5% – 8.0% | 5.0x – 12x |
| Lead gen (on-platform forms) | $0.70 – $2.20 | $18 – $85 | 6.0% – 13% | n/a (lead gen) |
| Local services | $0.80 – $2.40 | $32 – $110 | 4.0% – 9.5% | n/a (lead gen) |
Methodology
Ranges are calculated from Carter Media’s managed Google Ads and Meta Ads accounts serving Australian and New Zealand audiences over the trailing twelve months. Accounts with fewer than 30 conversions per month are excluded to avoid small-sample distortion. Values shown are the 25th to 75th percentile of account-level monthly medians in Australian dollars, exclusive of GST and management fees. Return on ad spend is platform-reported and will read higher than blended ROAS measured in your own accounts.
Citation
Free to cite with attribution: “Carter Media, Australia & New Zealand Paid Media Benchmarks 2026, cartermedia.com.au/benchmarks”.