Google Ads in Australia costs $0.75 to $2.10 per click for e-commerce and $4.20 to $14.20 per click for lead generation, producing an average cost per lead of $48 in home services up to $310 in B2B. E-commerce Search and Shopping returns 3.1x to 7.4x ROAS, while Meta Ads costs $0.40 to $2.40 per click and $18 to $110 per lead. Figures are aggregated medians and interquartile ranges from Australian and New Zealand accounts managed by Carter Media, 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
Enter your monthly ad spend and pick the closest segment to see the expected click, lead, ROAS and revenue ranges based on the Australian and New Zealand benchmarks published on this page.
Google Ads · CPC $1–$2 · conv. rate 1.8%–4.2%
Estimates use the 25th–75th percentile ranges from the tables below, exclusive of GST and management fees. Platform-reported ROAS reads higher than blended ROAS — see the blended ROAS definition and book a free ads audit for a modelled forecast on your own account data.
Across Australian and New Zealand accounts we manage, Google Ads costs $0.75 to $2.10 per click for e-commerce and $4.20 to $14.20 per click for lead generation categories such as trades, B2B and professional services. Most small and mid-sized advertisers spend $3,000 to $30,000 per month in media, and the practical minimum to gather enough conversion data for automated bidding is roughly $2,000 per month.
The average Google Ads cost per click in Australia is about $0.75 to $2.10 for e-commerce Search and Shopping, and $4.20 to $14.20 for high-value service categories. Meta Ads is materially cheaper at $0.40 to $2.40 per click, because it is interruption rather than intent traffic.
Average cost per lead in Australia ranges from $48 to $135 on Google Ads for home services and trades, $70 to $260 for professional services and $95 to $310 for B2B. Meta Ads lead forms produce cheaper leads at $18 to $110, though they typically qualify at a lower rate than search leads.
The average Google Ads landing page conversion rate in our AU/NZ accounts is 1.8% to 4.2% for e-commerce and 3.9% to 14% for lead generation, with trades and home services at the top of that range. Anything below 2% on a lead generation account usually points at a landing page or call-tracking problem rather than a bidding one.
A good ROAS is anything above your break-even, which equals 1 divided by your gross margin — a 40% margin store breaks even at 2.5x. Australian and New Zealand e-commerce accounts on Google Search and Shopping typically return 3.1x to 7.4x, Meta prospecting 1.8x to 4.2x and Meta retargeting 5x to 12x.
Meta Ads in Australia cost $0.40 to $2.40 per click depending on objective and audience, with e-commerce retargeting cheapest and local service prospecting most expensive. Cost per lead through on-platform forms runs $18 to $85, and conversion rates sit between 1.1% and 13% depending on campaign type.
| 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) |
| 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) |
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.
Free to cite with attribution: “Carter Media, Australia & New Zealand Paid Media Benchmarks 2026, cartermedia.com.au/benchmarks”.
