Ad Costs & Benchmark Data in Bangladesh by Industry

Every business owner who dabbles in online ads eventually hits the same wall: “Am I paying too much, or is this just how it works?” That’s where ad costs and benchmarks step in. They’re not just industry jargon.

The beauty of benchmarks is that they give you context. Benchmarks transform raw costs into insights. With them, you can budget more confidently and measure yourself against a real-world standard.

In Bangladesh, these benchmarks carry an extra layer of intrigue. So, understanding ad costs and benchmarks in Bangladesh isn’t just about tallying clicks and conversions. They give you context about the “average rate” before you put your money on the table.

Key Metrics Explained

Source

Ad costs and benchmarks are basically the stock market of attention. Before we dive into acronyms that sound like secret government agencies, let’s get ad metrics straight.

CPC (Cost Per Click)

Think of CPC as the brokerage fee of digital ads. You pay when someone actually clicks on your ad, like buying a share at market price. High CPC means your ad space is in demand. Low CPC either means you’re a genius… or nobody wants your stock.

CPM (Cost per Mille)

Mille means 1,000, but this isn’t a car odometer; it’s impressions. CPM is how much you pay to show your ad 1,000 times, regardless of whether people notice it or not. Imagine paying rent for a billboard on a busy road. Sure, most commuters are doomscrolling instead of looking at it, but hey, you technically got exposure.

CPA/CPL (Cost Per Acquisition/Cost Per Lead)

This is the dividend payout. Instead of paying per eyeball or per click, you only pay when someone buys, signs up, or fills out forms with their “totally real” Gmail. It’s pricier, but at least you know your money brought home something tangible.

Conversion Rate

Clicks are cute, but conversions are what pay the bills. Conversion Rate tells you how many people not only clicked but also went all the way. For example, if someone buys your product or books a demo.

ROAS (Return on Ad Spend) / ROI

Think of ROAS as your report card for ads. If you spent 10,000 BDT and earned 30,000 from those ads, that’s a 3x ROAS. Easy math: for every 1 dime you spent, 3 came back. If it’s less than 1x, well… that’s bad news. ROI looks at total returns vs. costs across the board, not just ads. It’s best to work with a digital agency when you are trying to maximize ROI.

Factors That Affect Ad Costs in Bangladesh

Ad costs aren’t usually linear. It’s a tug-of-war between supply, demand, and how well you play the game. Here’s what makes the numbers go up or down in Bangladesh:

Competition Level

Credit

If your industry is crowded, costs will rise no matter how clever your targeting is. In other words, don’t cry about your CPC; cry about your landing page that doesn’t attract people. Not all industries fight on equal footing. They can be divided into 3 categories:

• High-competition zones: E-commerce, education, real estate, and finance. These sectors have dozens (if not hundreds) of advertisers chasing the same audiences every day. If you’re running Facebook ads for apartments in Bashundhara or IELTS coaching in Dhanmondi, expect your CPC to climb fast.
• Moderate competition: Food delivery, fashion boutiques, and mid-tier consumer goods. Competitive, yes, but the audience is big enough to spread costs out.
• Low-competition: Industrial equipment, agricultural tools, or your uncle’s handcrafted rickshaw art. Here, you can often run ads at bargain rates because hardly anyone else is trying. Your audience may be tiny, so cheap clicks don’t always mean high volume.

Targeting

Source

Targeting is where costs either stay reasonable or turn into daylight robbery. It all kind of comes down to how specific you want to get. Because there is geo-targeting, you can target devices, demographics, etc.

The broader your reach, the cheaper your clicks. However, just because it’s easy to boost posts, don’t think meaningful results are guaranteed. You can cast ads across the country with a tight budget, but you’ll inevitably waste a good portion of this on audiences far outside your market.

Narrowing down to specific groups sharpens the focus:

• Geography: Targeting all of Bangladesh is kind of futile because you’ll also reach people who couldn’t care less about your service in Rangpur when you only deliver in Dhaka. Narrow it down to Gulshan, Banani, and Baridhara, and suddenly you’re paying extra because those are the most competitive zones.
• Devices: Target iPhone users, and your costs will skyrocket. Not because they’re better people, but because they’re considered higher spenders. Android targeting is cheaper, but you’ll also catch a lot of people who aren’t interested in purchasing.
• Income & interests: The tighter the filter, the more competition. Everyone wants “young people with disposable income.” Nobody is fighting over “men over 55 who like pigeon racing.”

Ad Quality & Relevance

It’s true that a big part of ad spend indeed depends on who throws the most money on the table. But money alone cannot buy intrigue. Platforms like Meta and Google have no interest in showing content that bores users to death, so they build “quality scores” into the system.

If your ad gets strong engagement, the algorithm rewards you with cheaper costs because you’re making the platform look good. On the other hand, if your ad resembles a 2006 PowerPoint slide with clip art and Comic Sans, expect to pay what can only be described as a “boring tax.”

Relevance also matters. Showing winter jackets in July or promoting fine dining to relatively rural areas, and your budget will vanish before your eyes. High-quality, well-targeted ads don’t just look nice; they literally buy you cheaper reach.

Seasonality & Local Festivals

Advertising costs swell and shrink with the calendar. In Bangladesh, the peaks are predictable: Eid, Puja, Pohela Boishakh, and year-end shopping seasons. During these times, advertisers from every industry throw their hats in the ring, bidding wars break out, and your CPC or CPM rises sharply.

It’s simple supply and demand. The flip side is that quieter months can stretch your budget much further, especially if you’re in industries not tied to seasonal buying. Ignoring seasonality is not very wise because you’ll end up paying more simply because you picked the busiest week of the year. Smart advertisers don’t just spend more during festivals; they also plan campaigns before and after the rush, catching consumers when attention is high but costs aren’t inflated. 

Benchmark Data by Industry

Before we get into the nitty-gritty of ad costs, it helps to see some real numbers. Benchmarks give you a ballpark of what usually costs across different industries in Bangladesh. Keep in mind these aren’t “rules,” but rather averages pulled from live Google Ads campaigns.

Education

Because people often actively search for help (e.g., “IELTS class Dhaka”), competition is moderate to high. That gives a mid-level CPC (~ 5.6 BDT) and a decent CTR (~ 2.9 %). The conversion rates are relatively good (~ 3.6 %), since those who click often are more interested. But CPA is still not trivial (~ 157 BDT) because you’ve got to filter out casual clicks. Costs go higher when your course is niche or expensive; lower if you target mass audiences with affordable offerings.

Real Estate

The real estate industry has the most competitive people ever. CPCs are among the highest (~ 11.2 BDT), CTR is very low (~ 0.6 %) because most people clicking are just “window shopping,” and conversion rates dip (~ 0.9 %) because people take time and may not contact immediately. CPA is huge (~ 1,300 BDT). The costs shoot up because, per lead, the potential value is high. Bad location targeting or vague ads will make things much worse.

Fashion & Apparel

Here you get in the middle of the road. CPC ~ 6.3 BDT, CTR ~ 1.3 %, conversion ~ 1.9 %, CPA ~ 275 BDT. Because people are used to buying things online, you can get a decent flow. Costs go up when competition is stiff (fashion, electronics) or your targeting is too narrow. You can keep costs lower with good product images, fast checkout, and exciting promos.

Finance

The finance and insurance industry is high-risk but high-reward. CPC ~ 7.4 BDT, CTR ~ 0.5 %, very low conversion (~ 0.4 %), which drives CPA up (~ 2,000 BDT). People don’t jump into applying for a loan or insurance quickly, so your ad has to build trust. Costs shoot when the offer is weak, your landing page is poor, or targeting is off. They can be a little lower if you have strong brand equity and a very qualified audience.

Health & Medical

Advertising healthcare services comes with moderate to high CPCs and CPA. People click cautiously; a CTR around 2–3 % is common, but conversions tend to be lower because health decisions take time, and trust is key. Costs go up when targeting high-value services like specialty treatments or premium hospitals.

Home & Garden

The Home Appliances industry covers everything from furniture and décor to renovation services. CPCs are generally reasonable, CTRs can be healthy (3–4 %), and conversions are mid-range. Costs rise if your ads are targeted at high-income urban areas or promote premium products. Broad campaigns that show clear benefits—like “modern sofa set delivered in 3 days”—tend to keep costs manageable, while overly generic or poorly designed creatives inflate spend.

End Note

As a rough guide, CPCs often fall between 5–20 BDT, CTRs hover around 1–4 %, and CPAs vary depending on targeting, timing, and creative. Ad costs and benchmarks in Bangladesh can seem confusing at first. But knowing the typical numbers helps you set your goals. Some industries—like finance, real estate, and legal—naturally cost more per click or lead, while sectors like e-commerce, apparel, and education are generally easier on the wallet.

There is no alternative to testing, measuring, and optimizing. Don’t assume what works for someone else will work for you. Small tweaks in targeting, messaging, or timing can make a big difference.

At Ngital, we help businesses make sense of these numbers and turn campaigns into real results. Request a free audit today, and let’s figure out how your ads can perform better.