Ramadan Facebook ads CPM: do costs rise, and how should you budget?

Nobody outside the platforms knows how much Ramadan moves ad prices, because Meta, TikTok and Google do not publish Ramadan CPM data. Prices are set by auction, so they can rise when many advertisers chase the same audience in the same weeks, but that effect varies by country, audience and product.

The useful answer is in your own account. This guide shows you how to read last Ramadan's costs, how to set a budget from your margins rather than from a guess, and how to spend less per sale when competition is high.

Do Facebook and Instagram ad costs go up during Ramadan?

There is no published figure, so treat any claim of a set percentage rise with caution. We searched for platform data on Ramadan CPMs and found none from Meta, TikTok, Google or Snap.

What we do know points both ways. Demand for attention rises: Google counted 7.2 billion searches in the Middle East and North Africa during Ramadan 2023, up 21% on 2022 (Google). But time spent on some apps rises too, which adds ad space. Snap reported that in Ramadan 2020, users in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait opened Snapchat 41 times a day and spent 77 minutes a day on it, about 20% more than the year before (Campaign Middle East). In Indonesia, Google reported YouTube watch time during sahur up 230% in Ramadan 2023 compared with before Ramadan (Google).

More competition and more ad space can cancel each other out, or not. Your account history is the only reliable guide for your audience.

How do you check your own Ramadan CPM?

Pull your results by day for the weeks before, during and after last Ramadan, and compare the three periods.

1. Open Ads Manager (or TikTok Ads Manager) and set the date range to cover the four weeks before last Ramadan through two weeks after Eid.
2. Use last year's dates for your community. For Ramadan 2026, the FCNA calculation gave a start of Thursday 19 February and Eid al-Fitr on Friday 20 March (moonsighting.com); your country may differ by a day.
3. Add the columns CPM, CPC, CTR, cost per result and results.
4. Break the report down by day and export it.
5. Average each column for three periods: before (22 January to 18 February 2026), Ramadan (19 February to 19 March) and after (20 March to 2 April).
6. Repeat for each country you advertise in, because the pattern can differ.

Fill in a table like this:

If you did not advertise last Ramadan, run a small test campaign in the warm-up weeks (from about 18 January 2027) and use that as your baseline. Watch CPM and cost per result daily once Ramadan starts.

Does a higher CPM mean worse results?

No. A higher CPM only matters if it raises your cost per sale, and better creative can offset it. CPM is the price of a thousand impressions, while your profit depends on how many of those impressions turn into orders.

Worked example (illustrative numbers, not benchmarks). Cost per purchase equals CPM divided by (1,000 × CTR × conversion rate).

A 25% CPM rise in this example raises cost per purchase by 25% if nothing else changes. A clearer ad or a better product page brings it back down. That is why the most useful Ramadan spend is often on creative and landing pages as well as media. For ideas on what to put in the ad, see Ramadan ad ideas by business type.

How much should a small business budget for Ramadan ads?

Set the budget from what you can afford to pay per sale, then multiply by the sales you want. Starting from a round number ("£1,000 for Ramadan") tells you nothing about whether it will pay back.

Worked example (made-up brand). Zaytun Home, an online Islamic homeware shop.

Then spread the budget across the season. Our Ramadan 2027 ad calendar gives a worked split, weighted towards the first week and the run-up to Eid. In Indonesia, a Google and Ipsos study found nearly half of Ramadan purchases happen in the first week (Google), so a budget that saves everything for late Ramadan can miss buyers.

If your cost per purchase is above your target for three or four days in a row, change the ad or the audience before adding money.

What are the minimum budgets on TikTok?

TikTok's help centre says a daily budget must exceed $50 at campaign level and $20 at ad group level (TikTok). Across the 29 days of Ramadan 2027, a single ad group on the minimum daily budget comes to more than $580. If that is more than your whole budget, put your money into Meta and post organic content on TikTok instead.

Can you schedule a budget increase for peak days?

Yes, on Meta. Meta's developer documentation describes budget scheduling, which lets you "schedule budget increases for your campaign or ad set budget based on days or times when you anticipate higher sales opportunities, peak traffic periods or other promotional time periods" (Meta for Developers). Use it to raise spend for Ramadan week one and the last ten nights without editing the campaign by hand each day.

How can you lower your cost per sale in Ramadan?

You cannot control the auction, but you can control what you show and to whom.

• Start warm-up ads early. Ads from about 18 January build an audience of people who have engaged with you, which you can retarget once Ramadan begins.
• Test several creatives. TikTok recommends 3 to 5 creatives per ad group (TikTok). Replace ads that tire rather than raising the budget behind them.
• Use click-to-message ads where gifts are involved. In a Meta and YouGov study reported by Arab News, 65% of Saudi and 67% of UAE shoppers felt more connected to a brand through instant messaging during Ramadan and Eid.
• Advertise in your customers' languages. Meta's multi-language ads let you supply text per language, and Meta shows "the right language version to the right people" (Meta for Developers).
• Fix the page before the ad. Stock levels, delivery dates and prices on your product page should match the ad.

Can you target Muslims to cut wasted spend?

No. Meta removed detailed targeting options based on religious practices and groups from 19 January 2022 (Meta). Google does not allow advertiser-curated audiences for ads in its "religious beliefs" category, which includes religious products (Google). TikTok bans advertisers from wrongfully targeting or excluding users by religion (TikTok).

Reach the right people through what you sell instead: location, language, interests in your product category and your own customer and website audiences. Copy also has limits on Meta; see can you say "Muslim" in a Facebook ad?.

Where does creative cost fit in the budget?

Creative is part of your Ramadan cost, and you will need more of it than usual because you are refreshing ads every week or two. Count designer time or tool costs in the same plan as your media spend. Adrizq's free plan gives 5 image ads a month with no card, and paid plans are listed on the pricing page.

Your Ramadan budget checklist

1. Export last Ramadan's daily CPM, CTR and cost per result, and compare before, during and after.
2. Work out your break-even cost per purchase from your average order value and margin.
3. Set a target cost per purchase below break-even and a sales goal.
4. Multiply to get your budget, then split it across warm-up, Ramadan and Eid.
5. Check TikTok's minimum budgets before planning spend there.
6. Schedule budget increases for week one and the last ten nights.
7. Prepare 3 to 5 creatives per product line so you can swap tired ads.
8. Review cost per purchase daily and change creative before adding budget.

Frequently asked questions

Do Facebook ad costs go up during Ramadan?

There is no published data on Ramadan CPMs from Meta or any other platform, so nobody can honestly give a fixed percentage. Prices are set by auction and can rise when more advertisers compete, but time spent on apps can rise too. The reliable answer is in your own account: compare last Ramadan's daily CPM with the four weeks before.

How much should I spend on Ramadan ads?

Work it out from your margins. Take your average order value, multiply by your gross margin to get the most you can pay per sale, set a lower target to leave profit, then multiply that target by the number of orders you want. Spread the result across the warm-up, Ramadan itself and the run-up to Eid.

Is it better to advertise before or during Ramadan?

Both. Warm-up ads in the two to three weeks before Ramadan build an audience you can retarget cheaply later, and many purchases are planned in advance. A Google and Ipsos study found nearly half of Indonesian Ramadan purchases happen in the first week, so your main selling budget needs to be live from the first day of Ramadan.

What is the minimum budget for TikTok ads in Ramadan?

TikTok's help centre says a daily budget must exceed 50 US dollars at campaign level and 20 US dollars at ad group level. Running one ad group on the minimum for the 29 days of Ramadan 2027 costs more than 580 dollars. If your budget is smaller, Meta with organic TikTok posts is usually the more practical mix.

Can I target Muslims on Facebook to lower my costs?

No. Meta removed detailed targeting options based on religious practices and groups in January 2022, and its rules also ban ad copy that asserts or implies a viewer's religion. Reach customers through location, language, product interests and your own customer and website audiences, and let the product and the timing of your ads do the work.