The most common question we get from new clients: how much should I spend on ads? The answer depends on your market, your margins, and your sales cycle. But here are the benchmarks we see working in Costa Rica.
Meta (Facebook & Instagram)
For B2C businesses targeting the GAM (Gran Area Metropolitana), we see effective campaigns starting at $300-500/month. Tourism and hospitality brands with international audiences typically need $800-2,000/month to move the needle. The CPM in Costa Rica averages $3-6 USD, significantly lower than US markets.
Google Search & Display
Google Search works best for high-intent queries: "hotel jaco costa rica", "abogado laboralista san jose". CPC in Spanish-language Costa Rica queries runs $0.30-1.50, but English-language tourism keywords can hit $3-8. A minimum viable budget for search is $500/month with tight keyword targeting.
The Real Question
Budget matters less than unit economics. If you spend $500 and generate $5,000 in pipeline, the budget question answers itself. Start small, measure cost per lead, and scale what works. We help clients set up the tracking to know exactly which dollar produced which result.