How Much Does Microsoft (Bing) Ads Cost Per Click Compared to Google Ads in 2026?

Microsoft (Bing) Ads cost an average of $1.54 per click across industries in 2026, roughly 33% to 42% cheaper than Google Ads' $5.42 average CPC, according to LocaliQ and WordStream's joint benchmark study of Google Ads and Microsoft Ads campaigns. Most individual industries fall between $1.50 and $2.80 per click on Microsoft Ads, compared with a $3.00-$5.50+ range for the same industries on Google.

Why Bing Is Consistently Cheaper

Microsoft Ads runs on a smaller share of total search volume than Google, so fewer advertisers compete for the same keyword auctions. That lighter competition is the main reason the CPC gap holds across almost every vertical, and the gap widens rather than narrows in expensive niches — in legal and insurance specifically, the CPC difference between the two platforms reaches as high as 46%, since those are categories where Google-side competition is already the most intense.

Cost Per Conversion Tells the Same Story

Looking at cost per conversion rather than cost per click confirms the pattern. Cost per conversion on Microsoft Ads ranges from about $15 in hospitality up to $73 in legal services, averaging roughly 31% lower than the same industries pay on Google Ads. Home services advertisers see an average cost per conversion near $21.68 on Microsoft Ads, notably below the $40+ that plumbing, HVAC, and roofing campaigns often pay per conversion on Google.

Where Microsoft Ads Outperforms on More Than Just Price

Cheaper clicks don't automatically mean a better return, but on several verticals Microsoft Ads also converts better. Automotive advertisers see the platform's highest click-through rate (5.1%) and conversion rate (5.2%) of any category. B2B advertisers in finance and insurance convert at 5.57% on Microsoft's desktop-heavy audience, versus 3.2% for the same category on Google Ads — likely reflecting Bing's older, more desktop-based user base, which historically skews toward the kind of research-driven behavior that precedes a B2B purchase decision.

What This Means for Budget Allocation

The overall average CPC and CPA gap makes Microsoft Ads worth testing as a secondary or parallel channel to Google Ads, particularly for advertisers in already-expensive Google categories like legal, home services, and B2B finance, where the platform's lighter competition translates into real savings rather than just a lower headline number. The catch is volume: Microsoft's smaller search share means daily click volume on equivalent budgets will typically run lower than Google, so it works best as a complement to an existing Google Ads account rather than a full replacement.

Bottom Line

Budget roughly $1.50-$2.80 per click for most industries on Microsoft Advertising in 2026, expect savings to be largest in legal, insurance, and home services, and validate the cheaper CPC against your own conversion rate before reallocating meaningful budget away from Google.

Sources: LocaliQ and WordStream's 2026 search advertising benchmark study (based on campaign data spanning Google Ads and Microsoft Ads); industry-level CPA and conversion-rate detail from Search Engine Land's and SearchLab's 2026 coverage of the same benchmark dataset.