Cost per impression
Divide the CPM by 1,000 and you get the cost of one impression. With a $5 CPM, one view comes to half a cent.
Cost per impression formula
- Cost per impression = CPM ÷ 1,000
- Cost per impression = cost ÷ impressions
The two lines agree on the price of a single view. If you know the CPM, use the first line. If you know what the campaign cost and how many times the ad was shown, use the second.
Cost per impression at common CPMs
| CPM | Cost per impression | Impressions per $100 |
|---|---|---|
| $0.50 | $0.0005 | 200,000 |
| $1.00 | $0.0010 | 100,000 |
| $2.00 | $0.0020 | 50,000 |
| $5.00 | $0.0050 | 20,000 |
| $8.00 | $0.0080 | 12,500 |
| $10.00 | $0.0100 | 10,000 |
| $12.50 | $0.0125 | 8,000 |
| $16.00 | $0.0160 | 6,250 |
| $20.00 | $0.0200 | 5,000 |
| $33.80 | $0.0338 | 2,959 |
| $50.00 | $0.0500 | 2,000 |
From August 2025 through July 2026, Triple Whale, a company selling software to online stores, reported a typical Instagram and Facebook CPM of $15.06 (Triple Whale). At that rate, one view costs $0.0151.
From a price per impression to CPM
Some sellers give a price for every single view. Multiply that price by 1,000 to compare it against a CPM.
| Price per impression | CPM |
|---|---|
| $0.0010 | $1.00 |
| $0.0020 | $2.00 |
| $0.0050 | $5.00 |
| $0.0100 | $10.00 |
| $0.0200 | $20.00 |
Why ad prices are quoted per 1,000 views
A single view is priced at a fraction of a cent, and that figure is hard to read and even harder to compare. A single view costs $0.0050, and 1,000 views come to $5.00, so ad platforms quote their rates as a CPM.
The CPM formula page also explains how to calculate the cost or impressions.