Here's the pleasant surprise when you ask how much do Bing ads cost: they're usually cheaper than Google. Now called Microsoft Advertising, Bing's cost per click typically runs 20-35% lower than the same keyword on Google, with CPCs often landing between $1 and $4 for local services versus $3-$8 on Google.
Why it's cheaper
Less competition. Bing has a smaller share of search, so fewer advertisers are bidding on each keyword. Lower demand means lower prices. You're reaching a smaller audience, but you're paying less to reach each person in it.
The audience you're actually getting
Bing's users skew a bit older and more affluent, and a lot of them are on Windows machines with Edge and Bing set as defaults at work. For some businesses that's a genuinely good customer profile — and one you're not fighting as hard to reach.
- Typical local CPC: $1-$4
- Minimum to start: effectively none — set any daily budget
- Realistic test budget: $300-$800/month
The honest catch
Volume. Bing simply has fewer searches than Google, so even at a lower cost per click, you'll get fewer total leads. It's rarely a standalone channel for a small business — there just isn't enough traffic. It's an add-on that stretches your budget further.
The easiest reason to try it
You can import your Google Ads campaigns straight into Microsoft Advertising in a few clicks. If Google is already working, cloning it to Bing costs you almost no setup time and often produces leads at a lower cost. That's about as close to free money as paid ads get.
Who should bother
If your Google campaigns are profitable and you've maxed out the good traffic there, Bing is an easy next step to capture cheaper clicks you're otherwise missing. If you haven't started with search at all yet, begin with Google where the volume is — our cost guides like Google Ads costs for HVAC companies show what to expect — then mirror the winners onto Bing.
Bottom line: Bing ads cost less per click but deliver less volume. Treat it as a low-effort extension of a working Google campaign, not a replacement. If you want help running both cleanly, here's how Arbor runs your ads.