Average ad budget by industry in Quebec
In Quebec, a service SMB generally invests between $500 and $6,000 per month in online advertising (Google Ads and Meta Ads combined), depending on the industry. Competitive sectors like automotive and real estate often exceed $3,000 per month, while niche local services hover around $500 to $1,500. These figures come from the accounts I manage for Quebec SMBs over 12 months: it's what businesses actually spend, a reference point, not a prescription.
The table: monthly ad budget by industry
Here is the monthly ad budget observed by sector (Google Ads and Meta Ads combined), across the accounts I manage in Quebec. The amounts are rounded and presented as ranges, because they rest on one or a few real accounts per industry.
| Industry | Monthly budget (Google + Meta) |
|---|---|
| Auto dealership and sales | ~$6,000 |
| Real estate (broker) | $3,500 to $5,500 |
| Window film and tinting | ~$3,000 |
| Windows and doors | ~$2,250 |
| Moving | ~$2,000 |
| Fitness and gym | $250 to $1,700 |
| Commercial cleaning and maintenance | ~$1,600 |
| Air conditioning and heating (HVAC) | ~$1,550 |
| Construction and renovation | $500 to $1,450 |
| Landscaping | ~$1,200 |
| Spa and aesthetics | ~$1,100 |
| Glass and glazing | ~$1,050 |
| Seniors' residence | ~$650 |
| Private health clinic | ~$450 |
| Travel | ~$350 |
Important: these are budgets actually spent, not recommended amounts. A small budget can perform very well in a high-contract trade (a glass company or a renovation contractor turns a profit on a single contract), and a big budget guarantees nothing without good targeting. Each sector rests on one or a few real accounts measured in Quebec over the 12 months preceding June 2026: orders of magnitude, not national averages.
Ad budget or management fees: don't confuse them
The amounts above are the ad budget: the money that goes directly to Google and Meta to run your ads. That's not the same thing as management fees, what you pay the person who builds and optimizes your campaigns. The two are separate and add up. For management rates in Quebec, see how much Google Ads management costs in Quebec.
How many leads for your budget?
This is where the budget gets concrete. The math: monthly budget divided by your industry's cost per lead gives the number of expected leads per month. A few examples drawn from my data:
- Windows and doors: about $2,250 of budget at a cost per lead of around $54 gives about 40 leads per month.
- Spa and aesthetics: about $1,100 at a cost per appointment of around $18 gives about 60 appointments per month.
- Construction and renovation: about $1,000 at a cost per lead of $75 to $300 gives 3 to 13 leads per month, but at very high value per contract.
For real costs per lead by sector, see the cost per lead by industry in Quebec. It's Cross-referencing the two (budget and cost per lead) is how you know how many customers an investment can generate.
How these figures are calculated
The data comes from the Google Ads and Meta Ads accounts I manage for SMBs in Quebec, over the last 12 months. For each account, I took the total ad spend (what's paid to the platforms), brought it down to a monthly amount, then grouped it by industry. Everything is anonymized and rounded into ranges. These amounts reflect real investment choices, specific to each business and its market: they serve as a benchmark, not a rule.
What budget will reach your goals?
I can estimate a realistic budget for your industry and your goals, then build the campaigns and tracking to get the most leads out of it.
Book a consultationFrequently asked questions about ad budgets in Quebec
How much should an SMB spend on online advertising per month in Quebec?
In Quebec, a service SMB generally invests between $500 and $6,000 per month in online advertising (Google Ads and Meta Ads combined), depending on the industry. Competitive sectors like automotive and real estate often exceed $3,000 per month, while niche local services hover around $500 to $1,500. These figures come from the accounts I manage for Quebec SMBs over 12 months: it's what businesses actually spend, not a prescription. The right budget depends on your goals and your cost per lead.
What's the difference between the ad budget and management fees?
The ad budget is the money that goes directly to Google and Meta to run your ads. Management fees are what you pay the person who builds and optimizes your campaigns. The two are separate: if you invest $2,000 per month in advertising, that amount goes to the platforms, and management is added on top. In Quebec, management packages start around $1,500 per month. Mixing the two completely distorts your profitability math.
What's the minimum budget to get started with Google Ads in Quebec?
For local Google Ads Search, you generally need at least $1,000 per month of ad budget in Quebec, long enough to generate enough data to optimize. Below that, you focus everything on a single high-intent campaign rather than spreading across several. A budget that's too thin runs on too few searches for the algorithm to learn, and results stay unstable.
Does the ad budget really change by industry?
Yes, a lot. On the accounts I manage in Quebec, the monthly budget ranges from about $350 for a niche service to more than $6,000 for an auto dealership. The reason: the more competitive an industry is and the more a customer is worth, the more you have to invest to stay visible in the auction. A glass company or a renovation contractor can have a small budget but an excellent return, because a single contract is worth thousands of dollars.
How do I know if my ad budget is enough?
Your budget is enough when it generates enough leads to hit your sales goals, at a cost per lead that's profitable for your margin. The math is simple: monthly budget divided by your industry's cost per lead gives the number of expected leads. For example, a $2,000 budget with a $50 cost per lead gives about 40 leads per month. If that number isn't enough for your goals, it's the budget or the targeting you need to adjust, not just one of the two.