For a long time, ChatGPT Plus felt like one of the few global subscriptions that actually worked for Nigerians. It was affordable enough to keep and useful enough to matter. But starting October 16, 2025, that balance changes as the monthly cost is jumping from ₦9,900 to ₦31,500, more than triple the old rate.
It’s the kind of leap that makes you double-check, maybe even wonder if it’s a typo. But it’s not. At ₦31,500, nearly half of Nigeria’s minimum wage, a tool once seen as accessible suddenly feels out of reach.
For professionals like writers, developers, or designers who rely on ChatGPT Plus daily to run their business, the hike hurts but might still count as a cost of staying productive in an AI-powered economy. For everyday users, the jump could be a dealbreaker. What used to be a bridge to opportunity could soon feel like a wall, deepening the gap between those who can afford AI and those who can’t.
Imagine paying for ChatGPT ₦31K to do a social media job that pays you ₦80K and for an employer that makes less than ₦1M in sales monthly. pic.twitter.com/z1u6TyxZZz
DON'T MISS
— Princewill (@ThePakuma) October 6, 2025
OpenAI says the move is part of a global realignment, pegging Nigerian users to the same $20 monthly rate as the U.S. and other markets. Until now, Nigeria had one of the lowest subscription tiers in the world. That discount is gone, and with the naira’s volatility, “standardizing” effectively means paying more for less stability.
It’s not just about exchange rates either. Platform fees and payment restrictions could make the final cost even steeper. From OpenAI’s perspective, it’s efficiency. From a local lens, it feels like exclusion dressed up as policy.
The good news, though, is that ChatGPT’s free tier will remain, but without access to GPT-4.5 access thanks to the hike, some users may turn to more affordable tools like Claude, Gemini, or open-source models. Others might share accounts or simply drop off altogether. Either way, Nigeria’s growing AI community, one of the most active in Africa, stands to lose momentum just as it was finding its stride.
OpenAI adds Instant Checkout so you can shop directly on ChatGPT
It could turn ChatGPT into a new kind of storefront, starting with Etsy purchases in the U.S. and expanding soon to Shopify’s millions of merchants.
Ultimately, this isn’t only about subscription math. It’s about whether global tech companies can expand in emerging markets without pricing out the people driving early adoption. Nigeria’s freelancers, creators, and students have turned AI tools into everyday utilities; not just for curiosity, but for survival in an increasingly digital economy.
If affordability vanishes, innovation slows, and inclusion becomes a buzzword instead of a goal. Because when the new price takes effect on October 16, the real question won’t be “Can you afford ChatGPT Plus?” It’ll be “Who is AI really being built for?”
