What Does an Online Class Really Cost in Data in Nigeria?

Online classes can save you transport money and time. But there's a cost people don't always count: data. How much does one class really use, and what does that cost in naira?

Here are the plain numbers, worked out for you.

How much data a video class uses

Zoom and Google Meet both publish how much internet speed their calls need. By our sum, turning those speeds into data gives roughly this, for one hour:

• Zoom, one-to-one, normal quality: about 540MB
• Zoom, one-to-one, HD (720p): about 1.1GB
• Zoom, group class, HD: up to about 2GB
• Google Meet, HD (720p): up to about 1.5GB
• Zoom, audio only: about 54 to 72MB
• Google Meet, audio only: about 90MB

These are the companies' recommended or maximum figures. Real use is often lower, because the apps lower the quality when your network is weak. But they're a good guide for planning.

Look at the gap. By our sum, one hour of HD video on Zoom uses about 15 to 20 times more data than one hour of audio only.

What that costs in naira

We checked MTN's own price list on 3 November 2026. On its 20GB monthly plan at ₦7,500, data works out to about ₦375 per GB.

By our sum, at that price:

• One hour of HD Zoom (about 1.1GB) costs about ₦405.
• One hour of normal-quality Zoom (about 540MB) costs about ₦200.
• One hour of audio only costs about ₦20 to ₦27.

Now look at bundle size. MTN's 2GB monthly plan costs ₦1,500, which is about ₦750 per GB. Its 250GB plan costs ₦55,000, about ₦220 per GB. By our sum, the small bundle costs more than three times as much per GB as the big one. So the same one-hour HD class could cost about ₦810 on a small bundle.

MTN also lists a 1GB daily plan for ₦200 on its myMTN app. It only lasts 24 hours, but on a class day, it's one of the cheapest options on the list.

A month of classes

Say a student has three one-hour HD classes a week. By our sum, that's about 3.3GB a week, or about 13GB a month.

Here's a surprise. NCC figures for August 2026 show the average Nigerian internet user used about 11.4GB that whole month. So three HD classes a week would use more than an average user's entire month of data.

On MTN's 16.5GB plan at ₦6,500, by our sum that's about 9% of the ₦70,000 minimum wage, just for classes.

For teachers, it adds up faster. A teacher running 20 one-hour group classes a month in HD could use up to about 40GB. By our sum, that's up to about ₦15,000 a month at ₦375 per GB.

Why data got more expensive

In January 2025, the NCC approved price increases of up to 50% for phone and data services. It was the first change since 2013. Networks raised prices soon after. For example, Nairametrics reported that MTN's 20GB plan went from ₦5,500 to ₦7,500. By our sum, that's a 36% rise.

Prices on other networks differ. Airtel and Glo published new plans in 2025, and 9mobile is now called T2. Check your network's app or dial its data code for today's prices.

How to cut your data bill

1. Turn off HD. In Zoom, untick "Enable HD" in the video settings. In Google Meet, choose 360p.
2. Use audio only when you can. Google Meet lets you choose "Audio only" for what you receive. It uses a tiny fraction of the data.
3. Turn your camera off when you don't need it. Cornell University's IT team lists this as one of the easiest savings.
4. Stop screen sharing when you're not using it.
5. Close other apps. Stop downloads, updates and video streaming during class.
6. Buy bigger bundles if you can. Per GB, they're much cheaper than small daily ones.
7. Download recordings on Wi-Fi. If your class is recorded, watch it later on a free or cheaper connection.

What about electricity?

Data usually costs far more than the power for your device. Here's how to check for yourself. Look at the watts printed on your charger. Then:

watts × hours ÷ 1,000 = units of electricity (kWh)

Multiply that by your electricity tariff. For example, a 50-watt laptop charger used for one hour is 0.05 units. At the Band A rate of ₦209.50 a unit set in July 2024, that's about ₦10. By our sum, that's about 40 times less than the ₦405 of data for the same hour of HD video. Check your own tariff, because rates differ by area and band.

The bottom line

An online class is still usually cheaper than transport to a lesson across town. But plan your data like you plan your fees. Choose the lowest quality that still works, buy the biggest bundle you can afford, and use audio only when seeing faces doesn't matter.

Scholarleveling's live classroom is built for Nigerian networks. It keeps students' video small and drops to lower quality automatically when the network is weak, to save data.

Read next: how Nigerian teachers earn dollars from home, or what a Nigerian tutor online really costs.