I couldn't afford ChatGPT in the Philippines — so I switched to P112/month AI

I couldn't afford ChatGPT in the Philippines - so I switched to P112/month AI ChatGPT costs P1,120/month in the Philippines. For a fresh graduate in Manila earning ₱18,000/month, that's 6% of your salary - just for one AI tool. I was a web developer doing freelance work on Upwork. I needed AI assistance for code reviews, writing, and client communications. ChatGPT would have been useful. But P1,120/month wasn't something I could justify when I was also paying for internet, rent near BGC, and trying to save something each month. So I looked for alternatives.