OpenAI: GPT-5 Nano API Pricing
OpenAI: GPT-5 Nano costs $0.050 per 1M input tokens and $0.400 per 1M output tokens (cache reads: $0.0050). Context window: 400K. Prices verified 2026-10-21 · source
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Intelligence measures reasoning/knowledge/coding benchmarks. A high score with a low blended price = value pick; check the value chart to see where this model lands.
Token economics
| Token type | Price | vs base input |
|---|---|---|
| Standard input | $0.050 | — |
| Cache read | $0.0050 | −90% |
| Output | $0.400 | — |
| Web search tool | $10/1k searches | — |
Prompt caching stores repeated context server-side: reads cost far less, but writes carry a one-time premium.
Higher effort = deeper thinking = more reasoning tokens billed as output.
Training data ends here — newer events require retrieval or web search.
What would OpenAI: GPT-5 Nano cost you per month?
| Workload | Requests/mo | Avg tokens (in/out) | Est. monthly cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Light chatbot | 10,000 | 800 / 400 | $2.00 |
| Coding agent | 5,000 | 8,000 / 2,000 | $6.00 |
| RAG pipeline | 30,000 | 4,000 / 500 | $12.00 |
| Doc summarizer | 2,000 | 20,000 / 1,000 | $2.80 |
Estimates use list prices without prompt caching. Caching can cut input cost by up to 90% on repeated context.
About OpenAI: GPT-5 Nano
GPT-5-Nano is the smallest and fastest variant in the GPT-5 system, optimized for developer tools, rapid interactions, and ultra-low latency environments. While limited in reasoning depth compared to its larger...
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Frequently asked questions
How much does OpenAI: GPT-5 Nano cost?
OpenAI: GPT-5 Nano costs $0.050 per 1M input tokens and $0.400 per 1M output tokens; cached input tokens cost $0.0050 per 1M. Verified 2026-10-21 — provider source.
What is the context window?
400K tokens, with up to 128K output tokens per response. That's roughly 500 pages of text in a single request.
Does it support prompt caching?
Yes — cached input is $0.0050/1M, about 90% cheaper than standard input. Agents and RAG workloads with repeated context benefit most.
What's a cheaper alternative?
Mistral: Mistral Nemo saves about 80% on a typical workload with comparable quality.
Official resources
- OpenAI: GPT-5 Nano on OpenRouter — live endpoint, pricing source of record.
- Artificial Analysis leaderboard → — independent intelligence and performance rankings.
- OpenAI pricing → — first-party pricing and billing details.
- LMArena leaderboard → — independent human-preference rankings.
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