Highest-Paying Jobs in South Africa
The 75 best-paid careers in South Africa we track, ranked by average annual salary. Radiologist tops the list at $110,073 per year.
Showing amounts in USD (USD default; source data is ZAR). FX as of Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:02:31 +0000. Convert currencies
| # | Job | Average / yr | Monthly |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Radiologist | $110,073 | $9,173/mo |
| 2 | Surgeon | $109,462 | $9,124/mo |
| 3 | Psychiatrist | $98,454 | $8,207/mo |
| 4 | Physician | $92,339 | $7,693/mo |
| 5 | Dentist | $73,994 | $6,164/mo |
| 6 | Cloud Architect | $70,325 | $5,858/mo |
| 7 | Investment Banker | $67,267 | $5,608/mo |
| 8 | Corporate Attorney | $66,044 | $5,504/mo |
| 9 | Data Scientist | $63,598 | $5,302/mo |
| 10 | AI Engineer | $63,598 | $5,302/mo |
| 11 | Site Reliability Engineer | $62,375 | $5,198/mo |
| 12 | Product Manager | $59,134 | $4,929/mo |
| 13 | Software Engineer | $58,094 | $4,843/mo |
| 14 | Frontend Developer | $58,094 | $4,843/mo |
| 15 | Backend Developer | $58,094 | $4,843/mo |
| 16 | Full-Stack Developer | $58,094 | $4,843/mo |
| 17 | Lawyer | $56,504 | $4,709/mo |
| 18 | DevOps Engineer | $54,609 | $4,550/mo |
| 19 | Data Engineer | $53,936 | $4,495/mo |
| 20 | Physician Assistant | $53,936 | $4,495/mo |
| 21 | Aerospace Engineer | $53,141 | $4,427/mo |
| 22 | Nurse Practitioner | $52,896 | $4,409/mo |
| 23 | Financial Analyst | $52,591 | $4,385/mo |
| 24 | Actuary | $52,529 | $4,378/mo |
| 25 | Pharmacist | $51,429 | $4,287/mo |
| 26 | Optometrist | $50,817 | $4,238/mo |
| 27 | Mechanical Engineer | $50,450 | $4,207/mo |
| 28 | Management Consultant | $46,659 | $3,889/mo |
| 29 | Sales Manager | $45,986 | $3,834/mo |
| 30 | Accountant | $43,846 | $3,657/mo |
| 31 | UX Designer | $43,724 | $3,645/mo |
| 32 | Veterinarian | $43,479 | $3,626/mo |
| 33 | Electrical Engineer | $42,990 | $3,583/mo |
| 34 | Chemical Engineer | $42,990 | $3,583/mo |
| 35 | Financial Advisor | $41,950 | $3,498/mo |
| 36 | Database Administrator | $40,972 | $3,412/mo |
| 37 | Project Manager | $40,483 | $3,376/mo |
| 38 | Biomedical Engineer | $39,932 | $3,327/mo |
| 39 | QA Engineer | $39,565 | $3,296/mo |
| 40 | Network Engineer | $39,504 | $3,290/mo |
| 41 | Web Developer | $39,076 | $3,259/mo |
| 42 | School Principal | $38,403 | $3,198/mo |
| 43 | Psychologist | $38,342 | $3,198/mo |
| 44 | Marketing Manager | $38,036 | $3,168/mo |
| 45 | Civil Engineer | $38,036 | $3,168/mo |
| 46 | Industrial Engineer | $37,670 | $3,137/mo |
| 47 | Environmental Engineer | $37,670 | $3,137/mo |
| 48 | Data Analyst | $36,936 | $3,076/mo |
| 49 | Operations Manager | $36,202 | $3,015/mo |
| 50 | Professor | $36,018 | $3,003/mo |
| 51 | Physical Therapist | $35,407 | $2,954/mo |
| 52 | Occupational Therapist | $34,367 | $2,862/mo |
| 53 | Architect | $34,123 | $2,844/mo |
| 54 | Business Analyst | $33,389 | $2,782/mo |
| 55 | Dental Hygienist | $33,083 | $2,758/mo |
| 56 | Systems Administrator | $33,083 | $2,758/mo |
| 57 | HR Manager | $32,349 | $2,697/mo |
| 58 | Registered Nurse | $31,799 | $2,648/mo |
| 59 | Auditor | $31,249 | $2,605/mo |
| 60 | Recruiter | $29,903 | $2,495/mo |
| 61 | Real Estate Agent | $28,374 | $2,367/mo |
| 62 | Copywriter | $25,500 | $2,128/mo |
| 63 | Paralegal | $24,889 | $2,073/mo |
| 64 | Chef | $24,583 | $2,049/mo |
| 65 | Electrician | $23,972 | $2,000/mo |
| 66 | Plumber | $23,482 | $1,957/mo |
| 67 | Graphic Designer | $23,360 | $1,945/mo |
| 68 | IT Support Specialist | $23,238 | $1,939/mo |
| 69 | Social Media Manager | $23,238 | $1,939/mo |
| 70 | Video Editor | $22,320 | $1,859/mo |
| 71 | HVAC Technician | $22,015 | $1,835/mo |
| 72 | Teacher | $21,587 | $1,798/mo |
| 73 | Photographer | $20,853 | $1,737/mo |
| 74 | Carpenter | $20,302 | $1,694/mo |
| 75 | Welder | $18,835 | $1,572/mo |
Frequently asked questions
- What is the highest-paying job in South Africa?
- Of the roles we track, Radiologist is the highest paid in South Africa, with an average salary of about R 1 800 000 per year.
- What are the top 3 highest-paying jobs in South Africa?
- The top three on this list are Radiologist (R 1 800 000), Surgeon (R 1 790 000), and Psychiatrist (R 1 610 000) per year.
- How many high-paying careers are covered for South Africa?
- This ranking covers 75 careers with real salary data in South Africa, all shown in ZAR and refreshed automatically.
- What does a typical top career pay in South Africa?
- The median of this ranked list is Biomedical Engineer at roughly R 653 000 per year — a useful midpoint for the better-paid roles in South Africa.
- How wide is the pay gap among high-paying jobs in South Africa?
- Radiologist at the top earns about R 1 800 000 while Welder at the bottom of this list averages R 308 000 — roughly a 484% spread across the ranked roles.
- Are these salaries before or after tax?
- Figures are gross (pre-tax) annual averages in ZAR. Use the Pay by Role salary calculator for a simplified take-home estimate.