Pay by Role
Healthcare · South Africa

Physical Therapist Salary in Durban, ZA

The average physical therapist in Durban, ZA earns $35,407 per year — about $2,183 /mo after a simplified national tax estimate. Physical therapists help patients recover movement and manage pain after injury or illness.

Showing amounts in USD (USD default; source data is ZAR). FX as of Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:02:31 +0000. Convert currencies

After tax?

$26,201/yr

~26% effective national income tax on the median. Excludes most payroll/social levies and local taxes.

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Afford rent?

$1,650/mo 1BR

About 76% of estimated take-home — budget looks tight with ~$1,316 short /mo after modeled costs. Modeled, not a listing.

Cost of living calculator →

Compared with…?

% vs Durban median (FX-adjusted abroad).

Average salary
$35,407
gross / year
Est. take-home
$26,201
~26% effective tax
Hourly equivalent
$17.02
based on 2,080 hrs/yr
vs. South Africa avg
0%
above average

Gross salary figures come from public labour-market data. Take-home, rent, savings, inflation, and trends are simplified models for research — not payroll, listings, or immigration advice. Methodology.

Physical Therapist salary range in Durban

Pay varies with experience, employer, and specialization. Here is the typical distribution for this role in Durban, ZA.

$26,48510TH$30,94325TH$35,407MEDIAN$40,86275TH$46,31090TH
Estimated pay distribution — the curve peaks at the median and widens with the pay range.
PercentileAnnual salary
10th percentile (entry)$26,485
25th percentile$30,943
Median (50th)typical$35,407
75th percentile$40,862
90th percentile (senior)$46,310

How does your salary compare?

Enter what you earn (or an offer) to see where it ranks for a physical therapist in Durban, ZA.

Your percentile
50th

$35,407 puts you in the 50th percentile. You earn more than about 50% of physical therapists in Durban, ZA. That’s right around the typical pay for this role.

$26,485$35,407$46,310

Salary insights

A typical physical therapist in Durban, ZA earns about R 579 000 a year and pays about the South Africa average. Living costs sit near the global baseline (COL index 100). After a simplified tax estimate, typical rent, and everyday costs, the median paycheck looks tight — higher senior pay or lower housing costs would matter a lot here. Local pay lines up closely with the national median often used for remote or location-flexible offers. An illustrative model tied to local inflation and the role’s outlook suggests pay has risen about 27% over the last few years. Treat every figure as an estimate for research — not a personal offer or immigration advice.

Data-grounded summary from this page’s pay, COL, tax, and trend models — not a generative essay unrelated to the figures.

Cost of living, rent & savings

Durban’s cost of living is 100 vs. a baseline of 100 (US national average). After adjusting for local prices, the median physical therapist salary is worth about $35,407 in baseline-priced terms.

Est. rent (1BR)
$1,650/mo
Other living costs
$1,850/mo
Savings potential
-$1,316/mo after tax & costs

Rent and leftover use a COL-scaled single-adult model and the same simplified tax estimate as above (Flat ~26% effective-rate estimate. Rough national income-tax estimate; excludes social security, local taxes, and credits.). Adjust assumptions in the COL calculator.

Inflation

Approximate recent consumer-price inflation in South Africa is about 4.6% per year. Use the inflation calculator to adjust a past salary or offer for purchasing power.

Remote equivalent

The South Africa national median for this role is about $35,407— a common benchmark for remote or location-flexible offers. Local Durban pay is roughly the same.

Historical trend

Illustrative median pay over the last few years — about +27% across the window.

$27,940
2022
$29,646
2023
$31,450
2024
$33,371
2025
$35,407
2026

Illustrative model based on approximate inflation and the role’s long-term outlook — not a surveyed year-by-year history.

Visa information

Employer-sponsored work visa

Skilled foreign workers usually need a job offer and an employer-sponsored work authorisation. Rules, quotas, and salary thresholds change often — confirm on the official government immigration site before relocating.

Difficulty for typical skilled hires: moderate. General orientation only — confirm on the official South Africa immigration site before relocating or accepting an offer.

Compare Physical Therapist pay

See how a physical therapist stacks up against similar healthcare roles in South Africa.

What’s your take-home?

Calculator opens with this page’s median ($35,407) and South Africa tax model — tweak hours, period, or offer amount.

Physical Therapist salary in other South Africa cities

Same role, different city — % gap is vs Durban.

CityMedian
Cape Town, ZA$35,407/yr
Pretoria, ZA$35,407/yr
Gqeberha, ZA$35,407/yr
Pietermaritzburg, ZA$35,407/yr
Bloemfontein, ZA$35,407/yr
East London, ZA$35,407/yr
Vereeniging, ZA$35,407/yr
Welkom, ZA$35,407/yr

Physical Therapist salary in other countries

Capital/largest city sample for each market. % gap converts foreign medians into ZAR before comparing with Durban.

CountryLocal median
Switzerland flagSwitzerlande.g. Zürich$168,049/yr
Norway flagNorwaye.g. Oslo$146,235/yr
United States flagUnited Statese.g. Los Angeles$144,000/yr
Israel flagIsraele.g. Jerusalem$126,182/yr
Denmark flagDenmarke.g. Copenhagen$119,245/yr
Australia flagAustraliae.g. Sydney$115,893/yr
Belgium flagBelgiume.g. Brussels$110,403/yr
Singapore flagSingaporee.g. Singapore$108,322/yr
United Kingdom flagUnited Kingdome.g. London$105,758/yr
Netherlands flagNetherlandse.g. Rotterdam$102,419/yr

Related Healthcare jobs in Durban

Job openings & next moves

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Browse live job openings for this role, or close the skills gap that separates the median from the top percentiles.

Calculators and comparisons to dig into take-home pay, living costs, and period conversions.

Frequently asked questions

What is the average physical therapist salary in Durban, ZA?
The average physical therapist salary in Durban, ZA is about R 579 000 per year, or roughly R 278,37 per hour.
What is the salary range for a physical therapist in Durban, ZA?
Most physical therapist salaries in Durban, ZA fall between R 433 100 (entry level) and R 757 300 (senior level). The 25th–75th percentile band is R 506 000 to R 668 200.
How much does a physical therapist make per month in Durban, ZA?
A typical physical therapist in Durban, ZA earns about R 48 300 per month before tax, based on the annual median of R 579 000.
How does Durban, ZA pay compare to the South Africa average?
Durban, ZA pays about the South Africa average for this role.
What is the cost-of-living-adjusted physical therapist salary in Durban, ZA?
After adjusting for local prices (cost-of-living index 100, where 100 is the US baseline), the median physical therapist salary in Durban, ZA is worth roughly R 579 000 in US-baseline terms.
What skills do physical therapists need?
Common skills for a physical therapist include Rehabilitation, Anatomy, Assessment, Empathy, Planning. Actual requirements vary by employer and seniority.
Is physical therapist a growing career?
Employment for physical therapist roles is projected to change by about +15% over the next decade. Local demand in Durban, ZA can differ from the national outlook.
What is take-home pay for a physical therapist in Durban, ZA?
A simplified national income-tax estimate puts median take-home near R 428 460 per year (about R 35 700 per month), or roughly 26% effective tax on the gross median. Real net pay varies with local taxes, benefits, and filing status.
How much rent might a physical therapist pay in Durban, ZA?
A modeled modest 1-bedroom runs about R 26 980 per month in Durban, ZA, scaled from a US baseline by the local cost-of-living index (100). Actual listings vary by neighborhood and size.
Where do these Durban, ZA salary figures come from?
Figures on Pay by Role are aggregated from public labour-market salary APIs, shown in ZAR, and refreshed periodically. They are estimates for informational purposes only and are not a guarantee of individual pay.