Software Engineer Salary in South Africa
Software engineers design, build, and maintain the applications and systems that power modern businesses. The South Africa median is $58,094 per year. Pick a city below for a local breakdown.
Showing amounts in USD (USD default; source data is ZAR). FX as of Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:02:31 +0000. Convert currencies
National median
$58,094
per year
Monthly (national)
$4,843
per month, before tax
Highest-paying city
$58,094
Cape Town, ZA
Hourly (national)
$27.93
varies by city
Software Engineer salary by city in South Africa
| City | Per year | Per month | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cape Town, ZA | $58,094 | $4,843 | 0% |
| Durban, ZA | $58,094 | $4,843 | 0% |
| Pretoria, ZA | $58,094 | $4,843 | 0% |
| Gqeberha, ZA | $58,094 | $4,843 | 0% |
| Pietermaritzburg, ZA | $58,094 | $4,843 | 0% |
| Bloemfontein, ZA | $58,094 | $4,843 | 0% |
| East London, ZA | $58,094 | $4,843 | 0% |
| Vereeniging, ZA | $58,094 | $4,843 | 0% |
| Welkom, ZA | $58,094 | $4,843 | 0% |
| Newcastle, ZA | $58,094 | $4,843 | 0% |
| Krugersdorp, ZA | $58,094 | $4,843 | 0% |
| Johannesburg, ZA | $40,666 | $3,388 | -30% |
Software Engineer salary in other countries
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ColombiaRelated Technology salaries in South Africa
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a software engineer make in South Africa?
- The national median software engineer salary in South Africa is about R 950 000 per year (R 79 200 per month). Across 12 cities, pay ranges from about R 665 000 to R 950 000.
- Which South Africa city pays software engineers the most?
- Cape Town, ZA pays the most at about R 950 000 per year.
- Which South Africa city pays software engineers the least?
- Among cities we cover, Johannesburg, ZA is on the lower end at about R 665 000 per year for a software engineer.
- What is the typical salary range for a software engineer in South Africa?
- Across South Africa cities we cover, software engineer pay commonly spans from about R 441 000 at the entry end in lower-paying markets up to about R 1 368 000 for senior pay in higher-paying cities. Open a city page for the full local percentile band.
- How many South Africa cities have software engineer salary data?
- Pay by Role publishes software engineer pay for 12 cities in South Africa, all shown in ZAR.
- Is software engineer in demand in South Africa?
- Employment for this role is projected to change by about +17% over the next decade. Related technology roles on Pay by Role include Frontend Developer, Backend Developer, Data Scientist.