As the new year begins, many of us are evaluating our financial stability and future career prospects. If you’re in the software development field, what can you expect going forward? These fast facts about software engineer salaries in South Africa will give you some useful insight into your earning potential.
How much do SA software engineers earn on average?
According to the latest statistics from PayScale, most senior software engineers in South Africa earn an average hourly rate of R320. This translates to an average annual salary of R567,996 per year.
On the lower end of this scale, the average hourly pay for a software engineer is R143, which works out to an average of R361,000 a year. Earners on the higher end of the scale earn just under R729 hourly, taking home an average of R827,000 annually.
What are the differentiating factors that have some South African software engineers earning so much more than others? Experience plays a big role, and location can make a significant difference in your earnings too.
Software engineer salaries by experience
The newbies: Entry-level software engineers in South Africa typically start off with an hourly rate that can range anywhere from R75 to R240. This works out to an annual salary of between R280,000 and R649,000.
In the middle: Mid-career software engineers will get significantly higher pay. Hourly rates start at just over R190 and can go all the way up to around R560. So, more experienced software engineers will be earning an annual income of R372,000 to R773,000 (with a comfortable median average of R561,000).
The old hands: More experienced software engineers will start to see a higher hourly earnings rate, ranging from just under R150 on the lower end, to R780 on the high end. Average annual salaries are around R651,000, with the lower end being R422,000 and the high earners taking home R914,000 yearly.
The experts: Late-career software engineers will have many years of experience under their belts, which makes for better salary prospects. Average annual pay starts at R450,000 and can go as high as R979,000, with most senior engineers earning R632,000 a year.
Software engineer salaries by city
City of gold: In bustling Johannesburg, the average hourly rate for a senior software engineer is R350. This works out to a monthly salary of around R42,330 and an annual salary of R508,000.
Jacaranda city: Further north in Pretoria, the earning prospects are a little higher than Jo’burg. Here, software engineers with the same level of experience will earn roughly R46,250 monthly and R555,000 annually.
The mother city: Cape Town is often labelled as a city of low salaries, but not in this case. Software engineers in the Cape can take home an average of up to R48,830 monthly or R586,000 a year.
The harbour city: Further along the coast in Durban, software engineers typically earn a median average of R47,000 monthly or R564,000 annually.
Exciting growth trends for SA software engineers
Software engineering and development was recently named “the fastest-growing job skill in South Africa”. With technology taking over almost every facet of the modern-day workspace, more and more employers across various industries are looking to employ developers that can properly maintain their digital systems.
With software engineering in such high demand nationally, we can expect this field to become a really lucrative career for South African developers.
Looking to start a software engineering career?
So, how do you go about qualifying as a software engineer? An online bootcamp is the perfect place to start.
HyperionDev’s 3-6 month online course is designed to help you start coding professionally as quickly as possible. The curriculum includes an introduction to Python, Java, Object Oriented Programming and machine learning, as well as data science and algorithms. You’ll also have access to expert mentorship, and post-bootcamp support.
Take this first exciting step on your career journey, and join the ranks of South Africa’s up-and-coming software engineers.
