IT salaries in South Africa compared to the UK

[HavocXphere]

a higher pay cheque in another nation doesn't mean you are actually earning more coin

It does in a way though. Sure your groceries & rent cost a lot more but they're still only 60% or whatever. And the remaining 40% is more in absolute terms. And that makes a big difference. e.g. My savings rate in the UK is rapidly catching up with what I'd be earning ZA side in total which is pretty wild if you think about it

It does depend on details though. Like London on a lukewarm salary sounds like hell to me.

 

[The Voice]

It does in a way though. Sure your groceries & rent cost a lot more but they're still only 60% or whatever. And the remaining 40% is more in absolute terms. And that makes a big difference. e.g. My savings rate in the UK is rapidly catching up with what I'd be earning ZA side in total which is pretty wild if you think about it

It does depend on details though. Like London on a lukewarm salary sounds like hell to me.

Yeah London is notoriously expensive to live in. A single room in a house share costs as much per month as a 3-bedroom house about an hour away. "London living wage" is a joke, too, and I pity anyone who has to try get by on it. Sure, you might get paid more, but you're also going to have to pay more - those businesses have to pay the living wage, too, remember.

On the bright side, a new car in the UK doesn't cost as much as a house, public transport is cheap and works, and your tax money is actually reinvested around you, instead of ending up in some cadre's back pocket. Overseas travel is also ridiculously cheap - or rather, it's just the fact that your salary over here now allows for it. Oh, and we don't have to pay for excellent healthcare, either.

 

[Salmank]

MyBroadband seems to publish such articles every once in a while. I do think these articles are misleading; a higher pay cheque in another nation doesn't mean you are actually earning more coin. For the next fake news immigration article, it would be nice if MyBB writers went a little deeper - tell people what the average rental prices are, how much groceries are, fuel, transportation.

From the few websites I have seen, it looks like salaries are higher abroad, but, these are accompanied with a much higher cost of living (higher rent, higher groceries, higher transportation costs, etc.)

But then in SA, we are taxed for health and security, and we still have to pay medical aid and a security company seperately. If a person does not have a car, he cannot jump on a cheap train or bus like other countries. So there are quite a bit of hidden costs

 

[koeks525]

But then in SA, we are taxed for health and security, and we still have to pay medical aid and a security company seperately. If a person does not have a car, he cannot jump on a cheap train or bus like other countries. So there are quite a bit of hidden costs

There are taxi's and buses, though they suck on the customer service aspect ... sometimes the drama in the taxi is so entertaining it brightens up the day after a long day at work.I remember the one old lady threw a massive fit in the taxi when the driver tried dropping her off far from her destination... so much fun and excitement in the taxi - the taxi driver buckled to the pressure.

Isn't it a bit weird though, that the state wanted to introduce the NHS and there was a lot of backlash from that idea (media, people... everyone and their mama).

 

[Mephisto_Helix]

This is one of those cases where the big mac index is actually relevant. Trying to feed yourself in London (and the rest of the UK) is expensive. A trip to Tesco will do a good job of emptying the wallet.

I love it when someone clueless drops comments like these ........ lemme guess, when (if you ever) shop in the UK, you earn pounds but think how much that basket is in rands

On Topic - I had no idea some people were earning that much in IT these days, jirre I should have stuck with it decades ago.

 

[The Voice]

There are taxi's and buses, though they suck on the customer service aspect ... sometimes the drama in the taxi is so entertaining it brightens up the day after a long day at work.I remember the one old lady threw a massive fit in the taxi when the driver tried dropping her off far from her destination... so much fun and excitement in the taxi - the taxi driver buckled to the pressure.

Isn't it a bit weird though, that the state wanted to introduce the NHS and there was a lot of backlash from that idea (media, people... everyone and their mama).

Difference is really as simple as millions of tax payers in the UK vs not so many in SA to foot the bill. Also, in SA there's absolutely zero guarantee that the funds won't just be stolen.

 

[The Voice]

I love it when someone clueless drops comments like these ........ lemme guess, when (if you ever) shop in the UK, you earn pounds but think how much that basket is in rands

On Topic - I had no idea some people were earning that much in IT these days, jirre I should have stuck with it decades ago.

Yeah the conversion rate gets everyone when they first get here. It wears off after a few months of earning £ though.

 

[azbob]

This is one of those cases where the big mac index is actually relevant. Trying to feed yourself in London (and the rest of the UK) is expensive. A trip to Tesco will do a good job of emptying the wallet.

You’ve clearly never had their £3 meal deals. I could live off a Naked smoothie + Hoisin duck wrap + McCoys salt & vinegar chips.

 

[The Voice]

You’ve clearly never had their £3 meal deals. I could live off a Naked smoothie + Hoisin duck wrap + McCoys salt & vinegar chips.

Those wraps are the bomb.

 

[HavocXphere]

Oh, and we don't have to pay for excellent healthcare, either.

idk I opted for private medical anyway. (Employer is paying the majority of it so bit of a no brainer)

 

[cda]

I love it when someone clueless drops comments like these ........ lemme guess, when (if you ever) shop in the UK, you earn pounds but think how much that basket is in rands

On Topic - I had no idea some people were earning that much in IT these days, jirre I should have stuck with it decades ago.

Quite nice not paying for health insurance, or ridiculous amounts for car insurance. Cars are cheaper too, less import tax. And other stuff like electronics, much cheaper.

Pay half as much for smoked salmon as you do in SA, that's the mistake people make going food shopping in the UK they shop for stuff they eat in SA. Yeah, you pay out your butthole for beef. This is pork country.

 

[The Voice]

idk I opted for private medical anyway. (Employer is paying the majority of it so bit of a no brainer)

But you still contribute to the NHS anyway, so double medical ftw I guess.

 

[Mephisto_Helix]

You’ve clearly never had their £3 meal deals. I could live off a Naked smoothie + Hoisin duck wrap + McCoys salt & vinegar chips.

Those wraps are the bomb.

Wassa matter with you two

 

[^^vampire^^]

I think you'll find that the only people that fill out info on glassdoor, payscale etc are those people that are unhappy (read underpaid) and want that to reflect on the company badly on the internet. People then take this info as the holy grail of salary comparison. So all those saffer numbers will probably be on the lower distribution for the jobs quoted.

One thing I have noted is that in SA, with inflation, is that your salary can increase quickly, comparatively. If you work in a large company they usually increase your salary yearly by at least about 6% with people that perform getting between 8%-10% (yes I know many places don't do this). In Aus, the inflation is so low that you usually don't get any increase unless you ask or move jobs, and if you do get an increase it probably gets you an extra coffee each week. In SA, unfortunately, the staples and healthcare exceed the average increase massively.

 

[cda]

But you still contribute to the NHS anyway, so double medical ftw I guess.

I dont see the point, most of the private schemes will just send you to the NHS anyway for most stuff. Like its the only way to get prescriptions

 

[envo]

Senior Solutions Architect

R965,437

Lol, ***off

Agree, max I got was 620k gross. With 20 years of experience. Double my salary by emigrating. I'm able to "pay" myself the same salary I got in South Africa to maintain any creditors and live quite comfortably overseas.

 

[Mike Hoxbig]

That salary equates to R80k pm which is in the senior developer range. A senior solutions architect (like a real one) will be far North of that.

To be fair all those roles are on the lower end, not just the one you quoted...

 

[SkippyRamirez]

R450k for a Data Engineer is laughable. The problem is that most companies that employ them, don’t have the first clue as to what it actually is, and what skills are required. I suppose it depends on various factors, but that is almost half of what a Data Engineer should be paid.

 

[Ancalagon]

I think the numbers for both the UK and SA are too low, by about half.

It looks like those are supposed to be averages, but they look more like junior numbers to me. They also don't tend to reflect where the majority of these jobs are. I mean, for a London salary, £37k for a developer is very low. I mean, I know for a fact that if Bloomberg hires you straight out of university as a software engineer, you get £65k. No experience.

Myself, I got a 60% raise when I emigrated. Even with London being more expensive, financially I'm more comfortable here. My money goes further.

 

[cguy]

The UK taxes citizens at a fixed percentage while South Africa employs a sliding scale that taxes fixed amounts from a certain band.

Below are the tax bands for the United Kingdom.

???