IT Salaries in South Africa vs the United States

[Jamie McKane]

IT Salaries in South Africa vs the United States

Skilled professionals continue to leave South Africa in search of higher salaries and better opportunities overseas.

The United States ranks among the most popular destinations for highly-qualified South African professionals, with others including Europe, Australia, and the United Kingdom.

 

[cguy]

$86k for software engineer... In the US this title belongs to the bottom 20% or so of developers.

 

[Johnatan56]

So you admit it varies greatly, then use the average salary as a baseline for new York, one of the most expensive cities in the world.

The average income for an individual in New York in 2019 was about R1m/year, your average in that table doesn't even match that for skilled jobs.

I don't think you'll find any decent software dev with more than a years experience earning less that $100-120k per year in New York.

You should have changed the article to at least be an average based on location.

 

[cguy]

I don't think you'll find any decent software dev with more than a years experience earning less that $100-120k per year in New York.

Yup. $195k/y average TC in New York for a software engineer. 2.27x the number in the article. Suddenly, it's more affordable.

https://www.levels.fyi/Salaries/Software-Engineer/New-York-City/

 

[hyperian]

You also need to factor in how your accumulated net worth in SA continues to decline based on our perpetually depreciating currency. Cheap living quickly gets offset by the drawback of earning income in one of the world's worst performing currencies.

 

[Ancalagon]

Kind of a strange article because the USA is so difficult to get into for most South Africans.

That being said, I know someone who won a Green Card and moved there with his wife.

 

[Rocket-Boy]

I thought I was having flashbacks reading the article until I saw the same portion was repeated.
"

The cost of living in the US can vary greatly between states, cities, and coasts, and can therefore be difficult to compare.

For example, it is far more expensive on average to rent an apartment in New York than in Johannesburg.

The Big Mac Index can provide a rough idea of how currencies are valued against one another, but it is by no means an accurate tool for currency misalignment.

Not everything comes down to a comparison between salary and taxes – the cost of living makes a big difference in how good your salary actually is.

In a country like the United States, the cost of living can vary greatly between states, cities, and coasts, and can therefore be difficult to compare.

The salaries in the United States may be much higher than in South Africa, but it is also far more expensive to rent an apartment in New York than in most parts of Johannesburg.

While the Big Mac Index is by no means an accurate tool for currency misalignment, it does provide a rough idea of how currencies are valued against one another."