---
title: "What Is a Good Salary in South Africa? — Geo-Parity"
description: "Median wage in South Africa ≈ $364/mo; top 10% above $1,734/mo, minimum $261/mo. Full local wage ladder from World Bank data."
canonical: "https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/south-africa/"
json: "https://geo-parity.com/api/wage-bands.json?country=ZA"
generator: geo-parity markdown twin
---
Local Salaries · South Africa

# What is a good salary in 🇿🇦 South Africa (Cape Town)?

The median is about **$364/month**; top-10% earners clear **$1,734/month**.

## The local wage ladder

| Band | Monthly | Annual | Local currency |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Survival floorsingle-person essentials | $821 | $9,852 | 14,687 ZAR/mo |
| Statutory minimumILOSTAT statutory monthly minimum wage, 2024 (USD). | $261 | $3,132 | 4,669 ZAR/mo |
| Median (p50)typical earner | $364 | $4,368 | 6,512 ZAR/mo |
| Comfortable (p75)upper-middle | $828 | $9,936 | 14,812 ZAR/mo |
| Top 10% (p90)high earner | $1,734 | $20,808 | 31,020 ZAR/mo |
| Top 1% (p99)elite | $6,192 | $74,304 | 110,769 ZAR/mo |

Modelled from World Bank GNI $6,270 (2025) and Gini 54.1 (consumption-based, widened to 61.1). Check where you stand in the [interactive benchmarker](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/?country=ZA).

## Countries with similar median pay

- [🇨🇴 Colombia](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/colombia/) — median $358/mo
- [🇯🇲 Jamaica](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/jamaica/) — median $358/mo
- [🇬🇹 Guatemala](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/guatemala/) — median $350/mo
- [🇪🇨 Ecuador](https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/ecuador/) — median $348/mo

See also: [what everyday life costs in South Africa](https://geo-parity.com/cost-of-living/united-states-vs-south-africa/) · [a fair US → South Africa salary](https://geo-parity.com/salary/united-states-to-south-africa/)

## Frequently asked questions

- **What is a good salary in South Africa?**: The median wage is about $364/month ($4,368/year). A "comfortable" p75 salary is around $828/month, and you'd be a top-10% earner above $1,734/month.
- **What is a top 10% salary in South Africa?**: Roughly $1,734/month ($20,808/year) puts you in the top 10%; the top 1% starts near $6,192/month.
- **What is the minimum wage in South Africa?**: About $261/month. ILOSTAT statutory monthly minimum wage, 2024 (USD).
- **How are these South Africa salary figures calculated?**: A log-normal wage model calibrated from World Bank GNI per capita ($6,270, 2025) and the Gini index (54.1, consumption-based — widened to 61.1 income-equivalent). Estimates for benchmarking, not payroll data.

Log-normal model from World Bank data — estimates for benchmarking, not payroll data. Agents: GET /api/wage-bands.json?country=ZA.

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Source: Geo-Parity — https://geo-parity.com/wage-bands/south-africa/ · JSON: https://geo-parity.com/api/wage-bands.json?country=ZA