2026 comparison
Electrical Engineer vs Data Scientist salary in South Africa
Higher paying career: Data Scientist. Approximate monthly difference: R5 000.
Entry, mid, senior pay, demand, difficulty and long-term career upside.
Electrical Engineer
High demand · BEng / BSc Electrical Engineering
EntryR28 000
MidR65 000
SeniorR105 000
Top 20%R160 000
Data Scientist
High demand · Degree in Stats, Maths, CS or related
EntryR30 000
MidR70 000
SeniorR110 000
Top 20%R180 000
Salary breakdown
Entry
R28 000
R30 000
Mid
R65 000
R70 000
Senior
R105 000
R110 000
Top 20%
R160 000
R180 000
Demand
Electrical Engineer9/10
Data Scientist9/10
Difficulty
Electrical Engineer8/10
Data Scientist8/10
Salary difference
+R5 000
Compare the Data Scientist salary in South Africa with how much Electrical Engineers earn at senior level.
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Higher paying career: Data Scientist. The senior-level gap is about R5 000 per month, based on R110 000 for Data Scientist compared with R105 000 for Electrical Engineer.
Career alternatives
Higher earning
Data Scientist
Easier entry
Electrical Engineer
Better long-term
Data Scientist
Skills / requirements
Power systems
Electrical Engineer needs this
Less central
Pr.Eng registration
Electrical Engineer needs this
Less central
PLC / automation
Electrical Engineer needs this
Less central
Project management
Electrical Engineer needs this
Less central
Python / Pandas
Less central
Data Scientist needs this
Machine learning
Less central
Data Scientist needs this
Career progression
Electrical Engineer
Candidate Electrical EngineerR34 000
Electrical EngineerR65 000
Senior Electrical EngineerR105 000
Engineering ManagerR135 000
Data Scientist
Junior Data ScientistR38 000
Data ScientistR70 000
Senior Data ScientistR110 000
Lead / ML EngineerR140 000
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