2026 comparison
Financial Analyst vs Data Scientist salary in South Africa
Higher paying career: Data Scientist. Approximate monthly difference: R25 000.
Entry, mid, senior pay, demand, difficulty and long-term career upside.
Financial Analyst
Medium demand · BCom Finance / Investment Management
EntryR25 000
MidR55 000
SeniorR85 000
Top 20%R140 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
R25 000
R30 000
Mid
R55 000
R70 000
Senior
R85 000
R110 000
Top 20%
R140 000
R180 000
Demand
Financial Analyst7/10
Data Scientist9/10
Difficulty
Financial Analyst8/10
Data Scientist8/10
Salary difference
+R25 000
Compare the Data Scientist salary in South Africa with how much Financial Analysts earn at senior level.
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Higher paying career: Data Scientist. The senior-level gap is about R25 000 per month, based on R110 000 for Data Scientist compared with R85 000 for Financial Analyst.
Career alternatives
Higher earning
Data Scientist
Easier entry
Financial Analyst
Better long-term
Data Scientist
Skills / requirements
Financial modelling (Excel)
Financial Analyst needs this
Less central
CFA charter
Financial Analyst needs this
Less central
Valuation
Financial Analyst needs this
Less central
Python / SQL
Financial Analyst needs this
Less central
Python / Pandas
Less central
Data Scientist needs this
Machine learning
Less central
Data Scientist needs this
Career progression
Financial Analyst
Junior AnalystR30 000
AnalystR55 000
Senior AnalystR85 000
Portfolio ManagerR120 000
Data Scientist
Junior Data ScientistR38 000
Data ScientistR70 000
Senior Data ScientistR110 000
Lead / ML EngineerR140 000
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