2026 comparison
Network Engineer vs Data Scientist salary in South Africa
Higher paying career: Data Scientist. Approximate monthly difference: R20 000.
Entry, mid, senior pay, demand, difficulty and long-term career upside.
Network Engineer
High demand · IT networking diploma, degree or vendor certification route
EntryR22 000
MidR58 000
SeniorR90 000
Top 20%R135 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
R22 000
R30 000
Mid
R58 000
R70 000
Senior
R90 000
R110 000
Top 20%
R135 000
R180 000
Demand
Network Engineer8/10
Data Scientist9/10
Difficulty
Network Engineer7/10
Data Scientist8/10
Salary difference
+R20 000
Compare the Data Scientist salary in South Africa with how much Network Engineers earn at senior level.
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Higher paying career: Data Scientist. The senior-level gap is about R20 000 per month, based on R110 000 for Data Scientist compared with R90 000 for Network Engineer.
Career alternatives
Higher earning
Data Scientist
Easier entry
Network Engineer
Better long-term
Data Scientist
Skills / requirements
Routing / switching
Network Engineer needs this
Less central
Firewalls
Network Engineer needs this
Less central
Network security
Network Engineer needs this
Less central
Cisco / Fortinet
Network Engineer needs this
Less central
Troubleshooting
Network Engineer needs this
Less central
Python / Pandas
Less central
Data Scientist needs this
Career progression
Network Engineer
Junior Network TechnicianR28 000
Network EngineerR58 000
Senior Network EngineerR90 000
Network ArchitectR120 000
Data Scientist
Junior Data ScientistR38 000
Data ScientistR70 000
Senior Data ScientistR110 000
Lead / ML EngineerR140 000
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