2026 comparison
Commercial Pilot vs Data Scientist salary in South Africa
Higher paying career: Commercial Pilot. Approximate monthly difference: R50 000.
Entry, mid, senior pay, demand, difficulty and long-term career upside.
Commercial Pilot
Medium demand · Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL)
EntryR35 000
MidR95 000
SeniorR160 000
Top 20%R250 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
R35 000
R30 000
Mid
R95 000
R70 000
Senior
R160 000
R110 000
Top 20%
R250 000
R180 000
Demand
Commercial Pilot6/10
Data Scientist9/10
Difficulty
Commercial Pilot9/10
Data Scientist8/10
Salary difference
+R50 000
Compare the Commercial Pilot salary in South Africa with how much Data Scientists earn at senior level.
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Higher paying career: Commercial Pilot. The senior-level gap is about R50 000 per month, based on R160 000 for Commercial Pilot compared with R110 000 for Data Scientist.
Career alternatives
Higher earning
Commercial Pilot
Easier entry
Data Scientist
Better long-term
Data Scientist
Skills / requirements
Instrument Rating
Commercial Pilot needs this
Less central
Multi-engine rating
Commercial Pilot needs this
Less central
ATPL theory
Commercial Pilot needs this
Less central
Crew Resource Management
Commercial Pilot needs this
Less central
Python / Pandas
Less central
Data Scientist needs this
Machine learning
Less central
Data Scientist needs this
Career progression
Commercial Pilot
Flight InstructorR35 000
First Officer (regional)R70 000
First Officer (airline)R110 000
CaptainR180 000
Data Scientist
Junior Data ScientistR38 000
Data ScientistR70 000
Senior Data ScientistR110 000
Lead / ML EngineerR140 000
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