How Much Does Nurses Earn In South Africa

Most states agree that a nurse is a person who has completed required education, clinical training, has successfully passed a national examination, and is licensed in the state in which they practice. A licensed nurse is a Licensed Vocational (or Practical) Nurse or a Registered Nurse.

Below are salaries earn by Nurses Earn In South Africa

A person working as a Nurse in South Africa typically earns around 25,900 ZAR per month. Salaries range from 13,500 ZAR (lowest) to 39,700 ZAR (highest).

This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Nurse salaries vary drastically based on experience, skills, gender, or location. Below you will find a detailed breakdown based on many different criteria.

Nurse Salary Distribution in South Africa

The median, the maximum, the minimum, and the range

Salary Range

Staff Nurse salaries in South Africa range from 13,500 ZAR per month (minimum salary) to 39,700 ZAR per month (maximum salary).

Median Salary

The median salary is 24,900 ZAR per month, which means that half (50%) of people working as Staff Nurse(s) are earning less than 24,900 ZAR while the other half are earning more than 24,900 ZAR.

The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.

Percentiles

Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of Staff Nurse(s) are earning less than 17,300 ZAR while 75% of them are earning more than 17,300 ZAR. Also from the diagram, 75% of Staff Nurse(s) are earning less than 31,000 ZAR while 25% are earning more than 31,000 ZAR.

Nurse Salary Comparison by Years of Experience

How does experience and age affect your pay?

The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher your wage. We broke down Staff Nurse salaries by experience level and this is what we found.

A Nurse with less than two years of experience makes approximately 15,300 ZAR per month.

While someone with an experience level between two and five years is expected to earn 20,600 ZAR per month, 34% more than someone with less than two year’s experience.

Moving forward, an experience level between five and ten years lands a salary of 26,700 ZAR per month, 30% more than someone with two to five years of experience.

Additionally, Nurse(s) whose expertise span anywhere between ten and fifteen years get a salary equivalent to 32,400 ZAR per month, 21% more than someone with five to ten years of experience.

If the experience level is between fifteen and twenty years, then the expected wage is 35,400 ZAR per month, 9% more than someone with ten to fifteen years of experience.

Lastly, employees with more than twenty years of professional experience get a salary of 37,200 ZAR per month, 5% more than people with fifteen to twenty years of experience.

Nurse average salary change by experience in South Africa

0 – 2 Years15,300 ZAR
2 – 5 Years+34%20,600 ZAR
5 – 10 Years+30%26,700 ZAR
10 – 15 Years+21%32,400 ZAR
15 – 20 Years+9%35,400 ZAR
20+ Years+5%37,200 ZAR

Nurse Salary Comparison By Education

We all know that higher education equals a bigger salary, but how much more money can a degree add to your income? We broke down Staff Nurse salaries by education level in order to make a comparison.

When the education level is Bachelor’s Degree, the average salary of a Staff Nurse is 21,600 ZAR per month.

While someone with a Master’s Degree gets a salary of 30,000 ZAR per month, 39% more than someone having a Bachelor’s Degree degree.

Nurse average salary difference by education level in South Africa

Bachelor’s Degree21,600 ZAR
Master’s Degree+39%30,000 ZA

Nurse Salary Comparison By Gender

Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male Nurse employees in South Africa earn 7% less than their female counterparts on average.

Male25,100 ZAR
Female+8%27,100 ZAR

Nurse Average Annual Salary Increment Percentage in South Africa

How much are annual salary increments in South Africa for Staff Nurse(s)?

How often do employees get salary raises?

Nurse

Nurse(s) in South Africa are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 9% every 20 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 8% granted to employees every 18 months.

Nurse Bonus and Incentive Rates in South Africa

How much and how often are bonuses being awarded?

A Nurse is considered to be a low bonus-based job due to the generally limited involvement in direct revenue generation, with exceptions of course. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.

73% of surveyed staff reported that they haven’t received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 27% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.

Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 1% to 3% of their annual salary.

Received Bonus
27%

No Bonus
73%

Nurse Average Hourly Wage in South Africa

The average hourly wage (pay per hour) in South Africa is 150 ZAR. This means that the average Staff Nurse in South Africa earns approximately 150 ZAR for every worked hour.

How much do professional nurses earn per month in South Africa?

The average salary for a Nurse in SA is R 341 620 gross per year (R 28 470 gross per month), which is 21% higher than the South Africa’s national average salary. Salary Range: a Nurse can expect an average starting basic salary of R 144 200. The highest salaries can exceed R 583 500 (excluding benefits and allowances).

How much do nurses earn in South Africa in rands?

The average nurse salary in South Africa is R 352 800 per year or R 181 per hour. Entry-level positions start at R 252 000 per year, while most experienced workers make up to R 3 361 558 per year

What kind of nurses get paid the most in South Africa?

Note that the Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist is the highest-paid nurse in South Africa, and this is due to the complexity of their job.

How much do military nurses earn in South Africa?

Military Hospital Jobs by Salary

Job TitleRangeAverage
Staff NurseRange:R128k – R287k (Estimated *)Average:R216,260
General PractitionerRange:R403k – R1m (Estimated *)Average:R660,709
RadiographerRange:R207k – R619k (Estimated *)Average:R399,507

How much do ICU nurses make in South Africa?

The average icu nurse salary in South Africa is R 396 000 per year or R 203 per hour. Entry-level positions start at R 330 000 per year, while most experienced workers make up to R 3 978 000 per year.

How much does a nurse with a diploma earn in South Africa?Diploma of Nursing (DN) Jobs by Salary

Job TitleRangeAverage
Registered Nurse (RN), Critical CareRange:R212k – R408k (Estimated *)Average:R325,872
Registered Nurse (RN), Emergency RoomRange:R136k – R339k (Estimated *)Average:R214,960
Registered Nurse (RN), Operating RoomRange:R213k – R500k (Estimated *)Average:R351,436

How much does a sister nurse earn in South Africa?

The highest salary for a Nursing Sister in South Africa is ZAR 283,716 per year. What is the lowest salary for a Nursing Sister in South Africa? The lowest salary for a Nursing Sister in South Africa is ZAR 283,716 per year.