Pharmacist Salary in South African Rands

Pharmacy is a healthcare profession that deals with the storing, handling, and preparation of medications. It is a highly rewarding field, where a typical pharmacist based in South Africa earns around R40 300. If you are interested in entering this profession, here is a quick guide on the pharmacist salary in South Africa, so give it a quick read.

Pharmacist Salary in South Africa

An average pharmacist salary in South Africa makes around R31 200 to R67 400 on a monthly basis. The median salary for this profession across the country is R40 300, where this is not the specific amount and can be increased based on your expertise in the field. Here is a breakdown of how the pharmacist’s salary works in South Africa.

Bonus and Incentives

The good thing about pharmacy as a profession is that it has a number of fringe benefits, including housing allowance, rent subsidies, medical insurance, and transportation. Apart from this, employees get bonuses and increments with their average salary monthly, which motivates them to enter the field. According to the latest survey, almost 60% of registered employees enjoy these fringe benefits.

Payscale Percentile

According to the pay scale distribution chart of pharmacists, 25% of the entry-level professionals in the field earn less than R25 100. Whereas, the other 65% of mid-career professionals and 10% of expert pharmacists make anywhere around R35 400 and R40 100 respectively.

Professional Responsibilities of a Pharmacist

Here are some professional responsibilities of a pharmacist based in South Africa.

• Verify the dosages of medications prescribed by the doctors
• Making sure the medications are suitable for the patients
• Advising people on the side effects of medications
• Selling and preparing the prescribed medicines by doctors
• Administrating the medications and vaccines

Factors that Influence Pharmacist Salary in South Africa

There are multiple factors that make a huge difference in determining the Pharmacist salary in South Africa. This includes things like your expertise, educational qualifications, and gender. Following is a list of how these factors play their part in deciding your salary as a pharmacist in the country.

Level of Experience

There is no doubt that your expertise and level of experience can definitely add to your credentials as a pharmacist and eventually improve the monetary benefits in the field. The good thing is that, after every five years increase, you get to add a certain amount of money to your monthly pay. Here is a complete account of what is the salary range for pharmacists with different years of experience.

Level of Experience	Salary (Per Month)	Increase (Percentage)
0-2 years of experience	R25 100
2-5 years of experience	R32 300	29%
5-10 years of experience	R44 500	38%
10-15 years of experience	R55 100	24%
15-20 years of experience	R59 100	7%
Over 20 years of experience	R63 000	7%

Education

Pharmacy is a highly technical field, which means there is a higher chance that candidates with more years of formal education are expected to earn more than those with fewer degrees. Hence, it is a no-brainer that people with a Master’s or Ph.D. degree will get more salary than those with a Bachelor’s degree. Here is a pharmacist pay increase across the different education levels in the country.

Level of Education/ Qualification	Salary Per Month	Increase (Percentage)
Bachelor’s Degree	R31 300
Master’s Degree	R50 300	57%
PhD	R63 000	68%

Gender

Your gender also has a considerable influence on the salary of a pharmacist based in South Africa. For the most part, this profession is male-dominated, which means there is an 8% higher chance for male pharmacists to earn and get recruited in the country. Following is an account of how both male and female pharmacists get paid here.

Male	R44 600
Female	R41 300

City of Employment

Last but not least, the city of employment makes a huge difference in determining the salary of a pharmacist in South Africa. Big metro cities have more hospital facilities, which makes it easier for pharmacists to base their workspace and earn a considerable amount. Here is how you get paid in different cities across South Africa.

City	Salary (Per Month)
Pretoria, Gauteng	R42 500
Durban, KwaZulu Natal	R41 400
Johannesburg, Gauteng	R43 700
Cape Town, Western Cape	R43 600
Bloemfontein	R37 500
Port Elizabeth	R40 300

Pharmacy is a highly rewarding field for anyone interested in pursuing a medical field. It has a number of monetary and fringe benefits, along with bonuses and incentives. I hope this guide has been helpful for you in figuring out whether this profession suits your requirements.