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Ruby Developer Salary Trends in South Africa

24 April 2024, by Josh Nel

The 2024 Software Developer Salary Benchmarking Report is out. Get access to the report now.

Ruby remains one of the best-paying languages for South African software engineers. In this article, we’ll look at what Ruby programmers in South Africa can expect to earn across various experience levels.

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There are fewer Ruby developers in South Africa even though Ruby is a widely-used backend programming language. As a result, companies that use Ruby in their tech stack will need to pay a premium to attract developers with some experience using the language. Mastering niche programming languages like Ruby are one-way developers can increase their earning potential.

Average junior Ruby developer salary

Salaries for entry-level Ruby developers have increased by 4.1% over 2023’s average, resulting in a starting monthly salary of R29 583. That’s higher than many other rookie programmers – 32.4% (R4 971) more than Python, and double that for entry-level PHP developers. However, they trail Go developers by 9%.

After at least two years on the job, Ruby developers see the smallest increase of their careers at 12.5% which brings their remuneration to R33 295. That’s 27% less than they would’ve earned in 2023. As a result, they’ve been overtaken by their Python counterparts and widened the gap with junior Go developers to 34.6%. However, they still earn 17.6% more than PHP developers at this level.

Mid-level Ruby developers can expect the most significant increase of their careers at 84% for the four-to-six-year bracket. This brings their average monthly salary to R61 538, 17.9% more than in 2023. At this level, Python developers earn 20.3% less, Go devs 4.9% less, and PHP 55.4% less.

What explains these significant early increases? One explanation is that juniors tend to change jobs more frequently than more experienced developers. This allows them to negotiate for higher wages than what they might earn through inflationary increases working at the same company.

Average Ruby Developer Salary by Experience



Average Salary by Years Experience, showing 25th and 75th percentiles
Years of Experience 25th Percentile Average 75th Percentile
0-2 R17,500 R29,583 R35,500
2-4 R22,500 R33,295 R49,500
4-6 R38,750 R61,538 R69,250
6-10 R67,500 R83,295 R92,500
10+ R72,500 R112,291 R125,000

With six-to-ten years under their belts, Ruby devs should see another increase of 35.4% to a salary of R83 295 – 8.1% ahead of 2023. Similarly, experienced Python developers earn 20.3% less, Go a nominal 0.2% (R6 250) more, and PHP 48.3% less.

Highly experienced Ruby developers with 10 years or more experience are in for another hefty pay rise of 34.8%% to earn R112 291 – that’s 15.8% more than 2023. This compares reasonably with other languages: Python developers earn 18% less, Go 3.9% less, and PHP 45.9% less.

As mentioned earlier, Ruby is a somewhat niche programming language in South Africa, allowing those proficient in it to charge a premium for their skills. This explains why Ruby developer salaries continue to increase handsomely as they rise in seniority.

Average Ruby Developer Salaries in 2023 vs 2024

Years of Experience 2023 2024
0-2 R28,421 R29,538
2-4 R45,625 R33,295
4-6 R52,179 R61,538
6-10 R77,055 R83,295
10+ R96,935 R112,291

Keep in mind

The data in this article is taken from OfferZen's 2024 State of the Software Developer Nation Report. In this article, 'salary' refers to the gross monthly salary (before tax) provided by more than 3935 survey respondents.

Average salaries are single data points and only one part of a bigger story. It's expected that many respondents may earn significantly more or less than these averages. However, we hope to provide a picture of underlying trends by mapping the average salaries for different experience levels.

These averages should not be used to estimate what your actual salary will or should be.

Salaries depend on the industry, individual, perks and nature of work. These factors all influence the salary a company will offer to a prospective hire. In addition, most developers are "fluent" in several languages, which will affect the final figures.

It's also important to remember that every individual's context is different. Ultimately, salary is a personal conversation that should take place between employee and employer.

On OfferZen you can hire Ruby developers and find Ruby developer jobs.

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