South Africa vs Cyprus
Tax Rate Comparison
Enter your income below for a personal tax estimate, then scroll down for full rate breakdowns.
💰 Personal Income Tax Calculator
Enter your income to see your estimated annual tax liability in each country — side by side.
Individual Income Tax (Top Marginal Rate)
VAT / GST / Sales Tax
Corporate Tax Rate
Capital Gains Tax
Social Security & Payroll
🇿🇦 South Africa — Provincial & Municipal Taxes
South Africa's 9 provinces do not levy their own income tax — this is national. Municipalities levy property rates (0.5%–2.5% of assessed value/year), utilities, and refuse levies. Cape Town and Johannesburg have relatively higher municipal rates. Load-shedding prompted energy-related tax credits in recent budgets.
🇨🇾 Cyprus — Municipal & Community Taxes
Cyprus's 5 districts and 30+ municipalities/communities levy local taxes including immovable property tax (at municipal level after national IPT was abolished in 2017), refuse collection fees, and business licences. Nicosia and Limassol have the highest municipal charges. Cyprus is a major international financial centre offering non-dom status (no tax on dividends/interest for non-domiciled residents for 17 years), which attracts wealthy individuals. The IP Box regime offers 2.5% effective tax on qualifying IP income.
South Africa vs Cyprus: Key Tax Differences (2026)
💰 Income Tax: 🇿🇦 South Africa has a higher top income tax rate (18–45% vs 0–35%). 🇨🇾 Cyprus is more favourable for high earners.
🛒 VAT/Sales Tax: Cyprus has a higher consumption tax (16% vs 5–19%).
🏢 Corporate Tax: 🇨🇾 Cyprus offers a lower corporate rate (12.5% vs 27%), which can influence business location decisions.
📈 Capital Gains: 🇿🇦 South Africa taxes investment gains at a lower rate (18% vs 20%), benefiting investors.