Take-home pay by country (October 2026)
On a salary worth USD 1,000 a month, an employee keeps 100% in the UK but 69% in Kenya. We ran the same two salaries through each country's 2026 tax and social-contribution rules.
| Country | Kept at USD 1,000 | Net (local, month) | Employer cost at USD 1,000 | Kept at USD 3,000 | Net (local, month) | Employer cost at USD 3,000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 100.0% | GBP 756 | 106.7% | 84.9% | GBP 1,926 | 112.2% |
| India | 98.1% | INR 94,665 | 101.9% | 81.4% | INR 235,654 | 100.6% |
| South Africa | 90.0% | ZAR 14,849 | 102.0% | 77.6% | ZAR 38,425 | 101.4% |
| Malaysia | 87.0% | MYR 3,554 | 115.0% | 76.5% | MYR 9,381 | 113.0% |
| Philippines | 83.1% | PHP 52,220 | 108.4% | 77.1% | PHP 145,236 | 103.3% |
| Nigeria | 76.3% | NGN 1,014,093 | 110.0% | 73.1% | NGN 2,915,534 | 110.0% |
| Ghana | 74.2% | GHS 8,737 | 113.0% | 70.1% | GHS 24,736 | 113.0% |
| Kenya | 69.4% | KES 90,012 | 106.5% | 67.8% | KES 263,875 | 103.2% |
“Kept” is take-home pay as a share of gross pay. “Employer cost” is gross pay plus employer contributions, as a share of gross. Assumptions: single employee, no other reliefs; Nigeria with no rent relief; India with basic pay at 50% of gross and EPF on the ₹15,000 ceiling; UK with tax code 1257L outside Scotland; Malaysia for a Malaysian employee under 60 with only the automatic reliefs. Each country links to its calculator, with sources there.
Free to use. Journalists and bloggers may republish this table with a link to this page.