Cost of living in Mauritius in 2026

Hello, I live in Quatre bornes

my rent is 15000 for a fully furnished 1 Bdr apartment. Close to bus stop, metro and all amenities

my bus fare to work and back is 60rs

my monthly grocery is about 3000-4000rs month for 1

i don’t have WiFi but my monthly unlimited date is 375 rs

my apartment doesn’t include bills so I pay that separately which is 1250 on average!

i eat out , dine and drink regularly and usually spend about 7000-12000rs for entertainment and non necessities every month

this includes clothes etc

hope this helps anyone planning on moving here!

@radcar12

Thank you very much for your input. It will be useful to other members ^^

All the best

Bhavna

@Cheryl

Hello

We are a family of 4 with 2 kids of 7 and 4 y/o.

We live in Curepipe and work in Ebene.

Our rental for a 3 bedroom apartment is 33'000 RS.

We have My.t services for Internet at 1'500 RS and mobiles for 1'500 RS monthly. Plus we added DSTV Compact package for 1'500 RS.

Groceries around 23'000 RS

Schools, our oldest is enroll at Labourdonnais: 16'500 RS monthly and the youngest is at La Coccinnelle for 7'000 RS monthly.

Private Transport for both 3'800 RS per month.

Metro fare to ebene 94Rs round trip per day per person.

Plus around 10-12K RS for entertainment (beach, taxis, eat out)

Hope it helps for futur new expats! :-)

@leandrobernal2000

Thanks

Hello there,

I build my own house in Grand Gaube since 2022. Moved in but the house is still not finished. What can I say?! Can't find a reliable contractor who won't just take your money and disappear. Anyway, can't tell how much the building cost (as got cheated too many times, stupid me!)

Bus/taxi (maron) fare is Rs30 one way to Goodlands. I barely go out since I can't drive. Also, don't want to have too much interaction with the locals to avoid harassment.

I order my grocery online. I don't eat rice but I know majority here they do. A package of 1kg Panzani spaghetti costs Rs140 from Winners. A baguette costs between Rs10~Rs45. I barely eat beef but I know majority here they do. A kilo of pork fillet costs Rs450, and a kilo of chicken drumstick costs Rs263. Seafood really depends on the kind and size. Medium prawn cost Rs345/500gm. Vegetables are relatively cheap. But you can always grow your own. Chicken eggs price vary. I usually buy a pack of 30 medium for Rs281. Cleaning products are relatively expensive. But also you can always DIY. The only thing that I must import from China is toilet rolls. Much better quality and costs much less.

I tried not to get sick here, as I still remember when they gave me the vaccine for COVID, the "nurse" didn't wear gloves and they also didn't use alcohol to wipe my skin before injection. And a doctor I met online doesn't really care about people's health. There may be professional doctors here but the image I have about them is not positive.

Since my brand new TV got stolen, I have no intention to buy another TV. So internet plan is mainly for CCTV and alarm. Then another one for mobiles. My.T allows me to use the router I brought from China, while Emtel must use their non-5G router. So both plans go with My.T  A 3 month prepaid plan costs Rs815

A gas cylinder costs Rs190 + deposit (I don't remember how much exactly, approx. Rs2,000). Since I usually use my electric stove and oven to cook, a gas cylinder could last up to 6 months for me. Water is also very cheap here. 7~10CBM costs only Rs55 Since I don't have a pool and I barely use my tub, I often paid nothing for water. But electricity is another story. Stove, oven, A/C, hair dryer, computer, phones all consume electricity a lot. Summer is approx. Rs1,700/month while winter is approx. Rs700/month.

My leisure time is usually house related - painting the wall; drilling for installation; mending whatever is not well constructed. I know it doesn't sound a happy life here. But the end of the day, I learn a lot. And the house is mine. Be my own prisoner here gives me peace.

There are many animals here. Recently a stray cat comes to my yard every night. So I got it some dry cat food Rs345/1.5Kg Also, found 2 zebra dove made their nest on my planters. I gave them bread crumbs instead of buying any birds feed. I don't own any pet. But I guess anyone who intended to move here with them should consider the cost of pet food, sterilization and medication.

Hope all these help.

P

@Cheryl

Thanks, will await the responses.

@Pandora At Dodoland

Thank you for the detailed response.

Sorry to see you have had what seems to be a difficult time.

Just a few observations -- nurses do not need to wear gloves when administering vaccine injections, and alcohol cleaning of skin for that is also not needed unless the skin is visibly dirty.

Growing your own stuff for eating is great. And you do have your own house now.

However, for many expats it is easier to rent a place for a while even if they wish to have a house in the future. You pay rent and do not have to worry about upkeep etc. Then again, you could buy a completed house/villa/apartment depending on your requirements and budget.

Transport is important for many. You could live near transport links, but that might be a busy area. A small car would be very convenient for an expat, especially if they wish to explore the island.

I am sorry to see you have been cheated and harassed by locals. That is really bad.

I would suggest that learning the local language and interacting with people is a great help when moving to a different part of the world.

Best wishes.

@Tookays

Thank you for your concern. It's totally fine for me now. It was not easy but glad that I went through this harsh lesson.

I think it's different culture not to wear gloves at all time for a nurse/doctor. In HK, unless you are a register nurse doing the clerical work, otherwise even distributing drugs, it is a must to wear gloves. Also, using alcohol to wipe the skin is a must as well before injection. Virus/bacteria...etc are not visible to naked eyes. It maybe redundant to your culture but better to wipe for safety sake.

Maybe it's my bad luck that almost all local I met here are liars. Simple thing like deliveries, they never do it on the promised day (except big companies). Fortunately I don't need to ask for day off from an employer. But it had drove my French neighbor crazy many times. He told me about the local have no sense of punctuality or always lie about "I'm on the way" or "tomorrow" but didn't show up at the end. That I think it's important for anyone who might want to move to MRU have to consider. Perhaps learn some basic skill for electricity; plumbing; masonry work or carpentry work in advance before moving here long term.

It's not just the cost of living here need to know. The local culture is important as well. I learn to accept it. So instead of telling lies, I chose not to go out. Meet minimum people as possible. But that's my choice and life I choose. The only local I choose to be friends with are the stray cats and dogs, zebra dove, francolin...etc. Learning different kind of bird species here already occupied a lot of my time here. This country has many "new" things for me to learn and explore. You won't feel bored here but then the local culture is something that one have to think about whether they can accept it or not.

Cheers,

P

Single person living in the West.

Rent is about 50k

Food, utilities, entertainment and fuel ends up being another 50k.

So about 100k a month in fixed costs for me.

I try to stick to high quality groceries for health reasons. (Avoiding seed oils, buying fresh vegetables over canned or frozen etc)

Electricity has been quite high in recent months. Usually about 5k a month, but I also have AC on for most of the month.

Water bills can also be up to 1k if I'm using the pool a lot.

Overall things have gone up a lot in price the last few years. I will probably downsize on housing in the future so I can spend more on travelling.

Ok, some mixed feedback to say the least. Can I ask more specifically if thsi is correct as stated on Google and supported by Chat GPT...

For a 64-year-old man looking to retire in Mauritius in 2026, a comfortable lifestyle typically requires a budget between USD 1,500 and USD 2,500 (approx. MUR 65,000–110,000) per month. While an economical, local lifestyle can be maintained on less, this range allows for renting a comfortable 1–2 bedroom apartment, enjoying leisure activities, and covering private healthcare expenses.

Accommodation (Rent): A comfortable 1-bedroom apartment outside of city centres or in popular expat areas like 'Grand Baie' / 'Flic en Flac' costs between MUR 15,000 – MUR 25,000 ($350–$550)

Utilities: Electricity, water, and internet/mobile for a single person generally cost around MUR 3,000 – MUR 5,000 ($70–$115) per month, with costs rising if air conditioning is used heavily in summer.

Groceries: Cooking at home and buying local produce is economical, averaging MUR 10,000 – MUR 15,000 ($230–$350) for one person.

Dining/Leisure: A meal in an inexpensive restaurant is around MUR 300-600 ($7–$14)

Healthcare: While public healthcare is free, most expatriates opt for private health insurance, which can cost MUR 8,000 – MUR 20,000+ ($180–$450+) per month depending on coverage.

However when I look on line and Facebook groups based in Mauritius, reasonable rentals seem to be more in the region of MUR 40 / 50,000 and food and utilities seem to be considerably higher than those stated.

I suppose all said and done, I'm expected to put £2000 through my MAU bank account each month to support my retirement visa, would I expect to be able to live a reasonably ok life on that with medical aid etc?

@david6363, I can't comment on most of these but did get a couple of budget costs for Private Health Care from the major international providers. Based on the same level of cover they were very similar. For a couple (66 and 69 years old) it came in at about £1000 per month. This excluded dental and GP type services as this was largely hospital cover. In South Africa, where I am currently based, I pay slightly less than half that. I have been told that there is a local insurance company Swann Insurance that others health care insurance, however I have no costing information. Assuming you have a retirement visa then you have access to the public health system which I have had some good reports of.

@david6363

Hello David,

I think your budget is quite fair. Rental is really depends on luck. My French neighbour (1pax with 2 dogs) is renting a 6 bedrooms house with big yard and swimming pool. The landlord is not charging him a lot (I forgot how much). But consider no maintenance at all. He has to pay for new pump/controller...etc when it breaks down. Also, a bathroom ceiling has crack, water leak during heavy rain.

I don't drink or smoke and I can't drive. Buses here are cheap but took long time from A to B. Taxi is cheaper than UK/Europe. Just don't forget transportation cost. Also, if you drink/smoke as well, you will need to add that in your budget too.

As well as pet. There are 3 stray cats coming to my yard every night. I feed them and one just came recently and I love her most, because she follows me and respond very well to my commands. If you have pets or going to take care of some strays (many here), their food and health care, put that in your budget as well.

Cheers,

P

@david6363

Read the posts on the forum, chatGPT will not provide answers to your questions