Cost of living in Mauritius

Julien wrote:

FeeAcer wrote:

Meaning he's being offered 2 x 1400 US$ = 2800 US$ !
This is more than enough for an employer to apply for a workpermit for him under the new rules!

Shouldn't he locally earn more than 75,000rs to get the occupation permit ?

Hi Julien,

Its either India or Mauritius (both are different companies, that is I have an option to join any one).

Is it advisable to come to Mauritius for 1400 USD?
Will it be sufficient for me. (Bachelor, no smoking, no alcohol, only fond of Photography and exploring to new places)

What would a local resident get approximately  with around my work-ex and qualification...??? any vague idea would also do...

I am yet to talk regarding the 75000 part with the employer.

Thanks a ton,
Launchpad.

Ok so much for me then Launchpad!
It's me who misunderstood!

Definitely 1400 US$ is NOT enough as salary under the new regulations to obtain a work permit. He must pay you at least the equivalent of 2500 US$ (= 75000 Rs) locally (at my bank today  1 US$ = 29.75 Rs).

This has been published widely in the local press and is visible on the website of BOI!

All the best
Arlette

Hi

I did a bit of research around Mauritius Salaries but a lot of it is vague

But while doing this I came across a survey that is more focused around the BPO and ICT industry

For anyone that’s interested it can be downloaded from the following link.

http://www.gov.mu/portal/sites/ictexport/public.html

Louis

launchPad,

As I have suggested to some other Indian expats wanting to move here in the IT field. I suggest all you guys who get offers in Mauritius to first find out more about the company and then leave your secure jobs. Why I keep repeating this because I have heard from many expats here that specailly employers from small companies dont stick to thier commitment and either dont give what is promised verbally and even what is mentioned in the contract. The BOI is very fair and will support the employee, but usually the employee does not want to create an issue. Generally Mauritius is a beautiful island to live and the people here are very nice. But there are some people that give Mautritius and Mauritians a bad name. So please find out more about the company that want to join before you leave your secure jobs. " All that glitters is not Gold"

Launchpad

Check this post on another thread to understand why we are suggesting  that you ensure that the employer will abide by the employment rules:

https://www.expat.com/forum/viewtopic.p … 944#105291

Just my 2 cents .

Julien wrote:

FeeAcer wrote:

Meaning he's being offered 2 x 1400 US$ = 2800 US$ !
This is more than enough for an employer to apply for a workpermit for him under the new rules!

Shouldn't he locally earn more than 75,000rs to get the occupation permit ?

Correct!!

Only circulatory migrant workers are allowed to be paid in their country of origin and then are given a stipend on the island for incidentals since they are provided with housing et al. I believe China and another country made that stipulations to the Mauritian govt. in their negotiations for migrant labour/workers.

JMHO: Since Mauritius and India are two sovereign countries with different taxation and labour laws, the assumption of combination of salaries for the occupational permit is improbable.....

Hi External, Arlette, Julien, Terence and Louisj,

Thank you very much for all the help and responses.


Regards,
Launchpad.

how are you ?
NICE
sandrine

Hi Everybody

I have read all the posts and it seems like you need around 100 000 MUR to live comfortably.  But here goes again - can the people living in Mauritian please (please!!) answer as well as you can.
I am south african and have a job offer in Grand Baie.  The offer is as follows:
Salary USD 4500 per month
Health Insurance - company pays 100 percent
Company pays for my move and gives accomadation and car rental ONLY for the 1st month.
Thus - we are a family of four.  (myself, my wife, 4 year old and new born)
I would need to pay accomadation, car, school and live - would also like to have a bit of change for savings.
Is this possible on a salary of USD 4500 pm (before tax).
Regards
JAB

Hi Jab,

I think this is a nice package, if they could add school fees and car as it is done in other countries, it would be perfecto!

Hey ,

Its very interesting to go through the posts and how people are guiding others

M from Pakistan and getting married soon.  I want to visit Mauritius for honeymoon. Can anybody tell me which is the best place to visit, and what will be the estimated cost of living (6 night stay at any 3 star bed and breakfast+sight seeing+visits etc)of 1 week for 2 people. 

Thanks

Pinjaro1 wrote:

Hey ,

Its very interesting to go through the posts and how people are guiding others

M from Pakistan and getting married soon.  I want to visit Mauritius for honeymoon. Can anybody tell me which is the best place to visit, and what will be the estimated cost of living (6 night stay at any 3 star bed and breakfast+sight seeing+visits etc)of 1 week for 2 people. 

Thanks

Hi Pinjaro,

There are a lot of websites with hotels in Mauritius. All depends on your budget. Why don't you just Google around?

Good luck
Arlette

Hi FeeAcer
They are not going to add a car and school fees, the package is what I said before - USD 4500 pm (before tax)(thus MUR 153000) and after 15% tax it would be MUR 130 000 per month.
Would that be enough for a 3-4 bedroom house, a small car, school fees (only one child for now), living comfortably (the odd meal at a restaurant, and a day outing once in a while) and having a bit of spare for savings?
Thanks
Jab

Hi Jab,

I still believe that it's a good package!

I don't know school fees for small one but I don't think it will be very costly. Maybe others here who have small children can develop this point.

Re car prices I can't help either... only going by taxi here, so....

Cheers
Arlette

Thanks Arlette
I also thought so - then their is always the chance of my wife starting some small business later on or even getting a job - so I'm sure we will be fine.
Just needed that bit of advice from somebody already living in mauritius.
Hope to meet you all soon!

Hi Guys

Any help would be great on this. We are a four member household planning to move early next year. I am to be tasked with heading up a new distributorship of an international IP telephony and call center solutions firm. I am trying to gauge what would be a fair salary to expect to enable me to support my family. My son is 17 ( Will soon be sent out to slave ) , and my daughter is 7 . So im looking at costs of schooling , medical , food, telephone etc.

If there is someone who has recently moved over , maybe we can chat re your experiences ?

Thanks John

Hi Johan and welcome aboard

I'd suggest you have a look at all the previous topics on the forum to check out equal subjects and also have a look at the Guide of Mauritius.

If you still have questions, come back and we'll try to help us.

Cheers
Arlette

Hi Jab, it depends on what you meant by living "comfortably" since it's very subjective from person to person. Personally having lived in the US and China, I definitely think that Rs 130,000 a month in Mauritius is very comfortable; even with a wife and a kid. Let me break it down a lil bit:

3 bedroom apartment rental: 20K to 60K a month depending on how much comfort you require.

Private car: check if you are allowed to bring your existing car from SA since shipping is not that much. If not Rs 300K to 500K can get you a nice car, again depending on the level of comfort you need. They're way more expensive than SA since the import duty is from 55% to 100%.

Food and groceries are relatively cheap if you cook yourself, if you eat out, be prepared to pay around rs500 to rs800 per person. For a special dinner, could be from rs1000 to rs3000 per person.

Nursery for kids is around rs5000 per month.

I personally think to live comfortably (different from living large)you could at least save around rs30,000 per month.

Hope this helps.

Hey there , many thanks for the post, how is business over there at the moment, I am getting mixed feedback , some are saying that growth is huge, others are saying the market is saturated. I am in the IP telephony and IT consulting arena. Is it a good time to open up a new distributorship ?

Hi, with regards to the financial sector, which is what i do, the sector has witnessed a slow down. Growth in the real estate sector was indeed huge, but again becoz of the european crisis has experienced a slow down. Many realtors are therefore banking on the SAs coming to Mauritius market.

With regards to the IT sector and call centers, I believe the potential is still here. Given the biliguistic capabilties and low cost of labor. If you're working with companies overseas then sky's the limit, but if you're counting on the 1.2m market in Mauritius then you are very limited.

[moderated: advertisement is not allowed]

Hello all,
        Iam a doctor from India.Ive got a job offer at Mauritius.My package is as follows:
salary:USD 4000/month(before tax)
furnished accomodation for me and my wife.
daily pick up and drop to hospital.
i don't have a kid.is this a good package?
        i would like to know the cost of living in Mauritius.
Also how much i can save per month?i may go out for some site seeing once in a week.other days i may be busy with my work.
can anyone reply me regarding this as im yet to accept this offer.

aravinth16 wrote:

Hello all,
        Iam a doctor from India.Ive got a job offer at Mauritius.My package is as follows:
salary:USD 4000/month(before tax)
furnished accomodation for me and my wife.
daily pick up and drop to hospital.
i don't have a kid.is this a good package?
        i would like to know the cost of living in Mauritius.
Also how much i can save per month?i may go out for some site seeing once in a week.other days i may be busy with my work.
can anyone reply me regarding this as im yet to accept this offer.

If you do the maths:

4000 * 25 ( lowest FX rate) =Rs 100K more than enough for a couple
as far as c.o.l. richdaddy has given some examples above and there is also the guide as mentioned.

Hi guys
We're relocating to Mauritius in a couple of months and I'm trying to get a realistic idea of monthly expenses.  We're a family of 4 (2 adults with 2 small kids).  I'm a bit vague on the following monthly costs:

Electricity
Water & Rates
Telephone
Groceries
Basic Health plan


We have everything else sorted in the budget except the above.  We don't live extravagantly so normal costs would be much appreciated please.

Hi guys,
I have a offer to work in Mauritius for small company.Salary before tax rp.80.000+comany car+petrol free housing for first 2 years,contribiution to pension and medical(2.5%)and 10% in company shers.My wife ben offer job at school(Clavis) for rp.30.000 and discount for 2 kids.Please candly advise if this a good offer.
Many thanks,
richi123

Hi Richi,
With company car, free housing, pension and medical contribution + your wife's contract, it seems to be a very good deal in Mauritius! Which type of position where you offered?
Cheers
Arlette

Hi Arlete,
I been offer position as production manager.Company is young(3 years)and small(15 people)involve in window covering products.Ovners or very nice people and i know tham for 4 years.My wife is also artist(painting in oil mainly portrets)and ex ballet dancer.We are lucking for some contacts in this field.Any advise please.

Don't hesitate on this offer as I also see in your profile that you get a nice discount on school fees! and life is quite cheap in Mauritius too!
I'd say go ahead!

TamL wrote:

Julien - where do you rent a car at that rate?  I'm paying R24,000 a month for a small car.. are you talking about a long term rental??  Thanks for any advice!
Tam

It is much more better to lease a car than to hire. As when you lease period is over you have to pay a minimum charges of Rs.1000/-only sometime and you will become owner. There are monthly Payments and any bank or leasing company can do this for you depending on your income

Hi,

I am considering a job with an international company in Mauritius and would like to know the living standard for an expatriate in Mauritius.

Your kind response will be much appreciated.

Thanks..

Ron.

It is good to live in Mauritius.
It would depend on which part of Mauritius you are going to live.
You can get an  apartment or house from  mur 2500.00 to  25000 and more with two bedrooms etc the more you pay the more you spend houses. Whole island is safe to live. If you eat at home would be better as choice is vary less in Mauritius. In all you have to spend around 10,000.00 p.m for your rent and groceries etc. for family of two including fuel expenses etc.

rilam894 wrote:

Hi,

I am considering a job with an international company in Mauritius and would like to know the living standard for an expatriate in Mauritius.

Your kind response will be much appreciated.

Thanks..

Ron.

rajasekhar.  You can easily find places near Grand Bay...Best is to come and look for yourself when you are here

shridharsmu wrote:

TamL wrote:

Julien - where do you rent a car at that rate?  I'm paying R24,000 a month for a small car.. are you talking about a long term rental??  Thanks for any advice!
Tam

It is much more better to lease a car than to hire. As when you lease period is over you have to pay a minimum charges of Rs.1000/-only sometime and you will become owner. There are monthly Payments and any bank or leasing company can do this for you depending on your income

Hi

Leasing can indeed be a good solution, provided that your file is approved by a leasing company. But most of them (Leasing Companies) will expect you to pay at least for the VAT amount of the vehicle  or more (in the case of a finance lease) depending on your repayment capacity. Also the vehicle must be new or recent, otherwise most of the leasing companies won't finance it or will request for a shorter repayment term (thus bigger monthly repayments).

The residual value payable at the end of the lease is indeed a small amount and there won't be any registration fees to get the vehicle transfered under your name (or something like MUR 300). Operating leases are another options (which are actually similar to a rental with no purchase option at the end of the contract).

However, during the lease period, you have to provide for the insurance, maintenance & repair of the vehicle, annual road tax etc... whereas those costs are usually included in the monthly rental fee ! Not to mention the penalties applicable should the lease agreement be terminated earlier (should you wish to sell the vehicle for example) or in case of late payment.

Grand Baie is expensive. You can stay in areas around Grand Baie and take a bus. The bus system is good and cheap. I stayed in Mauritius for 5 months without a car. I would suggest a small flat in Pt Aux Canonnier. Rent will be around 10rs per month. The bus ride is only 5 minutes to Grand Baie. Plus, you are only 5 minute walk from a Mont Choisy beach. The Grand Baie beach is small and dirty water(lot of boats).
Send me a private email and I can see if I can help find an apartment.

The rent is only Rs.10? Are you sure you got the price right?

Hi everyone,

I am currently living in Canada and I am considering a short term work placement in Mauritius. Looking to meet people who live there, or who have lived and can provide me with some  information and advice.

I have a limited budget, but it seems that it should be sufficient as it's only for 6 months. I am responsible for my own accomodations so if you know any good websites to check out some reasonably priced, clean and safe places to live that would be great.

Thank you all - and especially to Julien who created this website. It's been very useful!

Monika

Welcome to Expat-blog, Monika!

You should view Mauritius classifieds and post an advert there by selecting the accommodation category.

It might be useful.

Regards,
Sheetul

Hi all,
I am from Alexandria Egypt, however I grew up in Indiana USA.
I have traveled to the three corners of Africa: Egypt, Morocco and South Africa.
Now I am being offered to reallocate to Mauritius another beautiful country that is all so different from all the rest I have been to.
I am offered a salary between 3,000 – 4,000 US dollars to work in Port Luis. Please advise on the type of lifestyle I can live in with that amount (noted that I am single). 

Best
JC

Hi JC81,

With the salary you will be able to lead a very good lifestyle. Housing shouldnt take more than 700$ for a single person, adding transport and other normal household costs, I dont think your expenses will be more than 1500$. Beyond that the rest can be spent based on the lifestyle you want to lead .

@ Monaghh if you are looking for houses for rent, lexpressproperty.com/ is a good place to start. also, orange.mu.
Most of Mauritius is safe, with very few visible Violent crimes. You can look at Flic n Flac, Tamarin, Curepipe, Floreal, Moka and Sodnac in Quatre Bornes for accommodation. these are among the better places to live in, and have good neighborhoods.

Cheers,
Musheer

Thanks musheer for the tip... it seems from what I read on the forum that Mauritius is not as expensive as I thought; I thought since it is such a big tourist attraction it would much more costly.
But let me ask in terms of technology, how are prices there, Laptops, DSL, is there Mobile internet there or any kind of mobile internet modems?? and how much would somthing like that cost me.
I tend to stay connected with home all the time

Hey,
Though tourism is big, its only the fourth largest. Economy is driven by Sugar Industry, textiles and services.
In general the electronics are more expensive because of duties, there is DSl and ADSL, but can be a little on the higher side depending on the type of connection,i.e,speed you want.
there are mobile internet modems, costing 60$ to buy , and monthly charges dependent on your use, but should be an average of 20-30$. :_)