COST OF LIVING IN MAURITIUS

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Hi,

as a general rule, everything except of personal services is more expensive in Mauritius than in Europe.

Beachfront apartment/house in a ok area and secured residence: 100,000 Rs+, but easily beyond if you are living in areas like Pointe aux Cannoniers.
Security seems to be more and more an issue here so be sure you find a residence and an area which is reasonably secure (Driving at night is not advisable in deserted areas like the streets leading to the Azuri village)
If from Europe, expect your rent to be higher here for lesser standards. For example, if beachfront, It will be even higher than what you pay in Switzerland for a flat/house as rental object.
Supermarkets more expensive than in Europe. Worst is milk products. I pay 285Rs for one liter organic milk and you can only get it there once a week.
Electricity bills - crazy - we do not use air-conditioning and I paid 4500 Rs for two people.
Cars - crazy as there is a 100% import tax (plus shipping) so you pay an unreasonable price for the car even if it is used.
Shoes for kids - twice the price than in Europe. Private schools, less expensive than in the UK and Switzerland but more expensive than private schools in Austria and Germany, for example.
So with all the health costs and insurances under a reasonable scheme, car monthly cost, rent, food, side bills etc. you can easily end up paying 8000 Euro+ a months for a family and this does not count in travel to Europe (Eco) and costs for dinner in a restaurant (which we have restrained).

Or you decide to live more modest based on your budget but then you are always better of in Europe with your income/spending ratio. But you get the sun and the sea the whole year.

Our friends think of moving because the rent for the house (40,000Rs) in an ok area and counting in all the other costs does not allow them to live from one salary only, the small kid being 1 year.

With regards to the pensioners I met, they have bought and only live here a couple of months a year, otherwise they spend their time in South of France!

Regards

Wow!  thank you so much for this most informative and detailed reply.  I am stunned at how expensive it is there.  And I thought it was safe as well, but it seems not that safe either.   I was imagining renting something for around rs 60,000 in a nice neighbourhood or even slightly rural.  We are both vegan.  is it easy to grow own food there if you have a small garden?  what is cost of fresh produce?  is much locally grown or mainly import?  If average monthly expenditure is Euro8000 then this is way too expensive and would gobble up everything we own in less than no time.  Thank you again!!

Wow!  thank you so much for this most informative and detailed reply.  I am stunned at how expensive it is there.  And I thought it was safe as well, but it seems not that safe either.   I was imagining renting something for around rs 60,000 in a nice neighbourhood or even slightly rural.  We are both vegan.  is it easy to grow own food there if you have a small garden?  what is cost of fresh produce?  is much locally grown or mainly import?  If average monthly expenditure is Euro8000 for two then this is way too expensive and would gobble up everything we own in less than no time. that equals around R138000.  Here in South Africa we own our house, live well and monthly expenditure is no more than around R60,000 ma and usually more likely R45,000.  So it looks like UK an option as husband is Brit.

Thank you again!!

Hi,

you get certainly something nice for 60,000 Rs but not beachfront. Remember beachfront is 2-3 times more expensive and also unsafer than inland.

Vegan works pretty good I think, we are vegetarians and we buy organic stuff from farm basket. Ok price but certainly above prices for organic in Europe.

If you find a nice house in the countryside, you can grow veggies there. You find a full time worker for 8,000 Rs a month so you can hire someone to grow your stuff. You may inquire if you can lease agricultural land if you need big quantities.

Check on Lexpressproperty for your needs, you find beautiful houses with large gardens there if you are not looking for beachfront.
https://www.lexpressproperty.com/en/ren … or_unit=m2https://www.lexpressproperty.com/en/ren … or_unit=m2

Security is a so-so. US is certainly worse than here, SA is worse,
Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy likely to be better.

Immigration is really a problem here if you are not coming on a professional permit, you can only come as investor, self-employed or retired citizen (above 50 yrs).
Permits are very bureaucratic to obtain.

You can have a very nice life here but you must adapt and also make an effort to make friends.

If you are looking for an island life and better safety, La Reunion, Seychelles and Cook Islands might also be an alternative. Safety in Mauritius is better than in most of the Caribbean islands, but safety (but higher costs) is definitely better in Cayman and BVI (from own experience).

Best thing is to try it out, I would propose.

You can rent "long term" also under a 6 months contract (you can extend your tourist visa (3 months) for another 3 months per year) and you do not need to apply for a residence permit if under 180 days and if no kid at school. After 6 months living here you will know whether you can handle it or not and it will not eat up your budget if you stay low with the rent. Azuri has now local townhouses for 60,000 Rs on rent if you need expat community.

Regards

That's such an extreme exaggeration. Coming from Europe, I can definitely say that while imported food products as well as cars and electronics are more expensive here, overall life is definitely more affordable and by far (especially compared to cities like Paris or London). 
I rent a brand new quite luxurious 3 bedroom apartment with a sea view in one of the best areas of the island for 35K per month which comes to 40K with all bills (€1000). Cleaner once a week - 500rs (€12).  Monthly expenditure for food and outings as well as general expenses (I do go to restaurants and bars 3-4 times a month or more) - €500-700. I shop almost almost exclusively from supermarkets and do buy some imported European products and still that's certainly enough for one person to live comfortably.
All services such as hairdressers, vets, massage places and what have you as well as eating out are much cheaper here than anywhere I've been to in western Europe.

Basically what I have noticed is that even though on the whole prices at the supermarket are higher than in Europe, almost everything else is considerably cheaper here. Roads are good, private healthcare is excellent at prices comparable to those in Europe (no experience with state hospitals so can't comment on them), accommodation is easily available and to quite high standards (I've visited more than 30 properties all within the range of 25-35k and all were fully equipped and much larger than apartments in any city in Europe, as well as much much cheaper). Internet, water and electricity cost me roughly €100 per month with moderate aircon usage.

I'd say that €2000 monthly is enough for 2 people to live comfortably in Mauritius. Many people (incl. expats) live with less than that and still manage to live quite well.

What's not included here is only transport. Public transport is not really something I would recommend for everyday commuting so a car becomes a must. You can get a new (2014 or later) small automatic car such as a Nissan Micra for around €10000.
If you choose to rent, it will be around 15K (€400) per month for an automatic car.

As for safety, it really depends where you are comparing to. For me, I have never felt any danger here whatsoever. Of course I wouldn't go walking alone at night on a deserted street but that's about all I refrain from doing for safety reasons.  To keep your mind at rest I'd recommend that you get a place in a gated residence (although many expats live in individual houses or villas and are perfectly fine).

Well, you cannot compare it to London or Paris, it is an island with not much cultural offerings and the infrastructure cannot be compared to a "developed country".



Roads are generally bad here as they have no security side-lane so you always have to drive carefully. There are many accidents as people tend to walk on the streets and tend to overhaul even if it is not safe.

Beachfront properties are extremely expensive, do not be fooled. The lady said that she lived in a nice house so she would expect the same standard here.

The North where we live is also expensive but good in terms of micro-climate and supermarkets.

Healthcare seems to be rather inadequate (I did not have to use it yet but I am on an international health insurance), our friends had to travel to SA for a surgery for their small son and the Mauritian insurance did not cover it.

So if you want to buy or rent and you compare the purchase value of a beachfront property it to other paradise islands: Cayman Islands , Seychelles (?), La Reunion (?), and you will have a pretty good picture of the which value for money you get here.

UK will certainly be more expensive than here but also depends were you live.

You need to choose between two totally different things: laid back life on an island or busy life in Europe.

The expect pensioners to bring in 2500 USDollar monthly to a local bank account in order to get a permit so you will understand the average costs for an average retired citizen

http://www.edbmauritius.org/media/1661/ … elines.pdf

As said, I would come and see for myself and try it out for 6 months

thank you. your reply is very much appreciated.  your response on cost of living sounds far more affordable and something we could cope with.  again, thank you!!

thank you again for your detailed response!  I think we will come for a holiday in the near future and check it out - see if it is for us.  I love the idea of island living and beautiful clement weather all year round!

Well, you cannot compare it to London or Paris, it is an island with not much cultural offerings and the infrastructure cannot be compared to a "developed country".

Excuse my French  but

then why the heck do you want to live on an island which is just  a pin drop in the Indian Ocean .

Why don't you stick to the G7 countries ? Ask the number of Brits ( retirees)  who have to move elsewhere when their nice villas in the Italian countryside were invaded constantly

As far as Cayman and BVI , Let's see if they let every Joe and Jane in w/o first showing how much $$$$$$$ they have as assets or in the bank.

Reunion is still part of France and it is not easy to just drop in w/o showing your $$$$ first as far as a foreigner is concerned.

From experience , private school for expats in Munich Germany : 25 K. Euros .

IMHO: It is silly to try to compare a former colony to the nation states of colonials.

This is exactly the point, the bureaucratic burden to enter Mauritius is too high if you do not come as an investor, self-employed or as a professional or are happy to come as a pensioner.

You cannot simply show your bank statement and come in but you have either to buy an expensive and overpriced RES property or you have to fall within the other categories.

Expats are a mixed community, some are here for work, some are here for the sea and sun, some run businesses and invest into Africa, some want to get away from the crazily busy life in Europe.

Expats are a highly diverse and highly mobile community so they just move if it is not for them.
Also Mauritius needs to attract highly educated and affluent foreigners in order to compete with the other countries.

It does not mean that it is not nice to live here but you also have to acknowledge the problems that come with it. So weigh imperfection against winter blues ...

You want Mauritius to turn into Turks and Caicos .
or Panama for that matter.

If all the "affluent" so-called expats are given free reign to come to the island where will the locals live.
It is only a 720 sq mile volcanic piece of land surrounded by the big blue.

This thread is running off topic, which means unless replies are relevant to 'cost of living in Mauritius' then this thread is likely to be  closed.

I agree, we started with the cost of living, and this cost is high for expats in terms of accommodation, food, electronics, cars, brand clothes compared to other places but certainly lower than in New York, London, Paris.
So coming back to living costs, they are higher than on mainland because everything has to be exported and because there are excise duties on these imports. Again this is also natural (talking about customs and excise) because direct taxes are relatively low as it has to always balance out. Either you have higher living costs and lower taxes or you have lower living costs and higher taxes. If both are high, you are likely to loose in the globalisation game in the long-term...