Housing around 1.2 million residents, the island nation of Mauritius is situated 2,000 km off the African Coast. Considered as a whole, moving to Mauritius is not a hugely expensive affair, but there are some important points to consider. Here’s our complete guide to the cost of living in Mauritius.
Mauritius is an affordable country to live in, with reasonable cost of living, compared to global standards. This guide covers the cost of living in Mauritius, helping readers determine if moving there is a suitable choice..
What is the Cost of Living in Mauritius?
As mentioned earlier, the cost of living in The Republic of Mauritius is not as high as many have led us to believe. Let us delve deeper into how costly/cheap it is, along with the monthly costs of living in the island nation.
Firstly, we’ll have a look at the cost of having a home. The price of housing/renting varies across different cities in the country, however, considering renting a fully furnished accommodation of 85 m2 in an expensive area (like the capital city of Port Louis) would cost no more than Rs. 29,000 (MUR), which would equal to around US$650.
Due to adequately available accommodations among well-situated locations, one can sufficiently find a decent place to live that is located close to their respective workplaces. Renting similar accommodations located in an inexpensive city cost as low as $300.
Basically, one is likely to pay much less for housing in Mauritius than anywhere else in the US, but more than that in Asian countries. However, one important point to note is that some of these offers do require the buyer to cover deposits or agency fees at the time of moving in.
Cost of other Items in Mauritius?
Now we’ll have a look at how much other primary items such as transport and food in Mauritius cost. The country is going through a rising prominence of developed food market chains that offer easily accessible food alternatives to residents. One downside is that products sold in these grocery markets have similar, if not higher, prices to those in developed nations like the US or the UK. However, buying from local markets is much cheaper. If we have a look at the costs of individual items, an average lunch costs around $5-6, a dozen eggs cost nearly $2.30 and beer is around $1.35. Therefore, the overall cost of feeding in the overall monthly expenditure would vary by a huge margin for someone buying from a high-end grocery store from that buying from a local market. The average amount a single person spends on food in any given month is around $300-400.
Talking about transportation, travelling across the island is quick and easy on the back of a developed modern road infrastructure along with constantly expanding road links. The travelling options are also numerous. On average, one can expect to spend around 20% of their monthly budget on transportation.
Reasons behind the cost:
The cost of food, transportation, education, and most importantly accommodation is heavily derived from demand and supply. Given the low overall population along with the relatively higher supply of accommodation across the country, there’s no denying that renting an apartment in normal to expensive cities may not burn that huge a hole in one’s pocket. Additionally, the luxurious lifestyle also plays a huge factor in driving the cost.
Is Paying More to Live in Mauritius?
Covered across beautiful beaches, the climate across the island ranges between 20-30℃ on any given day of the year. In fact, the favourable climate does end up being a deciding factor for potential expatriates to move permanently to The Republic of Mauritius. One could go on to say that Mauritius offers a relatively more luxurious lifestyle against the cost, as compared to many developed nations as well.
Education in Mauritius: Is it a Good Place to go to college?
Mauritius has both private and public schools available for all kids. Some of the highest-ranked universities across the globe also include the University of Mauritius and the University of Technology, Mauritius, which is located in the capital city of Port Louis. It’s one of the safest countries even for international students, offering not only quality education and a great learning experience, but also numerous work opportunities post-completion of their education. However, the catch here is that the country offers two different rates to ex-pats and others. Expats would normally be required to pay a high deposit/registration fee compared to others. Pre-primary education in Mauritius costs around $200, primary education costs $400, and secondary education costs somewhere between $500-900. The country also offers education in international universities like Middlesex University and Curtin University. The cost in international universities varies across locations, but on average, costs around $1,700-4,500.
What’s the Closest Airport to Mauritius?
Mauritius is first known for its unmatchable tourist attractiveness before anything else, which makes it important to know the nearest airport to the island nation. International flights to the Republic of Mauritius usually land at the Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (SSR) International Airport. The airport is located about 50 kms from Port Louis. There are buses commuting every 15 minutes from the airport to Port Louis.
Further, sufficient transport options to the rest of the country are available, the best of them being taxis. The country also has a good locational advantage, as it’s located in a time zone merely 2-3 hours ahead of European nations including Germany, Spain, Switzerland, and France. Again, being an island nation comes with its own downsides, whereby there’s no other direct connection from Mauritius to Europe, leaving the airport as the only option.
Contributing factors to Housing Costs:
As mentioned earlier, the average monthly rent in Mauritius is relatively lower than the US, and even many other developed western nations. What contributes to the low/moderate accommodation cost in the country?
One reason is that most people have viewed Mauritius from the point of view of a tourist, more so than from the perspective of expatriation. This means that hotel and restaurant rates are excessively higher than that of rental homes. Even students (forming a huge chunk of potential customers for rental homes) who are looking for education internationally prefer to travel to western nations, despite an almost equally good education system in Mauritius.
Is it possible to Save Money in Mauritius?
The level of savings varies from person to person based upon the level of spending, along with the city in which the person is planning to reside in. Apparently, residing in expensive cities like Port Louis and Beau Bassin-Rose Hill, which is one of the largest cities in Mauritius, would cost noticeably more than that in other cities. The level of savings is expected to be much lesser as one lives closer to these cities. Thus, like in every other country, the wealthiest lot takes up the most space in the capital city. However, one can follow some points beforehand which might allow him/her to save as much money as possible, no matter the residing city.
Salaries in Mauritius range from $2,900 to $5,100. The amount might seem nominal to people residing in more developed nations, however, the lifestyle benefits the country offers more than makes up for it. The primary consideration for anyone when it comes to finding out the overall cost of living is the cost of rentals. For people living alone, having a well-paying job in hand is necessary to not just live in an expensive city in Mauritius, but also sufficiently save and/or invest money. Despite Mauritius being an open economy (unlike other countries like Maldives) along with its relative proximity to European nations, not many seem to have recognized the perks of settling down permanently in the country. With only a moderate demand for accommodation, the country is definitely an option worth looking into for someone who wants to save more money. However, one must also be cautious about the initial deposit amount that’s often for before letting someone move into an accommodation across the country. Alternatively, one could save costs by having someone else live with them and share mutual costs wherever applicable.
Here are a few other simple tips and tricks one could use in order to save money being a resident in Mauritius:
Free transport:
A cost-saving habit which could be extremely useful for some people in the long term is to use public transport in Mauritius. For example, students who have valid student ID, and senior citizens get to use public transport for free. A student/senior citizen can find bus stops where they can take the benefit of free transportation to nearly anywhere on the whole island. The difference in money saved between adopting free public transport and not becomes apparent over time.
Reusing stuff:
Mauritius possesses a concept familiar to Asian nations in terms of the fact that most of them prefer to live with their families until they get married. Mauritian families have a residing culture whereby they’re most likely to help you when moving out by giving away their old stuff. Hence, given the high consumerism in Mauritius, asking people/relatives for their old furniture and other kitchen appliances is not at all frowned upon. This could help save an immense amount of money.
Choosing local markets over high-end grocery stores:
High-end grocery stores in Mauritius might offer more alternatives and a wide variety of food, but the cost there is high. However, the country also has the presence of local markets that offer much cheaper groceries. Hence, making a habit of buying from local markets rather than a high-end grocery store could be another option to save money regularly, especially for a family of four or more with a single breadwinner.
Savings in healthcare:
Even healthcare offers an option for ex-pats to save a ton of money in Mauritius. Currently, the country is going through a massive boom in medical tourism. One is likely to receive the same, if not better, medical care in Mauritius as compared to the US, but at a much more reasonable cost. In fact, public healthcare in the country is free for its residents and as of 2017 and public healthcare provided for around 3/4th of the health requirement of its entire population, while the rest is being addressed by private healthcare institutions. In recent years, healthcare at nominal prices has become one of the top priorities of the Mauritian government, whereby 9.50% of the total FY20 budget of the government was allocated to healthcare, up from 7.40% earlier. Basically, this opens a window of opportunity for people to save money by preferring public healthcare over private institutions.
What Does Mauritius Cost to Visit?
Mauritius is a middle ground in terms of cost of living when compared to western and Asian nations. The narrative only slightly changes if we consider visiting the country simply for a vacation.
Mauritius is known for its wildly clean sandy beaches, delicious food, fun water sports, and an exotic. Balanced climate making it a suitable destination during any given time of the year. Airlines like Air Mauritius make the commute a cheap affair. Therefore, hotels and restaurants become the primary expense that might require some pre-planning on the part of the tourist. Although, cheaper options are available in the local market, for someone longing for the full “Mauritius experience”.
Conclusion
Mauritius offers more than just tourist attractions. It’s a multifaceted location to explore. Mauritius offers affordable living with free healthcare, transportation, and a pleasant climate, making it an attractive destination for those seeking a new home. There are certainly downsides in the form of relatively expensive education for expats and the ask for an initial deposit/fee before renting, however, the positives far outweigh the negatives.
