The most common misconception we correct is that Mauritius is inexpensive. For a family that replicates a European or South African way of life, with a coastal house, imported groceries, international school and private healthcare, it is not. The figures below are indicative ranges from 2026 and are there to size the decision, not to replace a proper budget. They move with the exchange rate, the area and the choices a family makes.
Housing. Rent is the largest line and the most variable. A modern two-bedroom apartment in the north around Grand Baie sits in the range of MUR 35,000 to 70,000 a month. A family house with three or more bedrooms and a pool in the north or west runs from roughly USD 2,000 to 5,000 a month, and the large villas in the estates go well beyond that. Ten minutes inland from the coast, in Pamplemousses or Triolet, the same money buys considerably more. Rentals are almost always furnished, and a deposit of one to two months plus an agency fee is paid before arrival.
Schooling. The second line for a family with children, and the one that most often surprises. Annual fees at the English-medium international schools range from around MUR 180,000 in the early years to over MUR 600,000 at the top of secondary, depending on the school. A family with two children at secondary level should budget MUR 700,000 to 1,200,000 a year in tuition alone, before the enrolment fee, the school bus and the extras. There is a separate note on choosing a school.
Healthcare. Public hospitals are free to residents but most families use the private clinics, paying at the point of service. A private GP consultation is in the range of MUR 1,000 to 3,000. Insurance is where the real cost sits: a basic local plan from around MUR 2,000 to 4,000 a month per person, and an international plan with evacuation cover from around USD 200 to 500 a month. The evacuation element is the part not to economise on.
Groceries and utilities. Local produce, fish and rice are inexpensive; imported goods carry duty and cost noticeably more than at home. A single person cooking at home spends around MUR 10,000 to 15,000 a month on food; a family two to three times that, more if the trolley is full of imported brands. Electricity, water and internet for a household come to a few thousand rupees a month, rising sharply in summer if the air conditioning runs all night.
Transport. A car is a necessity outside the towns, and cars are expensive because of import duty. Budget for that purchase, and for fuel, at the outset. Public transport exists but is not how a relocating family will get to school.
What you get for it. A personal tax regime that tops out at 20% on chargeable income up to MUR 12 million and 35% above it from 1 July 2026, a remittance basis for foreign income, no capital gains tax, no wealth tax, no inheritance tax. Safety. Domestic help at wages that are low by European standards. Winter that does not happen. Most families who do the sums honestly find that the total is comparable to a mid-sized European city, and that what they are paying for is the life rather than the discount.