Cost of Living Comparison Between Mauritius and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Mauritius and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,001 in Mauritius versus $1,019 in South Africa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,631 in Mauritius versus $1,583 in South Africa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,261 in Mauritius versus $2,146 in South Africa.

Living in Mauritius costs about 2% less than in South Africa on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Mauritius 25% lower, South Africa 23% lower.

Mauritius ($722–$1,168) and South Africa ($804–$1,358) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.73 MUR 318

$8.89 R 148

-24.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.63 MUR 2,108

$39.93 R 665

11.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.66 MUR 315

$4.90 R 81.7

35.92%

Cappuccino

$2.43 MUR 115

$2.03 R 33.88

19.70%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.01 MUR 47.60

$1.04 R 17.26

-2.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 MUR 31.99

$0.74 R 12.32

-8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 MUR 103

$2.29 R 38.17

-4.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 MUR 144

$2.56 R 42.69

18.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.38 MUR 65.2

$1.07 R 17.74

28.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 MUR 33.70

$1.04 R 17.27

-31.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 MUR 92.9

$1.56 R 25.96

26.28%

Eggs

$2.30 MUR 109

$2.22 R 37.05

3.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.53 MUR 450

$7.93 R 132

20.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.53 MUR 261

$4.57 R 76.1

21.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.40 MUR 586

$6.63 R 110

87.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 MUR 107

$1.50 R 25.03

50.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MUR 87.6

$1.47 R 24.46

26.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MUR 95.9

$1.45 R 24.11

40.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.98 MUR 140

$1.57 R 26.14

89.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.10 MUR 52.2

$1.20 R 19.97

-8.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 MUR 51.7

$1.28 R 21.38

-14.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 MUR 41.33

$1.03 R 17.23

-14.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 MUR 29.22

$0.93 R 15.54

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.70 MUR 316

$2.94 R 48.96

127.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.76 MUR 508

$5.14 R 85.7

109.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 MUR 76.9

$1.36 R 22.67

19.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 MUR 98.9

$1.66 R 27.66

25.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 MUR 44.86

$1.63 R 27.22

-41.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$33.61 MUR 1,587

$44.21 R 736

-23.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.34 MUR 205

$1.15 R 19.18

277.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.14 MUR 148

$1.10 R 18.30

185.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.20 MUR 529

$4.77 R 79.5

134.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 MUR 70.3

$1.25 R 20.81

19.20%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$30.5K MUR 1.4M

$21.0K R 350.4K

44.85%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$33.9K MUR 1.6M

$23.4K R 390.4K

44.45%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$60.7 MUR 2,864

$114 R 1,892

-46.59%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$16.41 MUR 775

$32.92 R 548

-50.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.16 MUR 1,518

$40.72 R 678

-21.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.28 MUR 1,572

$31.49 R 525

5.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.43 MUR 351

$9.52 R 159

-21.95%

Cinema Ticket

$6.47 MUR 305

$6.91 R 115

-6.37%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$155 MUR 7,312

$188 R 3,124

-17.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,687 MUR 174.1K

$4,300 R 71.6K

-14.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.01 MUR 2,220

$49.97 R 832

-5.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.15 MUR 1,801

$30.67 R 511

24.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.3 MUR 3,697

$94.3 R 1,571

-16.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.8 MUR 3,108

$79.9 R 1,331

-17.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$450 MUR 21.3K

$444 R 7,398

1.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$306 MUR 14.5K

$374 R 6,231

-18.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$800 MUR 37.8K

$902 R 15.0K

-11.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$627 MUR 29.6K

$720 R 12.0K

-12.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,337 MUR 204.8K

$1,102 R 18.4K

293.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,124 MUR 100.3K

$756 R 12.6K

181.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$762 MUR 36.0K

$1,494 R 24.9K

-49.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.03

11.55

-47.79%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mauritius: July 27, 2026

Last update for South Africa: July 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $507 in Mauritius, $367 in South Africa. Capital cities: $475 in Port Louis vs $399 in Pretoria.

National salary averages: $811 in Mauritius, $1,498 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 38% higher in Mauritius.

Dining out costs 17% more in Mauritius.

Public transport is 78% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 85% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Mauritius vs South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $945 per month in Mauritius and $1,081 in South Africa, there's a 14% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Mauritius: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in South Africa is consistently higher than in Mauritius across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Mauritius, $1,500 covers most cities easily; in South Africa it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Mauritius wins on affordability; South Africa may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.