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: $1,000 in Mauritius versus $1,016 in South Africa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,633 in Mauritius versus $1,595 in South Africa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,265 in Mauritius versus $2,173 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 24% lower.

Mauritius ($727–$1,176) and South Africa ($809–$1,338) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.61 MUR 309

$8.99 R 149

-26.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.60 MUR 2,085

$39.97 R 662

11.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.53 MUR 305

$5.09 R 84.2

28.29%

Cappuccino

$2.40 MUR 112

$2.05 R 33.99

17.07%

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

$1.04 MUR 48.66

$1.02 R 16.86

1.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.63 MUR 29.24

$0.75 R 12.44

-16.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 MUR 102

$2.23 R 36.87

-1.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 MUR 142

$2.47 R 40.87

22.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 MUR 67.7

$1.11 R 18.39

30.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 MUR 32.65

$1.03 R 17.10

-32.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.90 MUR 88.9

$1.57 R 25.96

21.02%

Eggs

$2.28 MUR 107

$2.26 R 37.48

0.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.55 MUR 447

$7.54 R 125

26.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.74 MUR 268

$4.73 R 78.3

21.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.45 MUR 582

$6.86 R 114

81.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 MUR 102

$1.58 R 26.17

37.97%

Banana (1kg)

$1.86 MUR 86.9

$1.46 R 24.23

27.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 MUR 95.3

$1.50 R 24.77

36.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.02 MUR 141

$1.54 R 25.54

96.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 MUR 49.55

$1.25 R 20.65

-15.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 MUR 51.3

$1.29 R 21.27

-14.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 MUR 43.13

$1.09 R 18.01

-15.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 MUR 29.30

$0.91 R 14.99

-30.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.75 MUR 316

$2.96 R 48.95

128.04%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.68 MUR 499

$4.96 R 82.1

115.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 MUR 77.6

$1.38 R 22.88

20.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 MUR 97.8

$1.69 R 27.92

23.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 MUR 44.13

$1.63 R 27.01

-42.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.84 MUR 1,535

$44.10 R 730

-25.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.37 MUR 204

$1.15 R 19.04

280.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.26 MUR 152

$1.11 R 18.36

193.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.95 MUR 512

$4.82 R 79.7

127.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MUR 70.4

$1.28 R 21.26

17.97%

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

$31.1K MUR 1.5M

$20.5K R 339.8K

51.64%

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

$33.4K MUR 1.6M

$24.0K R 397.3K

39.13%

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

$59.8 MUR 2,796

$112 R 1,852

-46.55%

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

$16.35 MUR 765

$32.55 R 539

-49.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.89 MUR 1,538

$41.61 R 689

-20.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.58 MUR 1,617

$31.81 R 526

8.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.31 MUR 342

$9.65 R 160

-24.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.69 MUR 313

$6.79 R 112

-1.47%

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

$150 MUR 7,031

$186 R 3,085

-19.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,780 MUR 176.7K

$4,333 R 71.7K

-12.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.16 MUR 2,158

$49.30 R 816

-6.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.83 MUR 1,815

$31.10 R 515

24.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.5 MUR 3,716

$92.6 R 1,533

-14.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.4 MUR 3,057

$81.0 R 1,340

-19.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$439 MUR 20.5K

$439 R 7,261

0.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$307 MUR 14.4K

$363 R 6,010

-15.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$817 MUR 38.2K

$876 R 14.5K

-6.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$625 MUR 29.2K

$706 R 11.7K

-11.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,359 MUR 203.8K

$1,164 R 19.3K

274.39%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,130 MUR 99.6K

$797 R 13.2K

167.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$702 MUR 32.8K

$1,427 R 23.6K

-50.77%

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: April 27, 2026

Last update for South Africa: April 27, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $507 in Mauritius, $367 in South Africa. Capital cities: $465 in Port Louis vs $297 in Bloemfontein.

National salary averages: $754 in Mauritius, $1,456 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 93% higher in South Africa, giving South Africa stronger purchasing power.

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 $952 per month in Mauritius and $1,074 in South Africa, there's a 13% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Mauritius is simply cheaper day-to-day: 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 beats 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 works in regional areas but 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.