Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Mauritius

Name: Mauritius
Address: MU

For one person, living is cheaper in Mauritius: $980 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
Learn more

South Africa Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Mauritius
Learn more

Mauritius Living Index

Jump to prices

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$980

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Mauritius

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in South Africa and in Mauritius actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in South Africa versus $980 in Mauritius.

South Africa $1,203
Mauritius $980

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in South Africa versus $1,608 in Mauritius.

South Africa $1,893
Mauritius $1,608

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,583 in South Africa versus $2,236 in Mauritius.

South Africa $2,583
Mauritius $2,236

South Africa ($618–$1,556) and Mauritius ($495–$1,237) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in South Africa is roughly 23% more expensive than in Mauritius on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: South Africa 12% lower, Mauritius 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 178

$6.34 MUR 299

68.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 695

$41.50 MUR 1,956

0.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.8

$6.86 MUR 323

-15.45%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.36

$2.59 MUR 122

-8.88%

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

$1.12 R 18.62

$1.08 MUR 50.7

3.70%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.05

$0.69 MUR 32.67

30.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.33

$2.22 MUR 104

9.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 51.1

$3.27 MUR 154

-6.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.65

$1.49 MUR 70.2

-20.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.89

$0.66 MUR 31.22

71.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 29.00

$1.65 MUR 77.7

5.45%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.94

$2.42 MUR 114

6.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 141

$9.13 MUR 430

-7.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.4

$5.76 MUR 272

-11.11%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 127

$12.91 MUR 608

-41.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.62

$2.27 MUR 107

-22.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.99

$2.09 MUR 98.6

-16.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.53

$2.30 MUR 108

-23.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.36

$2.76 MUR 130

-36.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.89

$1.08 MUR 51.0

37.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.46

$1.05 MUR 49.33

40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.59

$0.83 MUR 39.06

48.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.31

$0.72 MUR 34.08

52.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.2

$6.42 MUR 303

-49.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.5

$10.55 MUR 497

-52.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.99

$1.69 MUR 79.5

-11.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.37

$2.27 MUR 107

-14.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.67

$0.97 MUR 45.73

52.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 990

$31.78 MUR 1,497

86.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.27

$4.29 MUR 202

-74.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.52

$3.27 MUR 154

-69.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 125

$10.43 MUR 491

-28.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.84

$1.45 MUR 68.4

-1.38%

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

$35.3K R 589.3K

$32.4K MUR 1.5M

8.82%

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

$32.4K R 541.5K

$33.6K MUR 1.6M

-3.55%

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

$133 R 2,216

$57.9 MUR 2,727

129.38%

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

$34.83 R 581

$13.66 MUR 644

154.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 664

$30.63 MUR 1,443

29.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 552

$34.75 MUR 1,637

-4.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$7.33 MUR 345

58.94%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 120

$6.18 MUR 291

16.18%

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

$224 R 3,741

$160 MUR 7,560

39.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 91.2K

$5,296 MUR 249.5K

3.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 905

$46.76 MUR 2,203

15.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 570

$40.24 MUR 1,896

-15.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,704

$79.8 MUR 3,760

27.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,477

$63.2 MUR 2,978

39.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,216

$481 MUR 22.7K

2.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,640

$313 MUR 14.7K

27.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.8K

$880 MUR 41.4K

7.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$679 MUR 32.0K

21.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$4,437 MUR 209.1K

-75.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$2,123 MUR 100.0K

-63.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.1K

$771 MUR 36.4K

94.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

6.32

77.69%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mauritius: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Mauritius

$313 31.9% 21.4% $85

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Mauritius

$102 10.4% 50.7% $105

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Mauritius

$231 23.6% 17.8% $35

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Mauritius

$127 13% 19.2% $30

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Mauritius

$104 10.6% 17.5% $22

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Mauritius

$56 5.8% 21% $15

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Mauritius

$47 4.8% 0.7% $0.3

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $422 in South Africa, $437 in Mauritius. Capital cities: $450 in Pretoria vs $484 in Port Louis.

National salary averages: $1,488 in South Africa, $836 in Mauritius. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Public transport is 85% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 78% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇲🇺 Mauritius

🕒 Local time

12:13 12:13 PM

14:13 2:13 PM

2 h ahead of South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

1,264,613

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.69 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.63 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.12 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.58 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

South Africa Mauritius 3,300 km ≈ 4 h 45 min nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Mauritius

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

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

At $980 per month in Mauritius and $1,203 in South Africa, Mauritius comes out about 19% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Mauritius is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: Mauritius wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.