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

Name: Mauritius
Address: MU

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,137 in South Africa versus $658 in Mauritius.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,773 in South Africa versus $1,090 in Mauritius.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,408 in South Africa versus $1,521 in Mauritius.

Living in South Africa is roughly 73% more expensive than in Mauritius on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: South Africa 17% lower, Mauritius 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.22 R 184

$6.48 MUR 305

73.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.86 R 702

$43.10 MUR 2,031

-0.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.77 R 94.4

$6.92 MUR 326

-16.62%

Cappuccino

$2.41 R 39.51

$2.62 MUR 124

-8.02%

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

$1.19 R 19.55

$1.10 MUR 51.9

8.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.32

$0.71 MUR 33.44

22.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.40 R 39.34

$2.08 MUR 98.1

15.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 R 49.02

$3.12 MUR 147

-4.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.25 R 20.47

$1.43 MUR 67.6

-12.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 R 17.96

$0.65 MUR 30.82

69.23%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 R 28.93

$1.76 MUR 83.0

0.57%

Eggs

$2.51 R 41.12

$2.48 MUR 117

1.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.46 R 139

$8.96 MUR 422

-5.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.41 R 88.6

$5.75 MUR 271

-5.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.94 R 130

$12.64 MUR 596

-37.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.82 R 29.76

$2.24 MUR 105

-18.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 R 27.60

$2.04 MUR 96.0

-17.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 R 28.34

$2.18 MUR 103

-20.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 R 28.99

$2.72 MUR 128

-34.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.07

$1.08 MUR 50.9

36.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 23.99

$1.02 MUR 48.18

43.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 R 20.55

$0.82 MUR 38.64

52.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 R 18.95

$0.72 MUR 33.88

61.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.31 R 54.3

$6.55 MUR 309

-49.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.88 R 79.9

$10.73 MUR 506

-54.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.53 R 25.02

$1.77 MUR 83.3

-13.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 R 33.53

$2.28 MUR 108

-10.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.69 R 27.62

$0.97 MUR 45.82

74.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$62.8 R 1,028

$42.15 MUR 1,987

48.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 R 17.64

$4.32 MUR 204

-75.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.94 R 15.46

$3.19 MUR 151

-70.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.90 R 129

$10.56 MUR 498

-25.19%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.38

$1.46 MUR 68.9

-2.05%

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

$36.6K R 599.6K

$30.9K MUR 1.5M

18.38%

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

$31.1K R 509.6K

$34.4K MUR 1.6M

-9.43%

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

$131 R 2,147

$59.1 MUR 2,784

121.96%

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

$35.38 R 579

$13.56 MUR 639

160.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.24 R 676

$29.93 MUR 1,411

37.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.46 R 564

$33.79 MUR 1,592

1.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.85 R 194

$7.28 MUR 343

62.77%

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 R 124

$6.20 MUR 292

22.26%

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

$231 R 3,791

$158 MUR 7,459

46.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,534 R 90.6K

$5,272 MUR 248.5K

4.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.0 R 901

$49.43 MUR 2,330

11.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.73 R 552

$41.88 MUR 1,974

-19.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$100 R 1,643

$77.3 MUR 3,642

29.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.5 R 1,498

$65.8 MUR 3,103

38.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$501 R 8,209

$459 MUR 21.6K

9.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$418 R 6,854

$321 MUR 15.1K

30.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$955 R 15.6K

$837 MUR 39.5K

14.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 R 13.5K

$668 MUR 31.5K

23.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,158 R 19.0K

$4,383 MUR 206.6K

-73.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$788 R 12.9K

$2,122 MUR 100.0K

-62.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,542 R 25.3K

$761 MUR 35.9K

102.69%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.24

6.32

77.85%

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

Last update for South Africa: September 13, 2026

Last update for Mauritius: September 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $444 in South Africa, $178 in Mauritius. Capital cities: $320 in Bloemfontein vs $488 in Port Louis.

National salary averages: $1,543 in South Africa, $819 in Mauritius. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 149% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 29% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 113% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 88% 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

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

At $622 per month in Mauritius and $1,225 in South Africa, there's a 97% 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.