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Cost to move to Mauritius: a line-by-line calculator

By Rory Phillips · Updated October 2026

The cost to move to Mauritius starts with small government fees: USD 1,050 for a single Investor or Self-Employed applicant (a USD 50 application fee and a USD 1,000 permit fee), USD 400 for each dependant, and from 1 October 2026 a prescribed fee on some residence permit applications, whose amount is not yet published. The bigger sums are rent, a car, shipping and flights, and most depend on your choices. This calculator adds up the costs that have a published price, keeps dollars and rupees in separate subtotals, and lists the rest as quotes to get.

Build your estimate

Fill in what applies to you, then choose Show my costs. The sums run in your browser and the figures you enter are not sent anywhere. Dollars and rupees stay in separate subtotals, with no conversion.

Which residence route?

Choose the route you expect to use. If you are not sure which one fits, try the visa checker first.

Premium VisaWorking remotely for employers or clients abroad Occupation Permit, ProfessionalA job with a Mauritian employer Occupation Permit, InvestorInvesting in a business in Mauritius Occupation Permit, Self-EmployedWorking for yourself, providing services Retired non-citizen permitAge 50 or over Buying propertyResidence through a property purchase

Who is coming?

On the Occupation Permit and Retired routes, every adult after the first and every child counts as a dependant at USD 400 each. We treat each adult after the first as a spouse, an opposite-sex common-law partner or a parent, and each child as an unmarried dependent child aged 24 or under.

Adults, including you

Children

Pets

Dogs and cats only. Check the moving pets guide for breed restrictions.

Dogs

Cats

A car

Customs duty, excise and VAT are worked out only if you import a used car. See the driving guide for the wider picture.

No car Buy one on the islandWe have no price we can check, so it goes in the quotes list Import a used carDuty and VAT are worked out from the value you enter

Where you will live

Pick an area and a type of home to see typical asking rents. The area quiz can help you choose.

AreaChoose an areaGrand Baie and PereybèreRest of the north coastTamarin and Black RiverFlic en FlacMoka and EbèneFloréal and CurepipeQuatre Bornes

Type of home2-bed apartment3 to 4-bed house or villa

Choose an area to see the typical asking rent.

Months of rent to budget up front

Leave blank to leave rent out of the totals. The sources we read do not say what landlords ask for up front, so we do not suggest a number. The renting guide explains how lets work.

First-month bills (optional)

Electricity is the energy charge only: we have not checked VAT or the other items on a bill. Internet and mobile prices come from the operators' own price lists and include VAT. We do not price groceries.

ElectricityLeave outAbout 300 kWh a monthAbout 500 kWh a month

Home internet (fibre)Leave out50 Mbps200 Mbps1 Gbps

Mobile plan, for each adultLeave outPrepaid, 30-day packPostpaid, about 5 GBPostpaid, about 30 to 50 GBPostpaid, about 200 to 250 GB

Show my costsClear the form

After the first result, the figures update as you change an answer.

The main one-off costs

Most of what you pay to move falls into a few groups. The figures below are the ones the calculator uses, and the sources at the end of the page say where each comes from.

Residence permit fees

The Economic Development Board sets permit fees in US dollars. The Investor, Self-Employed and Retired routes carry a non-refundable USD 50 application fee and a USD 1,000 permit fee for 10 years. On the Professional route your employer applies and pays the permit fee, which runs from USD 400 for up to 2 years to USD 1,000 for up to 10. Each dependant adds USD 400. The guidelines define a dependant as a spouse (including a common-law partner of the opposite sex), a parent, or an unmarried dependent child not over 24, stepchildren and lawfully adopted children included. They do not say who pays the dependant fee on the Professional route, so the calculator counts it as yours.

From 1 October 2026, Act 13 of 2026 also requires a prescribed fee with residence permit applications under section 8 of the Immigration Act 2022. That section is the one property buyers and the dependants of Occupation Permit and Retired permit holders apply under. We could not find the amount, or whether it replaces the USD 400 dependant fee or comes on top of it. The calculator lists the fee without a figure on the property route and wherever there are dependants, so on those routes your total may be short by that amount.

The Economic Development Board describes the Premium Visa as issued free of charge, although the page that says so carries older text, so confirm it on the application page. No income minimum is published. The checklist asks for three months of bank statements and proof of monthly income, insurance, proof of accommodation, and a return air ticket for stays over 6 months. We found no fee for family members, so that sits in the quotes list. The rules behind each route are in the Occupation Permit guide, the retiring guide and the Premium Visa guide, and the visa checker shows which route fits you.

Buying a home

A buyer pays registration duty of 5% on sales over Rs 100,000, in the currency of the price. The Economic Development Board's guidelines for the Integrated Resort, Real Estate, Property Development, Invest Hotel and Smart City schemes also set a non-refundable processing fee of Rs 25,000 for each application. Its guidelines for G+2 apartments name no fee. The calculator still adds the fee to every purchase, so if you are buying a G+2 apartment, ask the board whether it applies. The 5% land transfer tax falls on the seller, so it is not in your total. From 13 August 2026 the seller also pays an extra 10% duty on some deeds moving residential property on State land or Pas Géométriques to a non-citizen, so 5% is not the only rate. The residence permit threshold is USD 375,000, measured at the selling rate in force when the title deed is signed, and it applies to particular schemes and apartments. We found no official scale for notary fees and no fee figures for the permit or dependants on this route, so those are in the quotes list. The buying property guide covers what a non-citizen may buy and the extra 10% duty in full.

Pets

Each dog or cat needs an import permit at Rs 500, and there is a veterinary clearance fee of Rs 500. The leaflet does not say whether the clearance is charged per animal, while the fee table on the Division's site says per landing, so the calculator counts one clearance for the low figure and one for each animal for the high figure. Quarantine costs Rs 15 a day per animal for the kennel, plus Rs 25 a day for food if you do not supply it. The Division of Veterinary Services leaflet gives a minimum of five working days or one month depending on the country of origin, and we could not confirm which applies. The calculator therefore shows both ends: 7 calendar days, which is five working days counted as seven, and 30 days. The leaflet is undated and says fees are those in force when you apply. You also need a free kennel place and, for air cargo, a named local broker. Check the moving pets guide for breed restrictions.

Belongings and a car

A person taking up residence, or a non-citizen coming to work on a permit, can bring household and personal effects bought abroad without customs duty or VAT. The goods must not be for sale or transfer, and they must be imported within six months of arrival, longer for just cause. Selling them or putting them to other use within four years needs written notice and duty and VAT pro rata. A breach means full duty and VAT, a penalty of up to 50% and interest of 0.5% a month. A packing list is advised. We could not find what proves you are taking up residence, or whether a Premium Visa holder counts, so the calculator shows Rs 0 and, for the Premium Visa and property routes, adds a quote line to ask the Mauritius Revenue Authority. The shipping guide covers the move itself.

A car is priced separately. Customs duty is 0% and VAT is 15%, but excise runs from 0% to 100% by engine size and fuel. The Mauritius Revenue Authority assesses the taxable value of a used car. It starts from the value of identical earlier imports, or the new retail price in the exporting country less 5%, and then takes off 9% for the first month of use and 1% a month after, to a maximum of 50%. The figure the calculator gives from your own value is therefore a rough guide. See the driving guide.

Second-hand cars are barred below 18 months or above 4 years from first registration at shipment, except the first vehicle imported by an "individual importer". The copy of the 2017 import regulations we read, held by the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry and consolidated to about 2019 (a secondary source), lists foreigners taking employment, investors, self-employed non-citizens and professionals with an Occupation Permit of three years or more, retired non-citizens with a residence permit, and Integrated Resort Scheme property holders, when they import a car for their own use from abroad without any transfer of funds from Mauritius. It does not name Premium Visa holders, and it cites sections of the earlier Immigration Act, which the Immigration Act 2022 repealed. We found no current consolidated text, so ask the Authority. We found nothing saying the status waives duty, so the calculator charges it. The Authority's list of concessions, in its version of 1 October 2026, has car reliefs for returning Mauritian citizens and for non-citizens serving under a bilateral or multilateral agreement, among others, but we found none for foreign retirees, permit holders or other settlers. That is not proof that none exists, so ask before you ship a car. The page with the excise rates is undated, so confirm them before you buy.

Rent and the first bills

Rents in the calculator are typical asking rents from online property listings, read on 28 October 2026, for long lets. Some listings are months old, a figure behind five or fewer listings is marked as indicative only, and a few area and home combinations had no listing at all. Where only one listing turned up, as for both home types in Floréal and Curepipe, we show no figure and add no rent to your totals. Electricity is the energy charge only, worked out from the tariff blocks in the gazette notice for meter readings from 1 May 2026; we have not checked VAT or other bill items. Internet and mobile prices come from the price lists of Cellplus (the my.t brand) and Emtel, and include VAT. The Information and Communication Technologies Authority licence register lists a third mobile operator, Mahanagar Telephone (CHiLi), which is not priced here. The fibre installation fee is not listed. The area quiz can help you choose where to live, and the renting guide and cost of living guide cover day-to-day prices.

School fees

If children are coming, the calculator shows school fees per child per year, outside the totals. Across the three international schools we read, fees on the expatriate or non-citizen basis run from Rs 174,900 a year, the Pre-Nursery rate at one school, to Rs 656,700 for Years 12 and 13 at the same school. Leaving out Pre-Nursery and Nursery there, the lowest rate we read is Rs 286,880. The lists cover 2026/27, with one on a 2027 structure. Enrolment, registration and deposit charges, books and levies are extra. The international schools guide has more.

What the calculator does not price

Flights, shipping your belongings, pet air cargo and the local broker, health insurance, notary fees, a car bought on the island, school enrolment and deposit charges, and the prescribed fee where it applies all appear under Get quotes for. We found no published price for them that we could check, so we show no number rather than a guess.

Official fees used in the calculator

Official fees and rates used in the calculator

Fee	Amount	Applies to
Application fee, non-refundable	USD 50	Investor, Self-Employed and Retired permits. The guidelines do not make clear who pays it on the Professional route.
Permit fee, Investor, Self-Employed and Retired	USD 1,000 for 10 years	Those three routes, after approval in principle.
Permit fee, Professional	USD 400 for up to 2 years, USD 500 for up to 3, USD 800 for up to 5, USD 1,000 for up to 10	Paid by the employer, who applies.
Each dependant	USD 400	A spouse (including an opposite-sex common-law partner), a parent, or an unmarried dependent child not over 24 (stepchildren and lawfully adopted children included), of an Occupation Permit or Retired permit holder.
Premium Visa	Described as issued free of charge	Premium Visa. That page carries older text, so confirm on the application page.
Acquisition processing fee	Rs 25,000	Each application under the Integrated Resort, Real Estate, Property Development, Invest Hotel and Smart City schemes, non-refundable, from the board's guidelines for those schemes. The board's G+2 apartment guidelines name no fee.
Registration duty	5% of the price on sales over Rs 100,000	The buyer, in the currency of the price.
Pet import permit and veterinary clearance	Rs 500 permit per animal, plus Rs 500 clearance	The permit is charged for each dog or cat. The Division's fee table charges the clearance per landing, and the leaflet does not say.
Quarantine kennel and food	Rs 15 and Rs 25 a day per animal	Food is charged only if you do not supply it.
Household and personal effects	Rs 0 customs duty and VAT	Goods bought abroad, if the relief applies and its conditions are met.
Used car import	0% customs duty, 0% to 100% excise, 15% VAT	Excise depends on engine size or motor power and on fuel.
Prescribed fee	Amount not yet published	Residence permit applications under section 8 of the Immigration Act 2022, which covers property buyers and the dependants of Occupation Permit and Retired permit holders, from 1 October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

Sources, checked 28 October 2026

Official pages and the operators' own price pages. Rents come from online property listings, and school fees from each school's own fee list.

• Occupation Permit Guidelines (Economic Development Board): application and permit fees, dependants, proof of funds for the Investor and Self-Employed routes, and the USD 375,000 property threshold.
• Mauritius Premium Visa (Economic Development Board): the visa described as issued free of charge.
• Premium Visa checklist (Economic Development Board): the documents the application asks for.
• Retired non-citizen permit (Economic Development Board): the age rule and the sums to show and move.
• Acquire property (Economic Development Board): the property schemes and the residence permit link.
• Guidelines for Buyers of Residential Property under the IRS / RES / PDS (Economic Development Board, November 2024), the Invest Hotel Scheme guidelines (April 2024) and the Smart City Scheme guidelines (August 2026): the Rs 25,000 non-refundable processing fee for each application. The board's guidelines for the acquisition of apartments (October 2022) name no fee.
• Registration Duty Act (Mauritius Revenue Authority copy): 5% on sales over Rs 100,000.
• Land (Duties and Taxes) Act (Mauritius Revenue Authority copy): the 5% land transfer tax paid by the seller.
• Household and personal effects (Mauritius Revenue Authority): the relief and its conditions.
• Customs Tariff Act, Part II exemptions (Mauritius Revenue Authority copy): the relief in law.
• Motor vehicles (Mauritius Revenue Authority): excise rates by engine size and fuel. The page is undated.
• Integrated Tariff, as at 1 October 2026 (Mauritius Revenue Authority): 0% customs duty and 15% VAT under heading 87.03.
• Prohibited and restricted imports (Mauritius Revenue Authority): the age limits for second-hand cars.
• Consumer Protection (Control of Imports) Regulations 2017 (copy hosted by the Mauritius Chamber of Commerce and Industry, consolidated to about 2019, a secondary source): who counts as an individual importer.
• List of excise concessions (Mauritius Revenue Authority, version of 1 October 2026): the car reliefs, which we found for returning citizens and for non-citizens serving under an agreement, among others, and none for foreign settlers.
• Act 13 of 2026 (National Assembly of Mauritius): the prescribed fee for residence permit applications under section 8 of the Immigration Act 2022, from 1 October 2026.
• Immigration Act 2022 (Economic Development Board copy): who applies under section 8, the USD 375,000 threshold measured at the selling rate in force when the title deed is signed, and the repeal of the earlier Immigration Act.
• Importation of pet animals (Division of Veterinary Services): permit, clearance, kennel and food fees, and the quarantine period.
• Division of Veterinary Services page (agriculture.govmu.org): its fee table gives the import permit as Rs 500 per animal, kennel rent as Rs 15 a day per head and the veterinary clearance as Rs 500 per landing.
• Government Gazette Extraordinary No. 29 of 2026 (Utility Regulatory Authority): the electricity tariff blocks for meter readings from 1 May 2026.
• Operator price pages (my.t and Emtel): my.t postpaid, my.t prepaid, my.t broadband, Emtel postpaid, Emtel prepaid and Emtel fibre. Mobile and fibre prices, VAT included.
• Licences issued (Information and Communication Technologies Authority): the Public Land Mobile Network licence lists Cellplus Mobile Communications Ltd., Emtel Ltd. and Mahanagar Telephone (Mauritius) Ltd. The register gives company names only. The my.t brand comes from my.t's Tourist SIM conditions, which name Cellplus, and the CHiLi brand from an ICTA tariff document of 18 March 2025, which lists CHiLi postpaid plans under Mahanagar Telephone (Mauritius) Ltd.
• Each international school's own published fee list (school names not given here): the yearly range, on the expatriate or non-citizen basis.
• Online property listings: asking rents in online property listings, read 28 October 2026.

General information only, not immigration, tax, legal or financial advice. Mauritius often changes these rules in its June Budget, so check the official pages above and speak to a qualified professional before you act.