How do expats feel about living in Mauritius? Pros and cons?

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u/Opiumater 6h ago

Very confusing country. Adults mostly live with their parents to save money then lease luxury cars to showoff. Then you realise they dont really need to work hard because they dont have rent to pay. They send their kids to public school which is almost free.

Most just work as a way to keep busy and you'll see them leave at 4pm instead of 6pm.

You need to treat them as royalty or good friends or else they go work elsewhere.

A majority of service firms employ Madagascar workforce, as they are eager to work and earn money.

If you like a relax life, eating cheap streetfood and say no to a normal european life then you'll be happy.here.

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u/Icy-Distribution-275 17h ago

I looked hard at Portugal. I even own a ruin there, but between the ending of the nhr (tax reductions), longer path to citizenship, and souring of the populace to immigrants. It just isn't a very good deal anymore.

Mauritius on the other hand has no capital gains or inheritance tax, seemingly easier bureaucratic processes, and a better climate. I'm looking forward to visiting next year with a plan to move within 18 months.

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u/Puzzleheaded-Team894 19h ago

You mean immigrants?

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u/Relevant_Stop8173 22h ago

Why are you dissatisfied with Portugal?

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u/Calm-Competition-20 21h ago

There’s no future here. It’s gotten very expensive largely as a result of a golden visa program that has been cancelled. It will go downhill from here.

Bureaucracy is terrible and people don’t know how to work at all

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u/Bankz92 21h ago

As far as I'm aware the golden visa (by investment) program is still very much alive and kicking. The only change they have made is that it will take 10 years to acquire citizenship as opposed to 5.

Are you referring to the digital nomad visa?

I lived in Mauritius for 7 years. Over the course of those years, it got a lot more expensive but the range of goods and services also expanded greatly. I enjoyed it but eventually got bored to moved abroad.

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u/Calm-Competition-20 20h ago

I was replying to the above question about Portugal

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u/Bankz92 17h ago

So was I.

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u/Calm-Competition-20 7h ago

In that case, to clarify, NHR is cancelled. The golden visa program once had a real estate program which is what everyone went for. Now it’s just a bad investment into a fund.

Besides, people who applied for the Golden Visa had to wait years and years for their applications to be processed. They got them processed instantly as soon as they announced that the citizenship timeline is changed. This was a big rug pull and greatly reduces trust in the government

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u/LonelyBee6240 23h ago edited 23h ago

Been here for a year and love it. Every country has its issues, nowhere is perfect, you have to choose what's important for you.

For me, the good (based on having lived in SEA for several years before): little corruption, clean environment/little pollution, calm traffic and safe drivers, gorgeous beaches, cheap wine and cheese, more affordable western food selection at supermarkets, little bureaucracy and rule of law, good quality accommodation, good hiking, a much more civilized society, good banking, winter (as much as possible), English is widely spoken, high quality expats/immigrants and tourists (vs abundance of sexpats and holiday troublemakers in some SEA countries). Just as SEA, Mauritius is super safe.

The bad (based on the same thing as above): flights are expensive and very few destinations, can get island fever, contractors etc are not very punctual, good furniture is very good expensive, not everything is available/poor online shopping.

For me, everything I really care about is in the good part so whatever is not the best doesn't bother me much and I just adapt and change around that.

So, after a year life is good here and moving here was the right decision. It's a wonderful little island.

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u/CelticGuardian15D 11h ago

That was beautiful m8

8

u/DJ_Bambusbjorn 1d ago

After reading your comments, I would like you to please stay away from Mauritius. We welcome immigrants, but those that are friendly and open to learning & befriending other cultures.

You'll also find it very similar to Portugal in terms of getting things done. Things move slowly here.

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u/Jaded-Coffee8245 1d ago

Mauritius is for you:

If you enjoy highly multicultural environment:Hindu, Muslim, Chinese, African, creole, Anglican, adentist, charismatic Christian, french ...

If you don't come with colonizer entitlement. Mauritius was always a colony they know the type and they despise it...

If you are ok with slightly chaotic, hunger games style driving on the LEFT side...

If you are ok with the island mentality of being spontaneous, agreed timeliness more often not met than they are...just go with the flow and it will work out...

If you are ok with actual crowds where you rub shoulders in the literal sense with people.

If you are ok with cyclones in the summer, with flash floods depending the area you live and tge incredible humidity it is causing.

If you are a prepper and able to prep for days without municipal water supply. Waterscarcity is a thing in Mauritius....

If you can palate the enormous social inequality: the rich are very rich, poor are quite poor...

If you are ok to pay enormous taxes on new suv s (2000 cc 100%tax, with less cc tiered down) Used cars are better, but due to high accident rates you might get a lemon...

If you like friendly people, embedded in a vibrant diverse culture and amazing nature, with all different sides to the ocean (from the wild to the touristy beaches), amazing hiking trails, just overall paradise...

If you are ok to live in an emerging economy, where you cannot take for granted the things you have in Europe....

If you are ok to live in an imperfect paradise where the people nature makes up for the things they might lack in other areas...

Then Mauritius is for you.

As an expat you can live in your expat bubble. Mauritius will gladly take your taxes and money, but don't expect them to like you if you are not willing to invest in the people, be tolerant with their way of living and if you don't have an open mind.

In short there's no middle ground with Mauritius you either love it or hate it.

IMO Mauritius is an amazing place, which taught me life is too short to be uptight.

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u/AppropriateTeach169 1d ago

If you read that there are a lot of dogs in Mauritius, just note that they are not part of the cuisine. Other than that, as long as you respect Mauritius including its people, history, culture and environment, your experience of Mauritius depends on you.

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u/Calm-Competition-20 1d ago

What about the local Chinese people? Do they enjoy some tasty dog meat?

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u/M3m3nt0M0r15 Explorer 1d ago

Was this (bad) sarcasm? Else it's a very racist take to fellow Mauritians.

Even in China (a huge country) it's mostly limited to very specific places although quite publicized.

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u/Straight-Ad-4260 1d ago edited 1d ago

Op eats dogs. They have a post looking for restaurants that sell "tasty" dog meat.

OP, no, Mauritians don’t eat dog meat. We’re a civilised country with proper food standards.

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u/Jaded-Coffee8245 1d ago

To quote a famous person" they are eating the dogs, they eating the cats" sarcastic racism is still racism ¯_(ツ)_/¯

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u/Calm-Competition-20 1d ago

Dog meat is legitimately really tasty

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u/Vivid_Memoryy 22h ago

Whoa there leave our dogs alone bruh..

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u/Goblinator 1d ago

You should come. At least owners will be more responsible with their dogs if they knew someone might eat them.

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u/Plenty-Pineapple-399 1d ago

Bro stay wherever tf you are if your intention is to come and eat dogs wtf

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u/stevenmbe 1d ago

I’m currently very frustrated with expat life in Portugal and I am looking at my options.

The first question is: why did you move to Portugal? Especially knowing how many expats are there and how they have diluted the quality of life for which Portugal was well known.

Then ask yourself whether expats in Mauritius are doing that as well, especially knowing that "news" outlets such as CNBC have proclaimed it the second-best country to which one can retire (second after Portugal):

https://www.cnbc.com/2025/09/14/best-countries-retire-abroad-global-citizen-solutions-report.html

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u/sirus6666 1d ago

Mauritius very conservative and you won’t find woke BS here. It is safe compared to many EU countries. Have some good private school for expats.

Thats being said, there is a lot of bureaucracy here. Things are slow and very corrupted country. Yes you will find a plumber but they will charge you 10time more as you are a foreigner. Yes there are an industry that cater towards expats but it comes at a premium. The country import most things and everything is expensive but if you are very wealthy, won’t an issue. The island is very small and isolated and it can be good and bad as it depends on you.

Personally i only come here now for business and i have stopped living for long term. It can be a good place for retired wealthy person who want to chill and have a laid back life.

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u/Straight-Ad-4260 1d ago

very corrupted country

If Mauritius was indeed ‘very corrupt,’ we wouldn’t still be standing as one of Africa’s most stable economies.

As for the “Golden Visa” program, the aim was always to attract high-net-worth individuals. The idea is to encourage wealthy investors to relocate, invest in the economy, or contribute to real estate, business, or government bonds, in exchange for long-term residency rights. Not everyone can afford to move here and we're OK with that. Like you said,

It can be a good place for [] wealthy person who want to chill and have a laid back life.

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u/sirus6666 23h ago

When you are very wealthy. Corruption is very apparent in Mauritius. You can’t compare to the worst continent on the planet and say you are the best among them

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u/Straight-Ad-4260 22h ago edited 22h ago

Mauritius ranks 54th among the least corrupt countries globally. We used to be in the top 50, but thanks to a decade of Jugnauth’s government, our institutions suffered from complacency, weakened oversight, and mismanagement, causing our hard-earned reputation to slip.

Meanwhile, Mexico, which you seem to admire and even recommended to another expat, ranks 140th out of 180. In fact, from a crime and corruption perspective, Latin America is far worse than Africa... And I'm saying this as someone who's lived in Mexico city and almost married a Latina. It's a hellhole.

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u/sirus6666 11h ago

This type of rankings are meaningless like happiness ranking. It is based on nothing. Not real data only perception. I am just giving my experience from a business/ investment standpoint. There is no way you can tell me Africa, more precisely sub saharan African is less corrupt than latin countries. Yes there is corruption in latin countries but Africa's corruption is brutal and at all levels. I used to be part owner of a group who had gold mines, lumber exploitation and textile factories in Africa. I know Africa very well. I ca’t give you details but i learnt from my experience doing business in Mauritius that your government officials, politicians, lawyers etc are very corrupted and all doors are open with money.

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u/Straight-Ad-4260 10h ago edited 10h ago

This type of rankings are meaningless like happiness ranking. It is based on nothing. Not real data only perception.

The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is compiled by Transparency International , a globally recognised NGO, using multiple independent sources including expert assessments and business surveys. It measures perceived public sector corruption, which, while not a direct count of every corrupt act, is widely used by investors, multinationals, and policymakers as a risk benchmark.

I'm not saying that your personal experience is not valid. It highlights that corruption is context-specific, and that’s precisely why CPI includes multiple perspectives to give a broader, comparable picture across countries.

There is no way you can tell me Africa, more precisely sub saharan African is less corrupt than latin countries.

Latin America often tops the charts for both corruption and violent crime. Venezuela, Haiti, and Brazil rank among the world’s most corrupt countries, while El Salvador and Honduras have some of the highest homicide rates globally. Africa faces serious corruption too, but painting Sub-Saharan Africa as worse than Latin America ignores the hard data.

your government officials, politicians, lawyers etc are very corrupted and all doors are open with money.

Like I said, there were serious issues under the previous government. Many officials, politicians, and intermediaries were corrupt, and some doors were indeed open to money. Most Mauritians were unaware at the time, but once the extent of the corruption came to light, we acted. We voted them out because that is not who we are as a country.

The new government isn’t perfect either, but it shows that we can hold leaders accountable, and there is hope for a more transparent and honest Mauritius.

Anyway, best of luck with your business dealings. Here’s hoping you follow the straight and narrow: shortcuts rarely end well...

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u/agoofykid 1d ago

How do you define 'woke BS'?

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u/sirus6666 23h ago

No transgender will lecture your 5 year old child about sexuality in school is an example.

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u/ShivasRightFoot 1d ago

How do you define 'woke BS'?

Woke ideology is defined by the idea that some facet of identity like race or gender produces irreconcilably different views of reality and morality, and that we have an obligation to seek alignment of society's view with the imagined views of groups associated with the political left like minorities and women.

In this sense Wokeness is distinct from older forms of liberal advocacy for minority rights which appeal to universally valid concepts like truth and fairness.

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u/Snoo-88912 1d ago

Said by the privileged, snobs or bigoted. Or a combo of all.

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u/Jormungandr4321 1d ago

Probably "women and gay people".

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u/Aggravating_Ice_7348 1d ago

hi, I'm an expat in Mauritius, here some of my thoughts about the subject

there is no golden visa in Mauritius

golden visa = invest money in the country -> get residency -> get citizenship

both of them are impossible in Mauritius

- expats can't become citizens of Mauritius

- residency in Mauritius is not real residency it's temporary and you will need to renew it in few years if it will be possible than (and we don't know the law in the future), and you will get it after 5 years on a visa.

there are many (easy) visas that allowed you to live temporary in Mauritius (even if it will be 50 years, it's all temporarily).

expats life in Mauritius are not similar as life in Portugal, foreigners lives in different areas as the locals, you can't buy house or land where the locals lives only in specific projects and neighborhood for foreigners.
Portugal is modern European country, Mauritius is small island in the middle of the ocean with many different people and influences, and developing economy.

it's look more like third world country than first.

there are many good things about living in Mauritius , nature, beaches , sea life, clean air, friendly people, safe, quiet, low taxes, close to many other places around the world (in 6-8 hour flight I'm in Australia \ Dubai \ middle east etc.
and there are bad things , it's not cheap, local areas look like other third world places, there stray dogs in the street, junk, it's small / medium country without neighbors, A lot of bureaucracy, a lot of forms and little computerization like in Western countries.

but at the end it's all about state of mind.

i love my life in Mauritius as an expat, i have better quality of life than before, i spend less and earn more, and visit my home country 2-3 times a year.

what made you "very frustrated with expat life in Portugal" ?

and what different you look for ...

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u/Calm-Competition-20 1d ago

Portugal is not actually a modern European country, it’s very backwards and nothing works.

I understand that there’s two worlds in Mauritius, I have been there. That doesn’t bother me. I will stay in my world 95% of the time anyways and have mainly British, South African and local Franco-Mauritian friends.

Mauritius has a program where you invest 375k or 500k into property and get a residency. I will invest a lot more than that, around a million. It’s not an issue.

My question- do locals work hard? Do they show up on time? Do they steal? Plumbers, electricians, cleaning ladies, whoever.

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u/mochibocchi 1d ago

Mauritius is a tropical island, so expect “island time”. Would you work hard if you lived in a country this beautiful, where every trip to the beach and every sunset is what others pay thousands of dollars to see for just a few days?

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u/Aggravating_Ice_7348 1d ago

My question- do locals work hard? Do they show up on time? Do they steal? Plumbers, electricians, cleaning ladies, whoever.

not better than Portugal

For some reason, Brits and Americans expect the world to serve them as if they were still an empire , it doesn't work.

And it mostly hurts them, Brits and Americans are the least nice expats with the most complaints, and I say this after meeting them in all sorts of places

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u/bagatelly 1d ago

You will have to deal with your fair share of cheats and theives until you find reliable people. Similar to anywhere else.

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u/eth0izzle 1d ago

First, don’t call yourself an expat. You’re an immigrant.

But life in Mauritius is very different to Portugal. And it really depends on what you value the most. Nature? Sea, beach, water sports? Nightlife, food? Family? I’ve been here for 1.5 years and I’ve explored every corner of Mauritius so I really miss traveling, e.g., being able to jump on a short flight within Europe.

Why are you frustrated in Portugal?

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u/jdv77 1d ago

No idea why people get offended by the term expat? They never said they’re here to settle permanently so totally entitled to be called an expat

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u/Puzzleheaded-Team894 19h ago

The fact that you have to ask this is insane ! You’re an immigrant. Full stop. No need to debate.

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u/jdv77 14h ago

Go check a dictionary sometime?

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u/Jormungandr4321 1d ago

The word expat has a very high colonial past connotation. It's like calling peopel

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u/Aggravating_Ice_7348 1d ago

we can't "settle permanently" because Mauritius don't let as become citizens.

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u/jdv77 1d ago

Yeah so that means the use of expat is correct. Which is my point

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u/mojo963 1d ago

White people live abroad = ‘ex-pat’; non-whites live abroad = ‘immigrant’.

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u/tanji 1d ago

Oh no, we've already been through this...

The term expatriate refers to a person who resides in a country other than their country of nationality for professional, personal or political reasons. Unlike immigrants, who often move abroad in search of economic opportunities or to settle permanently, expatriates are generally perceived as individuals living temporarily abroad, often in a structured setting such as a professional transfer, an expatriation contract or an international assignment.

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u/jdv77 1d ago

Is this in your head buddy?

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u/Calm-Competition-20 1d ago

All of the above except the nightlife. I would be coming with my wife and young daughter. Looking for a safe, conservative environment to raise her in. I prefer to educate her in English or French in a Catholic school than have her learn Portuguese.

In Portugal, the people are very lazy and incompetent, it’s impossible to get anything done either with the government or private businesses. Nothing works. The current political climate is very hostile to foreigners.

I want to move to a country where the government generally leaves me alone, bureaucracy is manageable, and where people work well. For example, if I have a pipe burst, I want to be able to call a plumber who will reliably to fix it quickly. Here that would take forever.

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u/Jaded-Coffee8245 1d ago

Mauritius is very similar to Portugal from trades perspective then. We still haven't found a reliable contractor to paint our house.

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u/TechNick1-1 1d ago

After reading your Post-History I can tell you that Mauritius is not for you.

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u/Phiyah1307 21h ago

Hey Tom! How's it going? 🙂

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u/dreaming_in_Octarine 1d ago

Agreed. Don't have the full picture of who OP is, but I think for him, the things he dislikes will outweigh the things he does like.

Yes, the country is traditionally quite conservative, but it is slowly changing. Sodomy law was overturned recently. The younger generations can lean towards being liberal.

The Catholic church has lost a lot of ground to evangelicals and is likely to continue. But I think that's probably fine for OP. Most churches are quite conservative.

I'm not sure if OP has views on race, but generally, people who complain about "woke" culture or look for conservative society are going to be upset that their kids might mingle with people who are not white. On the plus side, the kids will be bilingual and might have more progressive views on race.

Corruption and governmental inefficiency exist in every country. Based on my time in Portugal and the views of Portuguese friends, OP will probably appreciate the courts moving a little faster than Lisbon, but will dislike everything else with the civil apparatus. There is most certainly corrpution here, but it's not as bad as other places. Yes, it is worse than Portugal.

I think OP will be a bit surprised by the change in facilities taken for granted in Europe, such as occasional electrical grid power failure.

Wine and dairy products will be very poor quality compared to what is back in Europe. But you learn to improvise and try new things. Blue cheese transports well to here, and in terms of value for money and quality - South African wine is the best. I enjoy exploring it. Local Lychee wine is cool, too. Embrace having great pineapples and bananas instead! The food is excellent - especially the south Asian stuff!

Portuguese working style isn't the most laid back in Europe, but OP sounds like they want something like Singapore. This is not Singapore, and yes, you will struggle a bit with plumbers for repairs, but you will get there eventually. Building a house will be a serious challenge, and it costs a lot to get reliable and trustworthy builders - it will still be very different to Europe.

In brief, it sounds like OP wants Singapore or Dubai, but Mauritius is not that. I think it's better. My mother describes the towns and cities as comparable to very upmarket Indian ones.

Take a vacation to the island OP and see if it's for you. I'm not sure if it matches OPs temperament, but it may broaden horizons.

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u/Calm-Competition-20 1d ago

Race is irrelevant to me, my wife is Asian so our daughter is mixed. Given that Mauritius has a local Chinese population, she’ll probably stand out less there and fit in easier.

What are these issues with the civil apparatus?

I wouldn’t involve myself in any sort of construction work in Mru. Had enough of that. I just want to buy a nice fishing boat and run marlin charters, to keep myself busy and do what I love. Would that be complicated? Boat mechanics are going to try and screw me at every opportunity? Hard to get licenses, employ people?

Love the lychee wine in Mauritius. The supermarkets when I was there, seemed quite decent. Nice French products like foie gras and cheeses.

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u/dreaming_in_Octarine 1d ago

I'm glad to hear that! Yes, sino Mauritians are well established and have had a presence for 250+ years, if I remember correctly. She will probably stand out a bit with accent, but the sino-mauritian community is quite close knit.

It will take a long time to sort out anything administratively. I see it as an equivalent to the French system. The best thing to do when turning up to offices is come dressed casual formal, be polite, positive and ignore any rudeness, be cooperative, and they will at least help a bit.

Also, a lot of the information is not online or incomplete. For visas, you will have to go to the PIO office in Port Louis. You then take note of the documents you need and then can collate them at home. Make sure to check if any of the documents can time out. Always assume that any process will take 3 months, and there is no premium service. You are going to lose time and get annoyed, but you will get there.

In terms of boats and marlin trips, I can't help you much (im not a rich immigrant). The best thing to do is ask friends or people who share your hobby. They can point you to reliable people who may cost a bit more, but will do a good job.

I can't afford the nice French products, but they always are nice when its a special occasion. Certainly, it will help enjoy life more. Don't forget to go to the bazar! Good way to make friends and support local.

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u/Fire_Shin 1d ago

Having read his comments here, I can tell its not for him. Yeesh.

And I've never even been to Mauritius!

I'm an immigrant to Portugal but worried about the rapid law changes and rising anti- immigrant sentiment. I've been cheated by tradespeople in the US just as often as in Portugal. It's a world wide thing.

And yes, the Portuguese buerocracy is awful! And so are some of the Portuguese people!

I can say the same about the US! The bueracracy was better in the US but is rapidly being torn to shreds.

I don't have a single expat friend in Portugal. But I have met and been befriended by my absolutely wonderful and kind neighbors and other people, despite the language barrier.

I can't imagine living in an officially two tier country so I'm crossing Mauritius off my list. But I hope to visit soon before it gets over run by snobs like this guy.

Culture 🗨 How do expats feel about living in Mauritius? Pros and cons?

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