A Remote Island Perfect For Retirees Has An Affordable Cost Of Living

Mauritius, located in the Indian Ocean off the southeast coast of Africa, is about 500 miles from the island of Madagascar. This subtropical climate with temperatures ranging from 60 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit is lush with vegetation, natural wildlife, and a population that includes a melting pot of French, Creole, African, Indian, and Chinese descendants that settled on the island over time. While most expats might be looking for a European city with the lowest cost of living, this remote island is another solid option. Housing, taxes, healthcare, and the general cost of living are all worth a look here. If you're 50 years old or over, you can obtain a residence permit committing to a transfer of $1,500 every month for a decade.

Where lifestyle is concerned, there's a lot to keep a retiree busy. Obviously, the subtropical climate makes it the perfect place to enjoy a cocktail on any number of beaches, like Mont Choisy, where restaurants and activities like snorkelling and beach bumming will help you wile away the hours. The golf courses here are another draw, like USPGA level 18-hole courses like Constance Belle Mare Plage. In the capital Port Louis, an open-air central Bazaar offers street food on the go, clothing, accessories, and tropical produce. One thing to keep in mind is that you can lose your Social Security benefits if you're outside the U.S. for too long under certain circumstances, so know your limit.

Thanks to rules created by Mauritius' Economic Development Board, real estate in Mauritius operates under a tiered system where locals are able to purchase homes anywhere they want, but foreigners have to adhere to designated areas in which to buy. Typically, as per PropertyCloud, that means Mauritians spend more than 50% less on home purchases than foreigners — Mauritians spend an average of roughly $316,502 (Rs15,000,000) to foreigners' $645,111 (Rs30,573,772) — on an island where the overall average cost of a home is $440,238 (Rs20,000,000). As per the National Realtors Association, the median sales price of a home in the U.S. in the first quarter of 2025 is $414,000. So while the overall average cost of buying a home in Mauritius is a little higher than the U.S. average, it's pretty close to the median, and isn't comparable to the most expensive states to buy a home in the U.S. which are magnitudes higher. If you plan to leave that home to a dependant, the answer to the question 'do you pay taxes on inheritance' in Mauritius, is no.

That said, there are reasons why renters are winning in Mauritius too, with the average overall rent, as per PropertyCloud, being around $1,321 USD (Rs60,000), or $2,091 USD (Rs95,000) per month. According to Zillow, the average rent in the U.S. as of June 2025 is $2,100 per month. 

According to the Peterson-KFF Health System Tracker, Americans spent an average $13,432 per person in 2023 on healthcare. Countries with comparable healthcare spent, on average, about $7,393 per person. As per an April 2025 study by the American Medical Association, spending on healthcare in the U.S. increased by 7.5% in 2023 to $4.9 trillion. In a 2024 study released by The Commonwealth Fund, the U.S. was last out of 10 nations with comparable healthcare, although Americans pay more. So aside from the free healthcare benefits you can get with Medicare — benefits currently under threat by the Trump administration's "One Big, Beautiful Bill Act" — healthcare outcomes compared to cost aren't great. An October 2024 release by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau showed medical debt has around 100 million Americans owing a collective $220 billion to boot.

Mauritius has a two-tiered private-public system of healthcare. As per Mauritius' Ministry of Health and Wellness, there are five regional hospitals, seven specialist hospitals, a new oncology hospital, and a pair of cardiac centers. While public healthcare is available for long-term residents, long wait times and better resources motivate people to go private. As per IBN Immigration Solutions, doctor's visits cost between $25 to $60, dental checkups are $50 to $100, screenings and scans cost between $100 to $300, and prescription meds average between $10 to $30. In the U.S., there's essential healthcare Boomers won't be able to afford in 10 years. Mauritius offers a solution. 

According to Mauritius.com, a grocery bag that includes bread, a dozen eggs, a local beer, a liter of milk and a bag of potatoes will run a total of $6.30. As per a June 2025 update by Numbeo, that same grocery run in the U.S. would cost an average $13.89. Eating out follows the same pattern. Two people dining at a midrange to high-end restaurant in Mauritius can expect to spend around $30 to $50 respectively, while in the U.S., dining at just a midrange restaurant with a date would cost you $75.

Public transportation in the U.S. one-way is an average of $2.50, while in Mauritius, the same one-way ride is$1 for a bus or a dollar and 25 cents for the Metro. Basic monthly utilities, including electricity, water, and internet in Mauritius, are $20 to $100 for electricity, $3 to $6 for water, and $30 for internet. By comparison, in the U.S. basic utilities will average $208.30, your phone bill will be around $57.33, and an internet bill around $71.71 per month. Considering the cost of living in Mauritius, it's easily one of the best countries to retire abroad if you want the best bang for your buck.