My experience relocating to Mauritius (2015)

Hi there, For housing did you look here ?

http://www.lexpressproperty.com/en

Hi Rushikay,,
Question?? How did you become eligible to be on the island in the first place?
I am an elderly SAian, who was on the island many years ago, and would like to come back with, yes, with the dream of retiring there!!
Have read all the financial implications on having to sign over banking accounts etc, and having a specific amount of money available in American dollars to prove eligibility of self sufficiency, but I am thinking there has to be an easier way,,, other than of course the path that many take, which is betrothel,, out of the question of course at this point.
I am currently in Australia, am going home as soon as mid November,, will visit friends and family in SA and then be on the next jet out to visit Mu anyway!!
Just wondered if perhaps you could shed some fresh info, as you seem to be of progressive thought.
Look forward to hearing from you,
Carol!!

Rushikay,

Thanks for posting this thread. As someone who would like to follow the same course, I'll be following this thread with interest to see how you fare.

HiRushikayoh what a breathe of fresh air to read what I have been thinking. I also feel the rental agency fee is daylight robbery. Even here in England they don't charge this much.  I am flying  in early October and will have the long tiring job of looking for something that I need for long long term
Maybe I could meet up over a coffee with you to draw off your experience and knowledge

Regards

I am British and I lived in the south of France for 12 years and have been living in London for the last 5 years. My husband and I are moving to Mauritius at the end of October. The one month agency fee doesn't shock me after living in France as this is standard practice there, but I can imagine it would shock those coming from the UK as we were delighted with the "low" agency fees in London when we first moved there from France!

For me Mauritius seems to be a real mix of France and the UK's standard practices so nothing has shocked me so far, but then it's still early days....

I look forward to hearing about others' experiences with their move to Mauritius.

Time for some replies

First up, fixing up my own mistake:

" fibre of speed 10/20MB being affordable (Rs. 10,000),"

This would be insanity, as the actual price of fibre internet is between Rs.1000 and Rs.1500

@Vasoov:

Yes, I was using that website to check out properties and found a few dodgy looking ones on there. I am not sure why, but based on the fact that this forum itself advises expats to be careful of scams, I found quite a few offers that did look like scams on there.

@annatogs:

"with the dream of retiring there!!
Have read all the financial implications on having to sign over banking accounts etc, and having a specific amount of money available in American dollars to prove eligibility of self sufficiency, but I am thinking there has to be an easier way,,, other than of course the path that many take, which is betrothel,, out of the question of course at this point."

Although I don't want to pass on wrong advice about how retirement works in Mauritius (you will always be told by most normal folks that speaking to a lawyer is the best thing to do), from what I recall, you either have to:

- Provide that capital amount in dollars (I think it is US$120,000)

- or you can alternatively purchase a property (it gets confusing here, as the property-purchase thing may be for non-retirees only)

The properties are quite expensive here though and start somwhere in the region of US$150,000 upwards (this is my assumption of what properties cost for expats, as there may be cheaper/non-zoned properties for regular Mauritians)

@Dhalgren:

Glad I could help

@barbara:

Sure thing Probably be even more fun to meet up as a group of first-timers in Mauritius

@ FranglaiseMummy:

Mauritius feels more French than English, except for the apparent warmth and friendliness Mauritians have (which the French are renowned for not having - no offence to any French folks )

Thanks for the feed back up rushikay,, I think it will still be advisable to visit the island as intended and do the appropriate research while there!!
Will let you know,
Carol

Hi,

I'm a bit concerned about the exorbitant agency fee.  I think there are quite a few house owners who are dealing directly with potential tenants on Expat.com.  It's just a question of sending a private mail to the person concerned and ask for the required info.  It's a click away...

Regards

...I would advise expats looking for decent accommodation on the island to deal directly with potential house owners on this site (Classified Section).

rushikay - I think you might be right re the French comment ;-)

hi sounds not easy, how is job opportunities?

Well .. I am one of them .. I have a lovely two bed two bath fully furnished apartment in monchoisy available within close proximity to the beach .. No agents fees, just breakage deposit ..

Hi,

There are other genuine agency companies.
If you are risk averse, you may want to deal with an agency.

Best option is to get a short term let for atleast one month before you arrive on the island. Once here, you can go around the agencies and find your "Home sweet home". Remember, anything can look good in the pictures. It's only on the ground that you'll notice the inconveniences.

Cheers
Gj

Remember, anything can look good in the pictures. It's only on the ground that you'll notice the inconveniences.

True gawesh

There also looked to be a lot of dodgy 'agencies' on lexpress . If properties could be vetted by previous tenants, that would be awesome in confirming it is not some google image photo/s and the 'agency' requires some deposit (possibly a scam) before you can even book a place.

Hello everyone

There are indeed ways to circumvent the agency fees.

There have been a few changes to the residency law recently and the schemes in which foreigners can enter.

I am happy to help if you require any information.

Venna

So an experience relocating to Mauritius cannot be complete without updating all you lovely expats about how far I have come

I'm currently typing this message on reliably (very) fast Internet at a rental I found from being me (the person who asks 3000 questions to make sure I am doing something right) and the fact that the folks I am renting from are some really nice people.

The experience of relocation has to shift from one of: I want to move there to -> I am here now.

The journey has been quite interesting so far, as I have a few stories to tell, and some complaints/rants as well.

The first and most important thing I have learnt is that not all Mauritians are as friendly as has been mentioned on this blog elsewhere, so don't let those grumpy fellows at the airport deter you or your excitement when you land.

Even though you may wish to relocate to Mauritius without knowing any level of French (and the fact that most Mauritians speak English), knowing French (or the Mauritian version of it) will really help you when dealing with signs, food descriptions and speaking to the Mauritians themselves (it sometimes seems they go into an 'evil' mode when some of them have to switch to English )

Cost of living is a critical component for any nomads/long-term travellers, so here is a quick breakdown of prices(I've come across):

bread/buns: Rs. 15-40
milk: Rs. 30-50
Bottled water: Rs. 10-20 (for 1/1.5 litre)
Takeout food: Rs. 100 - 200

**If you come from a country where tap-water is drinkable, this amenity will be lost in Mauritius. I strongly encourage all expats to buy enough water as you can and keep yourself hydrated (see below for weather).**

I can keep updating the prices from my experience/s, but it would be easier to specify the cost in terms of relatives. Mauritius prices are relatively in line with prices of "general" items in a country like South Africa. What this means is that if you are coming from a country like UK or a country with a strong exchange-rate (Kuwaiti Dinar), things will seem reasonably cheap to you (but not all things).

Apart from the not-so-friendly people and costs, I find it really sad that a tiny country like Mauritius (the island is smaller than the Kruger National Park) is not more eco-friendly in everything they do. Too many folks will zoom past you in their gas-guzzling cars, rushing to get to somewhere that wouldn't take that much longer if they drove cautiously (due to the size of the island). It is also unfortunate that some reckless lady almost (for a minute it seemed like she wanted to do it) bump me off my bicycle. Bike-friendly = -1 so far.

Mauritius itself comes across as a flavour of French culture blended into the spices/people of India.  If you are not used to seeing Indian(race) people doing menial labour, seeing this may come across as a bit of a culture-shock. Although the French influence may have waned over the years, its presence is still strongly felt by folks who are not familiar with the "french-style" of things.

In order to get around, the bus system seems somewhat adequate for day-time travel, but you will likely need a car in order to get around at night (and go spend time at the malls, which are, weirdly, very busy ... and there are loads of them all over).

If you follow a major religion, then you should be able to find your place or worship near you. There is a sizable number or temples(Hindus), churches(Christians), mosques(Muslims) around Mauritius. Having this level of religion prevalent (or at least representations thereof) also means that restricted-food diets won't be a problem (especially for Muslims/Hindus).

The most controversial aspect to this blog post I am adding (and this is from a limited-experience Point-of-View) is that being of European descent (or basically being 'white' and sounding European/British/American) may make your Mauritian stay a lot more pleasant than if you were perhaps an African from Senegal (or other darker-skinned world citizen). This may be due to cultural stigmas and years of tourism-industry-related reactions from the Mauritian folks themselves, but this is what I have seen/observed so far.

The weather is mostly humid at all times (but this is to be expected/known by any touring folks), so if you are on your own quest to find a place to stay, make sure your rental has some type of air-cooling.

The 'laid-back' life many expats have of Mauritius is a lot less real than our assumptions say. Most Mauritians themselves are just trying to get by, and with poverty and unemployment (it's definitely there), the closest to laid-back I've seen to 'laid-back' was (really) old women in bikinis (no offence to them).

On the meetup front, I'm not exactly sure expats get together (excluding their own private expat-circles) and meetup.com doesn't show any positive signs also. I'm guessing things still happen "old-school" in Mauritius though, so I will spot you fellow expats soon

Welcome to Mauritius.
Enjoyed reading your post and you make some good points.
One thing I slightly disagree with however is your price comparisons.

<< Mauritius prices are relatively in line with prices of "general" items in a country like South Africa. What this means is that if you are coming from a country like UK or a country with a strong exchange-rate (Kuwaiti Dinar), things will seem reasonably cheap to you (but not all things).>>

I live half the year in the UK and half in Mauritius and find grocery prices in my local supermarkets (Super U, Intermart and Foodlovers) more expensive than in the UK.
So much so that when I get back to the UK and do my first Sainsbury shop I'm always taken aback by the low bill relative to the same shop in Mauritius.
A lot of food is imported, hence higher prices.
OK if you shop in local markets but most expats don't IME.

What you say about other aspects of life here rings true.
I wish you well with your move! 

Informative post. In your paragraph regarding being better treated as a white European/American/British than a black immigrant. Do you think this is worse than other places, pretty much the same as anywhere else, or not as severe as other places? I realize your experience is limited in that you just moved there and you're white so your experience may be different from someone who is not. I'm curious because so much of the visitors' bureau info on Mauritius is how everyone gets along, how friendly everyone is, etc. But it's enlightening to see where reality diverges from publicity.

Reading your post...you sounds like someone who had so much expectations and that's where things start to go wrong when moving to another country. And you are so wrong on many other points. I'm sorry to say this but you won't last long in Mauritius.

I've always been drinking tap water in Mauritius and never once did I feel sick or whatever. Did you even try it or you can came with an assumption because it's a small island off the coast of 'Third World' Africa and so the water must be polluted or contaminated?

Now coming to the people...do you expect everyone you see to be friendly or to smile at you the moment you set foot on Mauritian soil? And do some grumpy people at the airport represent the whole population? You are the expat...up to you to make your move to make friends and to forge relationships.
I've travelled and lived in many countries and no other country comes even close to Mauritius regarding people getting along with each other. Yes it's not 100% perfect but if you think people are not friendly or there are issues, then you are deeply deluded. Good things don't happen overnight.

In which country would can you expect Hindus to put Christmas Trees on the 24th of December? or Christians celebrating Divali, one of the most important Hindu festivals, or going on pilgrimage to the holiest Hindu site in the country? Or Mauritians of French descent cooking the Biryani, the most famous dish on the island and which is of Muslim origin from South India? Or the whole population dancing to the tune of the sega, the folk music of the island, which originates from the people of African descent? or a tourist digging into his Chinese-style fried noodles at a beach shack?
Or on a whole new level...where can you see temples, churches, mosques and pagodas a few metres away from each other without anyone protesting or pulling others' hair?
No other can claim to be the melting point which is Mauritius and which you will discover if you make it long enough here.

Poverty? Can you name a country where poverty doesn't exists? Mauritius is a young country which started mainly with an agricultural economic base...so do you expect everyone to live the high life?
I have spent 2 years in one of the wealthiest cities in the USA and even here poverty and every social ill you can name were rife in many parts with homeless people sleeping a few blocks from million $ mansions. And laid-back culture is in no way related to having big bank accounts.

Some of what you said are quite right but your misconceptions and over-inflated expectations of the country ruin it for me.

Hi there,

Kudos for your honesty, but I think you need some more time to reflect on the journey you're about to experience.

I don't know your age, demographic or your monthly budget, and the way you live here obviously moulds your expat experience.

Not sure how the people at the airport become the litmus test for the nation. People probably go into "evil mode" because English is the third language here.

Drinking the tap water is a personal choice. To my knowledge there was an issue last year with water in/near Pailles (near Port Louis), but I've been here since 2013 and the tap water is OK, I've never got sick from it, but we choose to drink bottled water. We have Vital Fontaines deliver water to our house whenever we need it. You "rent" a water tower, and you'll never have to buy water at the shops again...

As far as eco-friendly issues, the budget passed last year is putting a ban on plastic bags - not sure how it will be practically enforced, but they've done so in Rodrigues for a little while now. Old cars and diesel buses on the road don't help I agree with that. But the cost of a new car here is so prohibitive that people cannot afford to buy a brand new car sadly. You will get used to the driving.

Your biggest mall is Bagatelle, with others such as Jumbo Phoenix, Jumbo Riche Terre, Grand Baie Super U, Grand Baie La Croisette, Trianon seems very popular at the moment with CocoTown (play centre) and cinemas.

I won't comment too much on your European v Senegal comment but even within Mauritius, you have a multicultural hotpot of Indo-Mauritians, Creole Mauritians, Sino-Mauritians, and Franco (White) Mauritians. Franco Mauritians comprise a very small % of the population but basically command the majority of the wealth of Mauritius and the source of that wealth creates the occasional barrier between some of the Mauritians (this deserves its own thread, but not today )

Between some Franco and Indo Mauritian families, I would say about 10-15 families control almost all of the private wealth in the country.

Your correct in saying that a lot of households are just trying to get by - like all nations, income equality is an issue here - entry level monthly basic can be as low as Rs5,000 and average around the 10,000 (I have a fair idea, I've done about 500 interviews in a few years now), so it's not a lot to live on and why communal living  is the norm, and children stay at home, even after they're married and even after children in some situations.

Yes, it is very laid back here. But again, it depends on your social circles, your monthly budget, where you live. Where are you staying? Typically most expats live in the West or the North, and there are ample things to do (or not do) in either region. The East has very little expats, and the south is lovely and secluded. Whatever your fancy, whether it is food and drink, water activities, nature activities, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

So I would suggest give it more time, there is plenty to see and do on this island. We've had people here for extended periods, the last group came for 6 weeks, and we had no trouble keeping them busy, showing them around, learning more as we go along.

Look forward to hearing from you in the coming months.

I am British and lived in the UK until I was 20, I lived in France for 12 years and then moved back to the UK to live as an adult for the first time (I also had a period of 5 months in Spain in my early 20s), I have now been in Mauritius for nearly 2 weeks so here is my opinion, for what it's worth.

The people are incredibly lovely if you make an effort (far lovelier than anywhere else I've lived), it does help that my husband and I both speak fluent English and French, so chatting to Mauritians and form-filling isn't hard, however my English parents are currently staying with us and they only speak a handful of French words but they're having no problems either.

We bought bottled water when we arrived as we wanted to check what people did here - lots of people drink tap water, so we tried it too (even our kids did - including our nearly 3 year old daughter). Nobody got ill but we weren't big fans of the taste, so we bought a water filter (for around Rs.800) and everyone drinks the water from that now, no problem at all. (We do have a big container of mineral water in the house in case bad weather/a cyclone hits as the tap water won't be drinkable then.)

As for the cost of things - some things are cheaper here and some things more expensive than where I've lived before, but equally from one city to another, in the same country, you can have huge variations: I lived in London and Liverpool in the UK and it's hard to find a bigger gap financially in the UK, I also lived on the French Riviera, probably the most expensive place in France after Paris. So in comparison to London and Nice I would say that most things are cheap here: electronics are more expensive, as are cars, most other things are the same price or cheaper.

When it comes to food it depends so much on what you eat, where you shop and what quality you go for. If you buy Tesco Value products it costs much less than Marks & Spencer's food market. Also when I lived in France the cost of cheddar cheese was exorbitant, then when I returned to the UK it was French cheeses and charcuterie that was crazily expensive in comparison to the price we were used to paying for them in France. All this is completely normal as it is imported.

We have found that food costs here vary from one shop to another (we have tried Monoprix, Intermart, Shoprite, London Way, Food Lover's Market and little side of the road fruit & veg sellers), and the biggest difference in cost comes from buying local stuff, so we are buying spices and making curries, we are buying more lentils, local fruit and veg etc. We still buy the occasional French cheese but we know we're going to pay a lot more for it (the same goes for wine!) but that's all part and parcel.

When it comes to poverty, it exists everywhere sadly - when I lived in France there were "ghettoes" on the outside of the cities for these "undesirables", whilst in London there were poor areas but equally social housing ran side-by-side with £million houses. Here we have so far seen poverty grouped together in certain villages, but equally spread across "nice" expats areas. It's up to you how you deal with this - find out how you can help out, can you volunteer time, money, knowledge, second-hand goods to help those less fortunate than ourselves whatever nationality, colour, religion or skin colour?

I hope this doesn't sound like a rant or a lecture as I just want it to be informative - of my nearly 40 years I have lived nearly 13 in France (in cities, towns and villages across the French Riviera, but with frequent visits to Montpellier and Avignon), 5 months in Spain, nearly 2 weeks in Mauritius (;-)) and all the rest in the UK (London, Liverpool & the southeast), my husband and all his family are French and so I have a bit of an idea of what it's like living abroad - although I'm far from an expert!

Anyway, I hope that helps anyone moving here or thinking of moving here :-)

Sophie

P.S. As for expat friends here - I have found that chatting in these forums has introduced me to like-minded people, who I have since chatted to in direct messages here, and some of whom I have since met, so I'd try that out.

Just a quick update (after reading all your replies )

What I said in my post about living here in Mauritius is merely just a beginners opinion. This opinion will definitely vary as time goes by. I did specifically mention that I was going to 'rant' a little and also make a couple of controversial statements.

Concerning the (un)friendliness of Mauritian people, when referencing the airport people, I was merely saying it in a light-hearted manner. I do not expect everyone in Mauritius to be like those stern-faced individuals and I have certainly met a couple of nice/friendly people so far.

Concerning the tap-water issue, I was advised (by the folks I'm renting from) that it is probably not such a good idea to drink the tap-water here in the North. I obviously cannot afford to get severely ill, so I decided (personal choice) to be a bit risk-averse and stick to the bottled-water for now.

Also, concerning the issue of being/looking European (I did tell you guys it was controversial ), I should have mentioned that it goes both ways. Things may seem easier/smoother, but that is only because many will attempt to exploit you price-wise when making purchases (like getting charged double/triple for a cab/boat-rental/scuba-diving, etc.).

All that being said, I am merely sharing my experience staying here (so far).

The weather is generally very conducive to swim/dive/water-sports on most days, so I do look forward to all of that.

My experience has definitely been interesting as a first-time expat, but I do hope that I will adjust more better as I explore this destination (and others in the future).

PS. If anybody is organizing an expat-meetup in the North, I will keep tracking expat-blog and join you guys

You do have points about friendliness or lack of it here.
Like everywhere you get some but I do think Mauritius has more than their fair share of unfriendly people.
Just one example.
Some of the check out ladies in the Supermarkets look as if they would rather be anywhere but where they are and look bored and miserable and don't even acknowledge the customer. Not even eye contact.
Contrast that with the UK where you come from where you always get a smile and greeting even if they are trained to do that.
Not just me feels this - a lot of my expat friends who've been here much longer than I have remark on this.
But not everyone is happy smiley like they are in the hotels here (they are paid to be happy smiley)

As for the water we never drink tap water either.
Just look inside a typical water tank and you'll see what I mean.  You are supposed to drain and clean them often but doubt some people bother.
Some people do but I would beware after cyclones or heavy rains when the authorities tell you to boil it before use.

We often have meet ups - usually Julian announces them on forum.

The supermarket chicks are probably like that because they're getting paid Rs5,000 a month. I wouldn't be happy either. Again, you'll get used to it.

gronk007 wrote:

The supermarket chicks are probably like that because they're getting paid Rs5,000 a month. I wouldn't be happy either. Again, you'll get used to it.

Probably - but they aren't all miserable.
I never get used to it though I've been here for years.
BTW what are chicks?

Chicks just mean girls.

rushikay wrote:

Just a quick update (after reading all your replies )

…….
My experience has definitely been interesting as a first-time expat, but I do hope that I will adjust more better as I explore this destination (and others in the future).

I guess we all get the drift  by now and it would be interesting to read about  your experience about Delhi or Shanghai or closer Harare,should you move there one day as an expat,  or look for the experiences of a non-elite ( I mean daddy is neither wealthy nor is a politico)  student either in the UK or France, especially Paris !

@rushikay

Hello

My husband and I are thinking about relocating to retire in Africa.  We have never been out of the country although we are thinking about Mauritius.  We are looking to purchase a home near the water.  We live in Arizona now and for the next 5 months it's extremely hot 100-120. Does it get really hot there? How is the internet and electricity. Are the living spaces air-conditioned?  I am only asking because these things are important to me.  I will continue later writing more after I know you will write back.

Thanks

Ron & Pat

@pmitchell2021

Hi,

Briefly I can answer your questions.

Internet and electricity are available all over the island.

The temperature in Winter is about 15 - 20 degress and in Summer its about 30 - 35 degrees max.

But that also depends on the region that you are living.

Most of the properties do have air conditioning.

You can also find some info on Mauritius on the link below. I precisely said some info

[link moderated]#theretirementvisalinkedtopropertyacquisitioninmauritius

Regards,

Hans.