Retiring in Mauritius from Australia: costs, visas, pension and health cover (2026)

Who Mauritius suits, and what to weigh up

Mauritius suits you if you are 50 or over and want one permit that lasts. The residence permit for retired non-citizens runs for 10 years and can be renewed. After 5 years on it, you can apply for a 20-year permanent residence permit. A 1-year Premium Visa covers a trial stay. Perth has non-stop flights; from the east coast there is none.

The money test and health cover are the two things to weigh first. Since the Finance Act 2025, the retired permit asks for US$2,000 a month (about A$2,890) sent to a Mauritian bank. That is more than the Age Pension’s overseas base rate for one person. Smartraveller says there is no agreement between Australia and Mauritius for free health care, so you pay for all of it.

Buying a home is tightly controlled. A foreigner can buy only in government-approved schemes or a flat above a minimum price. Australia has no tax treaty with Mauritius. Department of Social Services figures released under freedom of information show 23 people were being paid the Age Pension in Mauritius at 31 December 2025.

What a month costs

Our estimate for a month in Port Louis, the capital, is about A$2,800 for a couple and A$1,960 for one person, rent included. Numbeo doesn’t have enough Grand Baie prices for a monthly estimate, so Mauritius’s figures are based on Port Louis.

A month in Port Louis	Couple	One person
Rent, one-bedroom flat in the centre	A$690	A$690
Living costs (food, transport, bills)	A$1,460	A$810
Eating out, local trips and extras (30%)	A$650	A$460
Total	A$2,800	A$1,960

How a month in Mauritius compares

For a couple

Mauritius, our estimate

A$2,800

Comfortable in Australia

A$6,580

Age Pension, the most paid in Australia

A$4,040

About A$3,780 a month less than a comfortable month in Australia.

For one person

Mauritius, our estimate

A$1,960

Comfortable in Australia

A$4,680

Age Pension, the most paid in Australia

A$2,680

About A$2,720 a month less than a comfortable month in Australia.

Not built the same way: Australia's figure (ASFA Retirement Standard, comfortable, June quarter 2026) assumes you own your home and includes health insurance; our estimate for Mauritius includes rent and leaves health insurance out. Age Pension: the most paid in Australia from 20 September 2026; living overseas for good, the base rate is about A$3,710 a month for a couple and A$2,460 for one person.

Our estimate: Numbeo’s living costs for one person (without rent) plus a one-bedroom city-centre rent, plus 30% for eating out, local trips and extras. For a couple, living costs times 1.8. The RBA doesn’t publish a rupee rate, so we convert Numbeo’s US dollar figures at the RBA’s 12-month average to September 2026 (A$1 = US$0.6919). Health insurance is not included. Numbeo’s Port Louis page (updated 2 October 2026, from 222 price entries) puts living costs for one person at US$563 a month (about A$810) and the flat at US$479 (about A$690).

Against the Age Pension. After 12 weeks away, the most the pension pays is the base rate (from 20 September 2026). That is about A$2,460 a month for one person and A$3,710 for a couple, before tax. Both are more than our Port Louis estimate, before health insurance: a couple has about A$910 a month to spare and one person about A$500. The retired permit’s transfer rule is a separate test, covered under visas below.

What costs more than you’d expect. Health cover sits outside our estimate, and between 55 and 80 it can be one of your biggest bills. A car is dear. Numbeo puts a new compact car at about US$36,500 (about A$52,750) in Port Louis. Flights home from the east coast take at least one stop each way. On a trial stay in registered holiday accommodation, Smartraveller says foreign tourists over 12 pay a tourism tax of 3 euros (about A$5) a night.

Renting long term. Mauritius’s Non-Citizens (Property Restriction) Act lets a foreigner rent under a tenancy agreement of up to 4 years without a government certificate. A longer lease needs one. Short furnished lets usually cost more than the long-term rent in our table. Outside the centre of Port Louis, Numbeo puts a one-bedroom flat at US$275 a month (about A$400), and a three-bedroom flat in the centre at US$761 (about A$1,100).

Smartraveller warns of thefts from unregistered beachside bungalows. The police ask for a lease or rent book as proof of address if you convert your driving licence. Questions to ask before signing: how long the term is, what the rent covers, who pays for repairs and cyclone damage, and how much bond is held.

Visas for Australians

Australians don’t need a visa in advance to visit. For longer stays there is a 1-year Premium Visa, and a 10-year residence permit for retired people aged 50 and over.

Visiting. Mauritius’s Passport and Immigration Office lists Australia as “No visa required”. Smartraveller says a stay of less than 60 days gets a free visa on arrival. The immigration officer at the airport decides how long you can stay. The office says a tourist can be given up to 6 months in a calendar year, case by case, and that visas and extensions of stay are free.

You need a passport valid for longer than your stay, a return ticket, enough money for your stay and a confirmed booking for your accommodation. Smartraveller says to fill in the Mauritius All-in-One Travel Digital Form, online before you go or at the airport. Arriving from a country with malaria can mean a follow-up call or visit from the health department, and possibly a blood test.

Staying longer. The Economic Development Board (EDB) runs the long-stay options:

Visa or permit	Who it is for	The main money test
Premium Visa, 1 year, renewable	Anyone whose income comes from outside Mauritius and who won’t work in the local job market	US$1,500 (about A$2,170) a month for each adult and US$500 (about A$720) for each dependent child, plus travel and health insurance
Residence permit for retired non-citizens, 10 years, renewable	50 and over, not working	US$2,000 (about A$2,890) into a Mauritian bank within 60 days of the permit, then US$24,000 (about A$34,690) a year or US$2,000 a month
Residence permit through property, valid while you own it	Buyers of a qualifying home	A home in an approved scheme, or a flat in a building of at least 2 floors above the ground floor, for at least US$375,000 (about A$542,000)
Permanent residence permit, 20 years	After 5 years on the retired permit	At least US$200,000 (about A$289,000) sent to Mauritius over those 5 years

Sources: the Finance Act 2025 for the retired and permanent permits, the EDB’s residency portal for the property route, and the EDB’s Premium Visa questions and answers (2023). US dollar figures are at the RBA’s 12-month average rate.

Older websites still quote US$1,500 a month (about A$2,170) for the retired permit. The Finance Act 2025, signed on 8 August 2025, raised it to US$2,000 (about A$2,890) and keeps the permit at 10 years. You apply online through the EDB’s National Electronic Licensing System. The EDB says applying is free and only successful applicants pay the permit fee, which its residency portal lists as US$1,000 (about A$1,450).

The EDB’s portal says the Premium Visa is free and is the visa for stays of more than 180 days in a calendar year.

What the retired permit allows. The Finance Act says a retired permit holder can’t take paid work. You can invest in a business, as long as you’re not employed by it and draw no salary or employment benefits from it. Whether letting out a home you own counts as work is a question for the EDB. To renew, the portal asks for proof that US$24,000 a year (about A$34,690) reached your Mauritian bank account. It also asks for a local certificate of morality once you’ve lived in Mauritius 3 years. Permanent residence has a US$50 application fee (about A$72) from 1 December 2025.

A partner under 50. The age limit applies to the person applying. A husband, wife or common-law partner of the opposite sex, the EDB says, can come as a dependant for the same period, and so can parents and unmarried children who aren’t working. Same-sex partners can ask the EDB how they would apply. Dependants apply through the Passport and Immigration Office. Whether a younger partner’s own pension can count towards the transfer is a question for the EDB.

Documents to get in Australia before you go. The EDB asks for a police clearance covering the last 10 years and a medical certificate with reports, each less than 6 months old. It also wants a birth certificate, translated by a certified translator if it isn’t in English or French. A marriage or divorce certificate follows after approval. Originals are checked at your appointment. The EDB’s health page says three medical tests, hepatitis B, HIV and a chest X-ray, must be done in Mauritius.

In Australia, the AFP’s national police check costs A$57, or A$114 if fingerprints are needed. The AFP says most digital certificates arrive within a few days if you apply online; fingerprint checks take 15 to 30 business days. DFAT legalises Australian public documents with an apostille, at A$105 a document. Mauritius has been part of the apostille convention since 1968. Whether the EDB wants your papers apostilled is a question to ask while you’re still here.

A single person’s overseas base rate, about A$2,460 a month, falls short of the permit’s US$2,000; a couple’s, about A$3,710, is above it. The EDB or the Passport and Immigration Office, or a licensed visa agent in Mauritius, can confirm the current terms. Our guide to retirement visa age rules compares Mauritius with other places.

Your Age Pension and Medicare in Mauritius

Services Australia says your Age Pension can keep paying while you are overseas. After 6 weeks the Energy Supplement stops and your Pensioner Concession Card is cancelled. The Pension Supplement stops completely after 12 weeks (since 20 September 2026). Our guide to the 6, 12 and 26-week rules explains each step.

Mauritius has no social security agreement with Australia. Your Age Pension can still be paid there for as long as you stay. After 26 weeks it drops to a proportional rate if you lived in Australia less than 35 years between age 16 and pension age. Without an agreement, you must claim the Age Pension before you leave, while you are living in Australia. If you move for good, you get the base rate only from the day you leave: A$29,520.40 a year single, A$44,506.80 for a couple.

Medicare never pays for treatment in Mauritius, and Mauritius isn’t one of Australia’s 11 reciprocal health care countries. If you are an Australian citizen and move overseas, you can still use Medicare for treatment in Australia, on a visit home for example, for up to 5 years after you leave. Visits home do not restart that clock. After 5 years, you re-enrol when you move back to live. Permanent residents are different: their enrolment ends 12 months after they leave.

Health care and insurance

Smartraveller says public hospitals provide most medical services in Mauritius, but not to Australia’s standard, waits can be long and visitors have to pay. It says travellers usually go to private doctors or clinics instead. They can be expensive, and they generally want payment up front or proof of travel insurance. For emergencies, the free state-run ambulance service answers on 114 or 999. If you’d rather go to a private hospital, Smartraveller says you call that hospital to collect you.

What’s close by. The Ministry of Health runs 5 regional hospitals and 2 district hospitals. Seven specialised hospitals support them, two of them cardiac centres and one for cancer. Each regional hospital’s emergency department has a resuscitation unit, and heart surgery is done on the island. A list published by the UK government (updated October 2024) shows private hospitals in Moka, Floréal, Grand Baie and Rose Hill. It lists public hospitals in Port Louis, Quatre Bornes and Rose Belle. On the west coast it has a private GP in Tamarin but no hospital. The island’s only decompression chamber, for diving accidents, is at the public hospital in Quatre Bornes.

When care means leaving. Smartraveller says serious illness or injury may mean evacuation, which can be very expensive. Its page on retiring overseas puts a medical repatriation at hundreds of thousands of dollars. The Ministry of Health itself sends some Mauritian patients to hospitals in India when a medical board recommends treatment abroad.

Your medicines. Smartraveller says some medicines legal in Australia may be illegal overseas, even on prescription. It says to carry a copy of the prescription and a doctor’s letter naming each medicine, the dose and that it’s for your own use. The EDB says pharmacies are found across the island. Mauritius’s High Commission can say whether a medicine you take is allowed. Our guide to taking medicines overseas has the Australian side.

Which cover. For a visit, Smartraveller says your travel insurance must cover all medical costs, including evacuation. The Premium Visa also asks for travel and health insurance for the start of your stay. To live there, the usual type is international health insurance, and our guide to international health insurance by age covers the age limits. Questions to ask: the oldest age you can join, whether evacuation is included and to where, and whether the policy pays a Mauritian clinic directly. If you’d like help working out where to start, book a free planning session on Zoom.

Dengue and chikungunya occur in Mauritius, mostly in the warmer months from October to May, and there have been malaria outbreaks in the past. Smartraveller suggests boiled or bottled water.

Where Australians live

There are no official figures on where Australians settle in Mauritius. These are the areas to compare. Times to the airport, at Plaine Magnien in the south-east, are rough driving times and traffic stretches them.

Area	What it’s like	Getting around	Hospital	Airport
Grand Baie and Pereybère	Coastal villages in the north, with beaches and a shopping mall	Buses; no Metro line	Private hospital in Grand Baie	About 1 hour 15 minutes
Tamarin and Black River	Villages on the west coast, in the driest district, with hills behind	Buses; no Metro line	A private GP in Tamarin; hospitals are inland	About 1 hour
Port Louis	The capital and port; our cost base	Metro Express and buses	Public hospital in Port Louis	About 50 minutes
Central plateau: Curepipe, Quatre Bornes, Floréal, Moka	Inland towns on higher ground, cooler and wetter than the coast	Metro Express and buses	Public hospital in Quatre Bornes; private hospitals in Moka and Floréal	About 35 minutes

Grand Baie, with Pereybère next door, has a private hospital. The public hospitals on the UK government’s list are all further south.

Tamarin and Black River are on the west coast. Tamarin Bay is known for its surf. The UK government’s list has a private GP in Tamarin but no hospital, so hospital care means the drive inland.

Port Louis is the capital, where the Australian High Commission is, and the base for our costs.

The central plateau towns sit along the Metro line. Curepipe is at 561 metres, cooler and rainier than the coast. The plateau has the widest choice of hospitals.

Smartraveller says crime levels are low but petty crime such as pickpocketing and bag-snatching happens. The crime rate is higher in downtown Port Louis and in the coastal tourist centres of Grand Baie, Pereybère and Flic en Flac.

Renting or buying a home

A foreigner needs a government certificate to hold, buy or sell property in Mauritius, freehold or leasehold. That rule is in the Non-Citizens (Property Restriction) Act, and the act lists the exceptions.

What needs no certificate.

• A home bought from a developer under one of the EDB’s schemes, such as the Property Development Scheme (PDS) or the Smart City Scheme.
• A flat with the EDB’s authorisation, in a building of at least 2 floors above the ground floor, for at least 6 million rupees (about A$186,000).
• A unit or a life right in an approved senior living project, for people 50 and over. The EDB says there’s no minimum price.
• Renting under a tenancy of up to 4 years.

Buying and residence. The EDB says a PDS home or a qualifying flat of at least US$375,000 (about A$542,000) brings a residence permit. It lasts as long as you own the property. For a PDS home, the EDB says a spouse and children under 24 are included. A senior living unit brings a permit for you and your spouse or partner while you own or live in it. Outside these routes, a house and land need a certificate, and the EDB’s portal lists no other route for retirees.

Deals around the rules are void. Under the act, an agreement that breaks these rules is void. An official called the Curator takes possession of the property and sells it, and the money goes to whoever is entitled to it. Breaking the rules is also an offence, with a fine and up to a year in prison.

Smartraveller’s page on retiring overseas suggests reviewing your will if you buy overseas, because estate laws differ, and getting legal advice on any big purchase. The person to ask is a notary or property lawyer in Mauritius who acts for you, not the seller. Our guide to overseas property and visa scams covers the warning signs, and keeping, renting or selling the family home covers the Australian side.

Tax: there and at home

The Mauritius Revenue Authority says you’re tax resident if you spend 183 days or more there in an income year. You’re also resident with 270 days or more in total across that year and the two before. A resident is taxed on income from Mauritius and on foreign income brought into Mauritius, and the authority lists pensions as foreign income.

The retired permit asks you to send at least US$24,000 a year (about A$34,690) into the country, so a pension sent in can be taxed. The EDB’s portal says whether a pension is taxed depends on tax treaties and on whether the money is remitted. Since the Finance Act 2025, resident individuals pay 0%, 10% and 20% on bands of income set in rupees.

Australia has no tax treaty with Mauritius: it isn’t on Treasury’s list of income tax treaties (updated 24 March 2026). A treaty normally settles which country taxes which income, so here there are no treaty rules to fall back on.

At home, the ATO’s residency tests decide whether you are still an Australian resident for tax. Our guide to tax residency when you retire overseas walks through them. As a foreign resident you lose the tax-free threshold, so Australian income such as rent is taxed at 30% from the first dollar (2025-26), as the foreign resident tax rates show. Sell your Australian home while you’re a foreign resident and you generally lose the main residence exemption from capital gains tax, apart from narrow life events.

Talk to a registered tax agent in Australia, and to a tax adviser in Mauritius about how money you send there is treated, before you go.

Money and banking

The Mauritian rupee is the local currency. Smartraveller says there are ATMs in most towns and large shopping centres, and credit cards work at most hotels, restaurants and large shops. It suggests ATMs inside banks, shops, hotels or shopping centres rather than on the street. Money above a set limit, in any form, has to be declared when you arrive and when you leave.

Your pension. If you’ll be away more than 12 months, Services Australia pays every 4 weeks into an Australian or overseas account. Services Australia lists Mauritius on its local currency account form, so a pension paid into a Mauritian account arrives in rupees. The Reserve Bank of Australia converts it at the rate on the day, and it usually takes 2 to 6 days. Bank fees are yours. Our guide to living overseas on the Age Pension has the numbers.

A local account. The retired permit needs one, because the money test is a transfer into a Mauritian bank. The EDB’s residency portal says non-residents can usually open a savings account. Foreign residents can also hold a current account in rupees or a foreign currency. A foreign currency account can only take money by bank transfer. Each bank sets its own minimum deposit, and the portal lists 19 banks licensed by the Bank of Mauritius.

Moving money. The main options are a transfer from your Australian bank, a currency transfer service, or an ATM on an Australian card. Each charges a fee and a margin on the exchange rate.

Currency swings. The permit’s test is set in US dollars and your pension is in Australian dollars. At the RBA’s 12-month average, US$2,000 is about A$2,890. If the Australian dollar fell 10% against the US dollar, the same US$2,000 would cost about A$3,210.

Day to day

Language. Mauritius’s constitution names no official language. English is used in parliament, government and schools, French in the media, and Mauritian Creole in everyday life. Smartraveller’s cyclone information lines by phone are in French.

Getting around without driving. Smartraveller says buses are the main public transport, and those between the main towns are generally reliable. Some may not meet roadworthy standards. The Metro Express runs only between Port Louis and Curepipe. Smartraveller says taxis aren’t metered and suggests agreeing the fare first. Registered taxis have a yellow sign and the name of their base on the door, and Smartraveller reports taxi scams at the airport.

Driving. Smartraveller says you can drive with a valid Australian licence, though a digital licence may not be accepted, or an International Driving Permit. It warns of narrow, unlit roads, pedestrians, stray dogs and motorcyclists, and Mauritius has zero tolerance for drink driving. To convert to a Mauritian licence, the police Traffic Branch wants an attestation from the authority that issued yours. It also wants proof of address and a permit valid for at least 6 months. At 60 and over you also need a medical certificate saying you’re fit to drive.

Safety beyond health. Smartraveller warns that women walking alone face a higher risk of harassment, and that methanol in bad alcohol has killed people overseas, Australians among them. Demonstrations followed a police shooting on 9 October 2026, and overnight curfews ended on 19 October (Smartraveller, 20 October 2026).

Drug penalties run to 60 years in jail, and Smartraveller says bail is unlikely. Smoking and vaping are banned in indoor public places, and owning cigarette papers or a rolling machine is illegal. If you’re under police investigation, you can’t leave without a judge’s consent or renew a residence permit. Mauritian society is conservative, nudism isn’t allowed, and Smartraveller says to take care not to offend at religious sites and events.

Cyclones, floods, landslides and tsunamis can all hit Mauritius. Smartraveller says cyclone season runs from November to May, though one can come at other times. Roads, ports and the airport may close, and power and water can fail.

The weather, month by month. Mauritius Meteorological Services says summer runs from November to April and winter from June to September. The coast gets more sunshine and less rain than the central plateau. The figures below are for Vacoas, on the plateau at 423 metres, so the coast runs warmer and drier (Japan Meteorological Agency normals):

Month	Average temperature	Rain (mm)
January	24.4°C	337
February	24.5°C	346
March	24.2°C	295
April	23.2°C	155
May	21.4°C	112
June	19.8°C	112
July	18.8°C	113
August	18.7°C	91
September	19.4°C	84
October	20.6°C	68
November	22.1°C	105
December	23.7°C	156

Public holidays. Mauritius marks Hindu, Tamil, Muslim, Chinese and Christian festivals and national days, so dates move each year. timeanddate.com’s 2027 list, which it says may be preliminary, includes Thaipoosam Cavadee on 22 January and National Day on 12 March. It also has Ganesh Chaturthi on 5 September, with a day off on the Monday, and Diwali on 29 October.

Making friends. A language class or a walking group gives you the same faces each week. The EDB’s senior living projects for over-50s come with a clubhouse. If you’re going alone, see retiring overseas single.

Getting there and coming home

Non-stop flights from Perth to Mauritius take about 8 to 9 hours. Published 2026 schedules show them on two or three days a week, depending on the season. Federal government airline figures for June 2026 show Perth is the only Australian city with non-stop flights to Mauritius. From Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane, expect at least one stop. Check routes when you book, as they change.

During a cyclone, Smartraveller says, the airport may close and flights may be cancelled or delayed. Mauritius also has health screening and entry limits for travellers recently in some African countries because of an Ebola outbreak, and these can change at short notice.

Mauritius doesn’t use daylight saving. It is 6 hours behind Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane in our winter, 7 hours behind Sydney and Melbourne in daylight saving, and 4 hours behind Perth. At 9am in Port Louis it is 3pm in Sydney in winter, so morning is the time to call home.

Your first steps

One order that works, from a first visit to living there:

1. Ask for help first. Book a free planning session on Zoom, or contact our team. Once we understand your situation, we can point you in the right direction.
2. Visit in summer and in winter, and stay a while. Smartraveller suggests a temporary move of 6 to 12 months first; see trying before you move.
3. Put your own numbers against the permit’s transfer rule and the pension after 12 weeks away. See living overseas on the Age Pension.
4. If you haven’t claimed the Age Pension yet, the claim has to be made while you live in Australia. See claim before you leave.
5. Talk it over with your partner and family early. Our guide to talking to your family has ways to start.
6. Work out what happens to the house, and whether it counts for the pension while you’re away.
7. See your GP, ask Mauritius’s High Commission about each medicine, and get a doctor’s letter. With an ongoing condition, read retiring overseas with a health condition.
8. Find out what health cover you can get at your age, evacuation included. Start with international health insurance by age.
9. Ask the EDB which documents it wants apostilled, then order your police check and certificates in Australia. Our visa guides cover the age rules.
10. Apply for the retired permit through the EDB’s online system, and allow for the medical tests done in Mauritius.
11. Open a Mauritian bank account for the transfers, and tell Services Australia how your pension will be paid. See taking your Age Pension overseas.
12. Rent before you think about buying; a tenancy of up to 4 years needs no certificate. Our guide to the long stay covers living somewhere on a lease.
13. Know your way back: coming home covers your pension and Medicare.

Questions people ask

Can you retire in Mauritius?

Yes, from age 50, on the 10-year residence permit for retired non-citizens. You need to send US$2,000 a month (about A$2,890) or US$24,000 a year (about A$34,690) to a Mauritian bank. The 1-year Premium Visa, which can be renewed, is another way to stay longer.

How much money do I need to retire in Mauritius?

Our estimate for a month in Port Louis is about A$2,800 for a couple and A$1,960 for one person, rent included, before health insurance. The retired permit separately asks for US$2,000 a month, about A$2,890, sent into Mauritius.

Is Mauritius a good place to retire?

For it: a 10-year permit from 50, normal safety precautions in Smartraveller’s advice, and non-stop flights from Perth. Against it: no Medicare or social security agreement, private care paid up front, tight rules on buying, and cyclones from November to May.

What are the Mauritius retirement visa requirements?

You must be 50 or over and not working. You send US$2,000 (about A$2,890) within 60 days of the permit, then US$24,000 a year or US$2,000 a month. The EDB asks for a police clearance covering 10 years, a medical certificate and medical tests done in Mauritius.

Do Australian citizens need a visa for Mauritius?

Not in advance. Smartraveller says a stay of less than 60 days gets a free visa on arrival. The Passport and Immigration Office says a tourist can be given up to 6 months in a calendar year, case by case.

Can foreigners buy property in Mauritius?

Only in set ways. You can buy in an approved scheme such as the PDS, or a senior living unit. A flat must cost at least 6 million rupees (about A$186,000), in a building with 2 or more floors above the ground floor. Property from US$375,000 (about A$542,000) brings a residence permit.

Is Mauritius safe to live?

Smartraveller’s advice is to exercise normal safety precautions. After a police shooting on 9 October 2026 there were demonstrations, arson and looting in several regions; overnight curfews ended on 19 October (Smartraveller, 20 October 2026). The crime rate is higher in downtown Port Louis and the coastal tourist centres. Read the current advice before you go.

Is health care free in Mauritius for Australians?

No. Smartraveller says there’s no agreement between Australia and Mauritius for free health care, and visitors pay at public hospitals too. For a visit, it says your travel insurance must cover evacuation. Medicare still covers citizens back in Australia for up to 5 years after they move.