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Cape Town vs Mauritius cost of living 2026
Which is cheaper, what exactly is cheaper, and how it feels on your money ยท Updated October 2026
๐ฟ๐ฆ Cape Town
๐ฒ๐บ Mauritius
At a glance
- Where Mauritius is clearly cheaper: Street food (73%โ), Entry ticket (52%โ), Haircut (44%โ)
- Where Cape Town is clearly cheaper: Taxi (61%โ), Tuk-tuk / moto taxi (47%โ), Coffee (29%โ)
By category
Salary equivalence
Travel difficulty
Cape Town is easier to travel (2.0 vs 2.2). Biggest gap: safety โ Cape Town 4 vs Mauritius 2. Closer to 1 is easier. Difficulty ranking โบ
Item by item
| Item | Cape Town | Mauritius | Cheaper |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local mealper person | R 150$8.57 | Rs 320$6.96 | Mauritius โ19% |
| Street food1 item | R 70$4 | Rs 50$1.09 | Mauritius โ73% |
| Restaurant dinnerper person | R 300$17.1 | Rs 1,000$21.7 | Cape Town โ21% |
| Coffeeone cup | R 38$2.17 | Rs 140$3.04 | Cape Town โ29% |
| Beerone bottle | R 45$2.57 | Rs 130$2.83 | Cape Town โ9% |
| Cocktail & wineone cup | R 90$5.14 | Rs 300$6.52 | Cape Town โ21% |
| Bottled water | R 15$0.86 | Rs 30$0.65 | Mauritius โ24% |
| Convenience store1 snack or drink | R 18$1.03 | Rs 45$0.98 | similar |
| Taxi5 km in town | R 60$3.43 | Rs 400$8.7 | Cape Town โ61% |
| Tuk-tuk / moto taxishort hop | R 40$2.29 | Rs 200$4.35 | Cape Town โ47% |
| Transitone ride | R 18$1.03 | Rs 38$0.83 | Mauritius โ20% |
| Scooter rentalper day | R 450$25.7 | Rs 700$15.2 | Mauritius โ41% |
| Hotel night3-star | R 1,900$109 | Rs 4,600$100 | Mauritius โ8% |
| Studio rent (month) | R 13,000$743 | Rs 20,000$435 | Mauritius โ41% |
| Laundry | R 44$2.51 | Rs 100$2.17 | Mauritius โ14% |
| SIM card1 week data | R 250$14.3 | Rs 600$13 | Mauritius โ9% |
| Haircutcut | R 170$9.71 | Rs 250$5.43 | Mauritius โ44% |
| Massage1 hour | R 650$37.1 | Rs 1,800$39.1 | Cape Town โ5% |
| Half-day tourper person | R 900$51.4 | Rs 2,000$43.5 | Mauritius โ15% |
| Entry ticketTourist town | R 400$22.9 | Rs 500$10.9 | Mauritius โ52% |
Reference prices start as estimates from published price levels; items with 3+ traveler reports use the median of real reports. Hostels and local eateries cut both by 30%+.
FAQ
Which is cheaper, Cape Town or Mauritius?
Mauritius is 10% cheaper than Cape Town. Daily budget $168 vs $175; a month $2,941 vs $2,236.
Which is easier to travel, Cape Town or Mauritius?
Cape Town is easier: Cape Town 2.0/5 vs Mauritius 2.2/5 (average of rip-offs, language, transport, payments and safety).
How do monthly costs compare between Cape Town and Mauritius?
With a short-term studio and living costs, Cape Town is about $2,941 and Mauritius about $2,236 per month.
Where do the numbers come from?
They start as estimates informed by published price levels; any item with 3+ traveler reports switches to the median of real reports. Live reports are in the app.