Mauritius

Mauritius is an Indian Ocean island nation that has become increasingly attractive to American expats for its affordability, safety, and accessible residency pathways. Numbeo (June 2026) estimates overall consumer prices are about 44.5% lower than in the United States, with a one-bedroom apartment in the city center averaging roughly $465/month, basic utilities around $54/month, and unlimited 60 Mbps internet about $30/month. English is the official language of government, law, and public education, but everyday life is dominated by Mauritian Creole (spoken at home by ~90% of households per the 2022 census) and French, so monolingual English speakers manage well in formal and business settings while a little French is genuinely helpful socially. On safety, Mauritius is consistently rated the most peaceful country in Africa by the Global Peace Index (ranked roughly 22nd of 163 worldwide in the 2026 edition), yet the US State Department raised its travel advisory to Level 2, 'Exercise Increased Caution,' on December 8, 2025, citing petty and opportunistic crime. Numbeo's perception-based Safety Index sits at a moderate ~50/100. Healthcare is mixed: public hospitals are free for citizens but billed for foreigners, so most expats carry private insurance and use well-regarded private hospitals such as C-Care Wellkin, Apollo Bramwell, and Fortis Clinique Darné (Numbeo Health Care Index 63.4, November 2025). Complex or specialized care is frequently sought abroad in Réunion, India, or South Africa. For residency, US citizens can use the Premium Travel Visa (one year, renewable, requiring about $1,500/month of foreign income), the Retired Non-Citizen Occupation Permit (age 50+, $2,000/month or $24,000/year), or investor and self-employed Occupation Permits (from $50,000). The Finance Act 2025 raised the holding period for permanent residence from three to five years and lifted several thresholds; permanent residence can also be obtained directly with a $375,000 qualifying investment. Mauritius has no formal citizenship-by-investment program — citizenship is available only through discretionary naturalization after extended residence.