Thanks for the updated video! We visited in June 2023 with an eye towards possibly retiring in the islands. We remotely studied 40 countries during the pandemic as possible retirement destinations to live in. When we visited Mauritius this year, we found that food prices were 40% cheaper than Bahrain, Saudi, and UAE. It was the biggest pleasant surprise of our visit. The quality was better too. Selection was excellent. As you mentioned there were a few gaps with things like lack of fresh milk. Healthy foods and snacks like nuts were a bit less plentiful and lower quality than in the Middle East gulf countries. But, fruits and vegetables were fresher, more plentiful, and better selection, including going well beyond the basics. Almost all of the wonderful Indo-Asian fresh spices and greens that my wife likes to cook with were more available (and we already consider the Middle East to be very good for that stuff compared to places like Europe and USA). And of course tropical fruits were everywhere. Another big surprise was the quality of meats were great: beef tenderloins, ribeyes, flanks; and very wide selection of pork, along with the usual staple poultry products. Overall, a great selection of local and imported products. Some of the French delights, such as Port Salut cheese, that are no longer found in many Middle East gulf countries are available in Mauritius, along with many other such treats. We import to the Middle East whole oats from Canada, dried sweet cherries from USA, as those are gaps, and we will probably need to do that in Mauritius as we didn't see any there. We are still looking for a source of rice bran oil (we are hoping to find that on our soon to be next visit). Other healthy oils were plentiful in Mauritius (canola, avocado, olive, etc.). For a remote island group (and we have visited many), the price and availability of food far exceeded our expectations. MAURITIUS - OTHER ASPECTS FOR WOULD BE RESIDENTS On other areas, about moving to Mauritius: housing was good. USD$2,000 to $3,000 per month will put you in 200 to 300-sq-m, on or very near the waterfront, and prices can go down from there in some neighborhoods as the distance from the waterfront increases. But, purchasing looks less reasonable (USD$1 to $3 million for the same). Although the rental prices may seem expensive to some, I don't think there are any better bargains in Doha, Dubai, Miami, or Singapore. I don't currently know of a place that combines Mauritius water friendly, tropical community, low crime, and good governance at a better price. Garages are rare and central air conditioning even rarer. But, beautiful views and gardens abound. Roads are very narrow (like England) and very bumpy (very much unlike some of the super-smooth western European roads, such as France and Germany). Cars are overpriced. The left hand side of the road driving thing is something that we are used to from the Bahamas, ANZ, Singapore, etc, but it does push up the cost of cars (as the worldwide manufacturers find those be a minority configuration). Along with some fairly stiff taxes on combustion chamber size, import fees, etc, and there aren't any locally manufactured cars (as to be expected). Electric car infrastructure hasn't really arrived yet, although if you own your own house in Mauritius you can put in your own charger. We would like to purchase an electric car. But, the local Hyundai / Kia dealer is listing the small Hyundai Kona EV electric for more money than it would cost to buy Hyundai's luxury Genesis GV60 SUV in most markets. That said, Mauritius is much better for the price of cars than Thailand (up to 300% of the worldwide basic cost for a well equipped Lexus RX) or Malaysia and Philippines (almost 200% for same). In the end anyway, we found that in Mauritius, there isn't a Lexus or Genesis dealer / agency, and the Toyota suspensions weren't up to absorbing the punishment from the bumpy roads. So we think the Hyundai Tucson (our real estate agent has one), Kia Sportage (we rented one), and BMW X3 (we rented one), did a much better job of giving a comfortable ride. The Tucson and Sportage are okay value, and maintainable. The BMW replacement parts prices will eat a big hole in your wallet once the vehicle is old enough to need new shock absorbers and stuff like that (say 6 to 9 years old). One thing to watch out for is that the Tucson and Sportage have tiny 1.6-Liter engines, so the Hybrid versions are necessary to have enough "oomph" to safely pull out into busy traffic. The non-hybrids are gutless wonders. It's a quirk of the Mauritius import taxation policies that some cars are very under-powered. Electrified cars, including hybrids, get a massive tax break and more power due to having high-torque electric motors, so it's best to concentrate on those. OEM car parts are much harder to find than in the Middle East (the Toyota dealer didn't even have replacement wiper blades or rubbers in stock for our rental 2019 RAV4), and other residents report a dearth of good quality third party replacement tires and batteries (aftermarket cheapos seem plentiful though). We are accustomed to having good stocks of Japaneses tires and batteries in the Middle East. So it would probably be best to consider importing things like that from Dubai if that is important to you. This is a well-worn path for many Middle Eastern gulf country residents trying to avoid triple-high costs on OEM parts due to regional monopolies. So this was an unpleasant surprise that we might need to continue to purchase even more parts from Dubai when living in Mauritius. Mauritius ranks among the safer countries in the world with a "Low" risk rating at Crisis24.com (our "go to" for situation reports). It lacks "gun culture," terrorism, and is ranked very low for violent crime. It ranks high on good governance. So when considering Mauritius, there is a lot that you "don't" need to worry about when evaluating whether to move there. Bureaucracy... they have it. We're used to it from it the Middle East and other places. I guess its a part of good governance that things are being well recorded. It's a bit less chaotic than we are accustomed to. Welcoming: Mauritius is very upfront that they want expats to move there. They have a very well communicated set of programs for that. Perhaps just behind Belize (BTW, a little less safe) and better than Seychelles (BTW, a little more expensive). Thanks to videos from Lucy (like this one) and Shane & Julia (the Rolfes) we became interested in "discovering" the above, and went for it. We used BTG Consulting to help us with the details (great value from Candice and Pravesh). Mauritius EDB has given us an Approval In Principle for residence permits, so its time to go do the final interview and hopefully collect our permits. If you are considering moving to Mauritius, and have a pension, watch the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) website for a Tax Ruling soon (maybe this month) that will provide further information on how to handle pension transfers from overseas. You won't want to miss it. Thanks again Lucy!!

What a pleasant surprise. You were missed. Absolutely love Mauritius. Thanks for sharing.

Graet to see you back! Thank you for the update.

So glad you are rested and back to making great videos.

Hello Lucy. I just wanted to say a big Thank You to you. We are moving to Mauritius (Grand Baie) next week as my husband is a Mauritian citizen. I have watched every single one of your videos during the course of this year. You have made some a massive impact on my decisions and really helped me be prepared for life in Mauritius. Your work is just amazing. So once again, Merci Beaucoup.

Thanks Lucy, very good!

thank you for making the video! Will be back in Feb :)

The location of the supermarket is stunning.❤ Thank you Lucy for sharing this information. 😘

Great video. Thanks for the information.

Good video Love the ZAR bit. Have you made a street or fast food and dining out video like this. God willingly we will be there early next year

Thank you for your nice videos 👍🏻

Thank you for the video. Coming back next year for a visit after 20 years. I am in for a shock to say the least.

Good to see you back, Lucy! Yikes, those prices are hectic but not unexpected with the huge hikes in the price of fuel etc. I love shopping at SuperU when I'm there. Happy to say we've booked to come back in May next year for our 9th holiday - can't wait!

Heeey Lucy! Me and my girlfriend are moving to Mauritius from Sweden in two weeks, your videos are super!

Love your videos. Can you please do a updated cost of living and a updated best place to live in the North and West

woah! welcome back lucy, comparing the prices to here in seychelles, mauritius is still waaay cheaper than here.

Excellent video

Thanks Lucy, nice to see the prices there

Cost of living has increased around the world. Mauritius, a tiny island that import lots of the consumer staples will be definitely be impacted.

Thank you

Hi Lucy, thanks for the info! I want to buy you a coffee but don't see the link. Maybe I can buy you and your hubby a beer in Dec...

Hi Lucy, what on earth is happening with notifications? You uploaded this video a month ago and I didn't receive a notification. I subscribed to you years ago. I found Mauritian food prices to be much cheaper than Australia. And of course there is the currency exchange rate that makes a holiday in Mauritius good value (in Winter the low season).

need to compare the local market prices to supermarket on fruit and veg. I have a feeling markets cost more, but i haven't been there for couple of years now and not since post covid

Living in Central Europe, EU. Pretty much every single thing from your list is much more expensive here (20-30%). Except for beer. Beer is around 1,2 EUR

The cost of the one yellow pepper is shocking! The others however are relatively cheaper or comparable to 2023 prices in London, surprising considering the average wage in MRU is considerably less! Would love to see your take on how to navigate the markets if possible? Thanks for sharing 🙂

Hi, thanks for your video. I wonder if you know how easy is to get gluten free products in the market? Or Lactose free?

Great video as always . One question , i have been looking for an affordable family house villa to stay for a very long-term to the island . Long story short I have mahebourg , quatre cocos ,grand gaube , belle vue maurel and riambell . Which of these areas are the best in terms of amenities , surpermarkets , restaurants but also great beaches . Thanks for the help, dear ! Cheers

I feel you, during this year prices went waaay up. It is still rising and rising.

Damn that's very discouraging tho , thinking to live in such an island where one of our basic and essential needs for living is not quite affordable 😔, thanks anyway Lucy for sharing 😊

After a looonggg time

I would appreciate it if you could also add liquid and powder detergents.

Did you import your dog into Mauritius? I’d love to see some footage on that process, and what it’s like to take care of the dog there (pet stores, vets, etc.)

Hi it is quite the same as the UK. Only item which is cheaper here is the pepper. But probably the salary or the wages of the average worker in Mauritius is much lower than the average worker in the UK. From a Mauritian who lived in the UK.

Are there farms growing food in Mauritius or is all the food for the island imported? Are there stores that sell bulk food or must this be ordered on-line? How are deliveries made to the island? By air freight or by ship? If starting a business there, is there international based businesses on the island or are the businesses for local customers? Are there manufacturing type businesses there or mainly retail based? Is the island commerce more for island consumers or does the island rely on tourists for a booming economy? I like what I see about Mauritius. It certainly looks like a fabulous place to visit. I want to farm and want farm land for livestock. Is Mauritius suited for farming? I see the nature sites and cities there with many activities shown there to do, but very little about farming and food production on Mauritius. I researched and found that Mauritius allows for importation of live livestock. With the global famine coming, I was wondering if Mauritius was planning for growth of farming there for solving a looming problem of food availability if completely reliant upon importation of food supply. I love watching your videos on Mauritius.

What about fish? coastal area . do it should be chea[

Lucy lets start export import business to Mauritius ☝😎 are you in ?

food prices in Mauritius are cheaper than in South Africa.

Same things in Canada would cost you almost double in price

everyone print money

raise chicken and sell

I find prices for food in 5 star hotels in Mauritius absolutely unreasonable. I compare to 5 star hotels in UAE, its the same, but UAE has better hotels, better food, safety and many more conveniences, better service compared to Mauritius 5 star hotels. I feel that someone is making lots of money on hotels in Mauritius. And adding, that in those high prices service charge for staff is NOT included. Come on...disgraceful. I personally am not considering revisiting this island, as the value for money is not really there, unless you find a 5 star hotel at heavily slashed price. The breakfast for 2500 MUR per person at 5 star hotel was a huge disappointment, and believe me, UAE has so much better for this price, being a desert country, importing almost all foods. The corals are bleached, and hotel does no any sustainable/SCR activity about it, but only priding itself with beachfront location, using sea to set prices higher.