Decision tool

Should I rent or buy in Mauritius?

Most generic rent-or-buy calculators ignore the parts that matter on this island: syndic on apartments, the 10 percent registration duty for non-citizens since July 2026, and the opportunity cost of locking up MUR or USD as a deposit. This one builds them in. Plug in your numbers.

For your inputs

Monthly mortgageRs 48,336
Total monthly own (cash)Rs 63,802
Opportunity cost on deposit / moRs 8,333

Net cost over 8 years, rentingRs 2,470,741
Net cost over 8 years, owningRs 3,104,482
Break-even year11.5 years

For your stated horizon

Renting wins by Rs 633,741

The model assumes 0.6 percent of value per year for syndic, 0.05 percent for insurance, 1 percent for maintenance, 5 percent total selling cost (agent and notary), and 4 percent annual rent inflation. These are mid-range Mauritius assumptions, real numbers vary.

How the model works

We compare two scenarios over your stated horizon. Renting: monthly rent, with 4 percent annual rent inflation built in. Owning: mortgage payment plus 0.6 percent of value per year for syndic, 0.05 percent for insurance, 1 percent for maintenance. We add the opportunity cost of your deposit (what it would have earned in a savings or bond), and we subtract the equity you build through amortisation and the capital growth on the full property value over the horizon. We assume 5 percent of the future sale price as a total exit cost (agent fee plus notary, rough mid-range).

The verdict at the bottom is the difference in net cost over your horizon. A short stay almost always favours renting. A long stay with reasonable capital growth almost always favours owning. The interesting cases are the 5 to 10 year horizons where small changes in assumptions flip the answer. If you want a real read on a specific property, send us the listing.