Real Budget for 10 Days in Mauritius: All the Numbers

Total transparency

Travel budget articles have always made me suspicious. Either they’re so vague they’re useless (“budget between 50 and 200 euros a day depending on your travel style”), or they’re completely unrealistic because the author is traveling on free press trips and calling it “a normal trip.”

I’m going to do the opposite: give you our real numbers, category by category, for a 10-day trip to Mauritius for two adults, in December 2019. A mid-range budget, without going without, but without excess either.

Currency: 1 euro was worth around 40 Mauritian rupees (MUR) in December 2019. The prices below are in euros. Check the current rate before you leave — the Mauritian rupee has shifted slightly since then. Our Mauritius budget guide keeps its estimates up to date.

Quick summary


Budget observed	About 2,000 euros per person for 10 days, flights included
Biggest expense	Flights and food, in almost equal shares
Most compressible expense	Flights (booking early, shoulder season)
Best time to save	May, June, September, October (off peak season)
Realistic tight budget	About 1,200 to 1,400 euros per person with the adjustments below

Expense 1: flights

We booked return tickets Paris CDG - Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam (SSR) about 4 months in advance. Direct Air Mauritius flight.

Price paid: 760 euros per person, 1,520 euros for two.

This is the most compressible expense if you have flexibility. Tickets under 600 euros per person exist on off-peak dates, with layovers, or by booking well ahead (6-8 months). Flights during peak season (July-August, December-January) are structurally more expensive. If you travel in May or October — ideal shoulder seasons according to our weather guide — you’ll regularly find tickets at 500-600 euros per person.

Worth noting: baggage fees. Air Mauritius generally includes a 23 kg checked baggage allowance, which is generous. Always check the conditions at the time of purchase.

Expense 2: accommodation

We chose two different types of accommodation for this trip:

Nights 1 to 5: apartment in Grand Baie via a direct rental (found on a travel forum), with a kitchen, terrace and access to a shared pool. 65 euros a night.

Nights 6 to 10: guesthouse in Bel Ombre run by a local family, breakfast included. 55 euros a night.

Total accommodation: 5 x 65 + 5 x 55 = 600 euros for two, or 300 euros per person.

You can go much higher (a 5-star hotel like the Lux or the Shangri-La easily costs 300-500 euros a night — see our where to stay in luxury guide) or much lower (rooms with a local family from 25 euros a night, hostels outside peak season). Our mid-range choice was comfortable without being luxurious. For more detail on the different accommodation options and their advantages, our where to stay in Mauritius guide is the go-to reference.

Our article Airbnb or hotel in Mauritius explores these choices in detail with side-by-side experiences.

Expense 3: food and drinks

This is the category where the gap between travelers is most significant in Mauritius. Eating every meal at the hotel on an all-inclusive plan gets expensive (and gives a false picture of local cuisine). Eating at local eateries every day is excellent and very affordable.

Our breakdown over 10 days:

Breakfasts at the apartment or provided by the guesthouse: negligible
Lunches: on average 15 euros per person at local restaurants, sometimes much less at the markets
Dinners: on average 25 euros per person, a few 40-euro dinners at good restaurants, a few 10-euro dinners at local eateries
Drinks (Phoenix beer, ti-punch, fruit juice): count on 3 to 5 euros a glass at a bar, 1 euro at a supermarket

Total food and drinks over 10 days: about 900 euros for two, or 450 euros per person.

If you eat exclusively local food and do your own grocery shopping, you can cut this figure in half. Our guide to Mauritian cuisine points you to the best local spots in every region of the island. If you opt for fine dining every night, multiply this figure by two or three.

Expense 4: car rental

Essential in Mauritius if you want to explore the island. We rented a small automatic car for 6 of our 10 days (we didn’t need one the first few days, being well served from Grand Baie).

Rental price: 35 euros a day (peak season, booked on the spot — more expensive than booking ahead from France). Our car rental in Mauritius guide explains how to save on this expense by booking ahead and comparing agencies.

Total car rental: 210 euros, or 105 euros per person.

Add fuel: about 50 euros over 6 days for our usage (around 400 km driven). Fuel in Mauritius is more expensive than in France.

Total car transport: 260 euros for two.

Expense 5: activities

This is where budgets can really spiral out of control if you’re not careful.

Here’s what we did and what we paid:

Catamaran trip with lunch: 70 euros per person, booked directly with a local operator (more affordable than through the hotel). Our catamaran trips guide helps you choose the right operator — you can also book ahead the catamaran cruise to the northern islets online.
Dolphin excursion in Tamarin (by boat, 3h): 35 euros per person. To choose an ethical operator, read our swimming with dolphins guide.
Entrance to the Seven Coloured Earths of Chamarel: 10 euros per person
Visit and tasting at the Chamarel distillery: 15 euros per person
Hike in the Black River Gorges: free. Our hiking guide details the trails you can access for free.
Self-guided snorkeling (bought a mask): 15 euros
Pamplemousses Garden: 7 euros per person

Total activities: about 310 euros for two, or 155 euros per person.

Many activities are free or very cheap: the beaches (including the most beautiful beaches in Mauritius, all of which are public), forest hikes, markets, village visits. You can have a very rich trip on a modest activities budget if you prioritize outdoor experiences.

Expense 6: shopping and souvenirs

The category where we often lose discipline.

Main purchases:

Rum from the Chamarel distillery (3 bottles): 60 euros
Spices, herbal teas and vanilla at the Port-Louis market: 30 euros. The markets of Mauritius are the best place for these purchases — our markets and culture guide points you to the best stalls.
Light clothing bought on site (essential — we’d underestimated the heat): 40 euros
A few handicraft souvenirs: 20 euros

Total shopping: 150 euros for two, or 75 euros per person.

Expense 7: miscellaneous (transfers, entrance fees, unexpected costs)

Taxi from SSR airport to Grand Baie: 40 euros (about a 1h30 ride). For all transfer options, see our airport transfer guide.
Return taxi to the airport: 40 euros
Local SIM cards (My.T operator): 5 euros per card (10 euros for two) — a handy alternative is an eSIM for Mauritius that activates without swapping your physical SIM
Pharmacy and other odds and ends: 30 euros
A forgotten phone charger bought at a supermarket: 12 euros

Total miscellaneous: about 132 euros for two, or 66 euros per person.

The final tally

Expense	Total for two	Per person
Flights	1,520 euros	760 euros
Accommodation	600 euros	300 euros
Food and drinks	900 euros	450 euros
Transport (car + fuel)	260 euros	130 euros
Activities	310 euros	155 euros
Shopping	150 euros	75 euros
Miscellaneous	132 euros	66 euros
TOTAL	3,872 euros	1,936 euros

About 2,000 euros per person for 10 days in Mauritius, flights included. That’s 200 euros per person, per day.

How to spend less

If your budget is tighter, here are the main levers to pull. Our Mauritius budget guide breaks down these strategies in detail with concrete examples.

Flights are the most compressible expense. By booking 6 months ahead outside peak season (May, June, September, October), tickets regularly drop below 500 euros per person from Paris. Potential savings: 300 to 600 euros per person.

Accommodation: switch to guesthouses run by local families (25-40 euros a night for two) rather than whole apartments. A Mauritian family guesthouse often includes breakfast and free advice from a host who knows their region inside out. Potential savings: 150 euros.

Food: eat systematically at local eateries and markets. A full meal rarely costs more than 5-6 euros at a local snack spot. Mauritian cuisine is at its best in these small restaurants — not in tourist-oriented establishments. Potential savings: 200 euros per person.

Activities: the beaches of Mauritius, the hikes, the markets are all free. You can skip the catamaran trip and the dolphin excursion without ruining your trip. Potential savings: 100 euros per person.

With these adjustments, a 10-day trip to Mauritius is feasible for around 1,200 to 1,400 euros per person on a tight budget. It’s not a budget destination — but it’s a far more accessible one than people often think.

How to spend more

At the other end of the scale, if you want the luxury experience, the 5-star hotels on the north and west coasts (LUX, One&Only, Shangri-La, Four Seasons) are among the finest in the world. Count on 400 to 1,000 euros a night for a standard room. Our where to stay in luxury guide presents a selection of the most exclusive properties.

For honeymoons and romantic getaways, our honeymoon itinerary offers a detailed budget for a high-end experience. The per-person budget for 10 days of luxury can easily reach 5,000 to 8,000 euros, first-class flights included.

Mauritius is that rare destination that can welcome the full spectrum of budgets, from the backpacker to the super-luxury traveler. That’s one of its greatest strengths — and one of the reasons so many different types of travelers fall in love with this island.

Is this budget representative for other trip lengths?

Our example covers 10 days, a fairly common length of stay. But the budget doesn’t simply scale linearly: flights and travel insurance stay fixed regardless of trip length, which mechanically lowers the cost per day on a longer stay. For a 10-day itinerary similar to ours, expect the same order of magnitude.

On a shorter trip like a 5-day itinerary, the daily budget climbs noticeably, since flights weigh proportionally more. Conversely, a 3-week itinerary often lets you negotiate discounted accommodation rates and spread the cost of the flight further.

The travel insurance budget, often forgotten

Our tally above doesn’t include travel insurance, an expense many travelers overlook in their calculations even though it’s hard to cut without risk. Comprehensive travel insurance (cancellation, repatriation, medical costs) for 10 days in Mauritius generally costs between 30 and 80 euros per person depending on the coverage level and your age. Our travel insurance for Mauritius guide details the essential coverage to check before signing, particularly for water activities like diving or kitesurfing, which are often excluded from basic policies.

Traveling as a family: a different budget

Our example covers a couple. A family budget follows a different logic: children often get discounted rates on flights and activities, but accommodation generally needs a bigger room or a larger place. Our family itinerary in Mauritius offers an adapted budget breakdown, with specific trade-offs — for example, favoring all-inclusive accommodation to simplify meal logistics with young children. Our all-inclusive packages in Mauritius guide explains when this option is genuinely financially worthwhile, and when it isn’t.

Mauritius versus the Maldives: a useful comparison for your budget

Many travelers hesitate between Mauritius and the Maldives when setting their budget. Our comparison Mauritius versus the Maldives shows that Mauritius generally offers better value for a varied trip (beaches, land activities, food, culture), while the Maldives concentrates the budget on island resort accommodation. If your budget is tight, Mauritius allows more flexibility thanks to the variety of accommodation options, from a family guesthouse to a 5-star resort.

Our honest verdict

Who it’s worth it for: this mid-range budget suits a couple who wants to discover the island without going without, mixing charming accommodation with a few splurges (catamaran, a good restaurant).

Skip if: you’re looking for a truly tight budget with no compromises — in that case, lean further toward local family guesthouses and local-only dining, following our Mauritius budget guide.

Best alternative: for a more controlled budget without sacrificing comfort, travel in May, June, September or October — outside peak season, flight and accommodation prices drop noticeably without the weather getting any worse.

Should you book ahead? Yes for flights (4 to 6 months ahead), yes for accommodation during peak season (July-August, December-January); activities and restaurants, on the other hand, can be arranged on the spot as your trip unfolds.

Mistakes to avoid

Forgetting travel insurance in the overall calculation — an expense of 30 to 80 euros per person that sometimes changes the decision between two accommodation options; check our travel insurance for Mauritius guide before finalizing your budget.
Booking flights too late or right in peak season — the most volatile expense in the whole budget; book 4 to 6 months ahead and avoid July-August and December-January if your budget is tight.
Underestimating the food budget by sticking to tourist restaurants — local eateries and markets let you cut this expense in half without sacrificing quality, as shown in our Mauritian food guide.
Not budgeting a margin for the unexpected — always count on 10 to 15% more than your planned budget for small purchases, tips, and last-minute changes of plan.
Comparing a couple’s budget to a family budget without adjusting — accommodation and activities expenses change differently with children; refer to our family itinerary in Mauritius for a realistic budget with kids.