Living in Mauritius Island as a Digital Nomad: Lessons from Six Months in Paradise
Dec 11
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In this article, I’ll share the beauty and the reality of digital nomad life in Mauritius — what it truly means to live in paradise, not just visit it I remember when Will told me we could get a six months visa, I was picturing some of the most beautiful lagoons & beaches in the world. I am a beach girl, I was so lucky to grow up by the beach in the mediterranean and then spend years living on subtropical beaches in the Atlantic Ocean. Give me a nice beach and sea and i am another person.
- However, the beauty of paradise doesn’t come for free and I am not referring to money but more to the challenges these places offer, and trust me these challenges do come for free, you don’t have to sign up anywhere.
There is something quite fascinating about being an outsider but at the same time living like a local. So in this article I will share the beauty and the reality of living in paradise.
Living in Mauritius Island as a Digital Nomad: Everyday Life & Rhythm: Everyday Life & Rhythm
The cost of living in Mauritius Island as a digital nomad depends entirely on where you settle
Rent in the northern region, from Trou aux Biches along the coast to Grand Baie and a little bit past it is very expensive compared to the other parts of the island. And when I say expensive, it was close to european prices, unless you rent long-term (more than six months). The south & East in comparison are much more affordable or even the west.
Transportation is very inexpensive, practically free, utilities, are very affordable and groceries (if you shop at street stands or markets) are of good quality and very affordable, the further inland or south you are, the cheaper it gets.
Weather and Seasons on Mauritius Island
Officially, there is a dry and wet season. Yet you speak to any local and they say dry season doesn’t exist. For them winter June- November is warm and wet, summer December - May is hot, wet and cyclone season.
The temperature differs wildly based on the area - The average summer temperature fluctuates between 29 - 24 degrees, whereas the winter average is 24 - 19 degrees.
Having said this we did experience lows of 14 degrees at night.
People think of hurricanes mainly occurring in the Caribbean but these take place in the Indian Ocean and Mauritius gets hit directly once every five years. However, Mauritius does experience at least two tropical storms per year - so if you’re planning a trip to Mauritius during cyclone season know that they can pop up at any time with just a few days warning.
In the Indian Ocean and South Pacific Hurricanes are called cyclones.
The Island Pace of Life
Mauritians are never in a hurry unless they are taxi or contract bus drivers, they are in a constant hurry driving like complete maniacs.
Aside from them, they always have time to talk, and Mauritiuans like to talk. Quickly dropping by to purchase some fruit can end up in a 30 mins affair. Things get done the Mauritian way - which means the slow way, opening/closing hours can’t be relied on too much, it best to call them a guide.
Working Remotely from Mauritius
For anyone working remotely from Mauritius Island, life feels balanced — productive yet peaceful. Mauritius is a fantastic place for digital nomads as the country offers attractive types of visa for free (check my extensive Mauritius guide here for more information). The Internet is pretty stable in most places and so is electricity, however the island does experience power cuts from time to time from just a few minutes to a couple of hours.
Mauritians are a welcoming bunch so making connections is fairly easy and there is a strong sense of community on the island.
The People and Culture of Mauritius
Living in Mauritius long-term teaches you that slow travel isn’t just about pace — it’s about understanding people, culture, and rhythm. Writing about people is always delicate. In Mauritius, kindness and indifference coexist side by side. Some locals are genuinely warm — generous with smiles, curious about where you come from, ready to help without expecting anything in return. Others can be distant, even brusque. But that contrast isn’t only toward foreigners; it exists within their own communities too.
Tourism shapes much of everyday life, and where there’s tourism, there’s survival. Many business owners see visitors as opportunity — sometimes fair, sometimes exploitative. If you look Western, the assumption is that you can pay more. There’s often a “local price,” a “tourist price,” and a “friend price.” Will learned this early when he was scammed by a man selling boat trips — a common story, told with a shrug by locals who’ve seen it all. Yet, just when frustration builds, someone surprises you — a shopkeeper who refuses extra payment, or a fisherman who insists on giving you fruit from his garden.
Multicultural Life and Languages
Language reflects the island’s layered identity. English is official, but French dominates daily conversation, and Creole — musical, expressive, full of borrowed rhythms — ties everyone together. The population is largely of Indian descent, with African, Chinese, and European roots woven in. A Hindu temple might stand beside a church, a mosque near a Chinese pagoda. Festivals light up the island year-round — Diwali lamps, Eid gatherings, Christmas markets — all somehow existing in harmony.
Culturally, the island balances beauty with contradiction. One of the hardest things to witness is the lack of environmental awareness. Litter lines roadsides and beaches, plastic drifts across lagoons, and stray dogs wander in heartbreaking numbers — perhaps 400,000 of them. Many depend on human kindness that doesn’t always arrive. We fed about fifteen dogs daily; some neighbours praised us, others frowned. Acts of compassion can confuse people where survival often leaves little space for ideals.
Yet despite everything, there’s something profoundly human about Mauritius. It’s a place that mirrors life itself — generous, imperfect, full of contrasts. One day you’ll be moved by someone’s kindness, the next, tested by indifference. It keeps you awake, aware, humbled.
Food & Daily Joys of Living in Mauritius Island
One of the greatest joys of life in Mauritius Island is its food — colourful, vibrant, and full of soul.
Mauritius feeds you well — Markets hum from sunrise: sellers shouting prices in Creole, tables overflowing with papayas, lychees, pineapples, and bunches of coriander still damp with morning dew. Fruit and vegetables are sun-kissed and rich with taste, the kind of freshness you forget exists until you return to it.
Street food is everywhere and always tempting. For just a few euros you can eat like a local — rotis warm from the pan, spicy mine frite, steaming plates of biryani, or confit in paper cones sprinkled with chili salt. Every corner seems to hold a food stall, a small talk, a smile. Mauritians love to eat, and they love to share food even more.
In tourist areas you’ll find imported products that can rival European shops, but it’s in the humble eateries that Mauritius reveals itself. If you’re vegetarian or vegan, you’ll be fine — maybe even delighted. Locals cook with lentils, beans, tofu, and endless vegetables. More than once, a chef stepped out from the kitchen just to say, “I made something special for you.” That warmth stays with you longer than any fancy meal could.
Sundays are sacred for food and family. Beaches fill with tents, laughter, and the smell of grilled fish. Families set up early, staying until night, cooking, eating, playing music. Sometimes three generations share a single tent — a whole world built around a few pots and a fire. It’s noisy, chaotic, full of life. Drive past Grand Bassin or the coast, and you’ll see it everywhere — people not just passing time, but belonging somewhere.
There’s joy here that’s easy to overlook if you’re in a hurry — the woman squeezing sugarcane juice by hand, the boy selling coconuts chilled in a bucket of ice, the way fruit stalls seem to appear and disappear with the weather. These small things are what Mauritius does best: simple, genuine, and quietly abundant.
The Contrasts of Mauritius — Beauty and Reality
For digital nomads living in Mauritius, the island’s beauty can be both a blessing and a test — teaching you patience, empathy, and adaptability.
Mauritius is full of contradictions. The same island that glows in turquoise and gold can also feel raw and unforgiving once you live beneath its surface.
Mornings can start in perfection — calm lagoon, sunlight through palms, the scent of hibiscus — and by afternoon you’re dealing with a power cut, a burst pipe, or a a sudden storm. Bureaucracy moves at island speed; paperwork that should take hours can take weeks. The longer you stay, the more you learn that patience isn’t optional here — it’s survival.
And then there’s the contrast that cuts deepest: wealth beside poverty. You can stand on a beach where a five-star resort glitters just metres away from shacks patched with corrugated iron. Tourists stroll past with cocktails in hand while, on the other side of the fence, children play with scraps and puppies scurry through litter. It’s not hidden — it’s side by side. The government pours money into luxury developments for expats and wealthy retirees, while local families struggle to meet the basics. The imbalance is painful to watch, especially when those enjoying privilege barely acknowledge the lives unfolding beyond the resort walls.
Beauty and frustration walk hand in hand here. You can spend a morning feeding stray dogs or cleaning rubbish from a beach, then end the day watching one of the most breathtaking sunsets you’ve ever seen. That’s Mauritius: heartbreak and wonder, sharing the same horizon.
Locals carry this duality too. Many live simply, yet seem genuinely content. Others chase modernity and status symbols, sometimes losing touch with the nature that sustains them. It’s a delicate balance between old and new, wealth and struggle, paradise and pressure.
Yet it’s these contrasts that make the island unforgettable. They keep life from becoming too polished, too predictable. You begin to see that paradise isn’t about perfection — it’s about resilience, humour, and the ability to adapt. Mauritius doesn’t promise ease, but it rewards those who stay open.
Lessons & Reflections After Six Months of Living in Mauritius Island
Where do I begin? When we first arrived in Mauritius, I was in a dark place — I couldn’t see the point in living anymore. The island’s energy was different from anywhere I’d been before: calm, grounding, gentle. Little by little, it softened the noise inside me. I started having the hard conversations with myself — the ones I’d avoided for years.
Mauritius taught me patience, observation, kindness, and the courage to slow down. I learned to smile again, to care for others, to engage rather than retreat. Somewhere in those quiet months, I began to heal. I rediscovered parts of myself I thought were gone — the curious, creative self I’d left behind in childhood. People there didn’t judge me; they simply accepted me — fragile, searching, trying to find a way to heal. Many told me, “This island heals.”
Time, I realised, is life itself. And it should be filled — mostly — with moments that bring peace. Mauritians reminded me of that daily. People take time to greet each other, to talk about the weather, to laugh about a late bus. Complaints turn into stories. Waiting becomes community.
Leaving was hard. Even now, travelling through Asia, people often ask where we’ve felt happiest. For both of us, the answer is always Mauritius — with Réunion Island a close second.
Looking back, living in Mauritius Island as digital nomads changed everything for us. It was where I arrived lost and left whole…, where despair turned into creation. It’s where Bountiful Life was born — and where, for the first time in my life, I could say, “I am happy.”
Closing Thoughts — A Note to Slow Travellers and Digital Nomads
Mauritius isn’t just a destination — it’s a teacher. It shows you what happens when you slow down long enough to truly live somewhere, not just visit it. For slow travellers and digital nomads, it offers something rare: space to breathe, to create, to belong.
You learn that connection isn’t measured by Wi-Fi speed or co-working cafés, but by the rhythm of daily life — the morning market greetings, the salt on your skin, the faces that start to recognise yours. The island reminds you that abundance doesn’t come from having more, but from noticing more.
If you’re dreaming of living in Mauritius Island as a digital nomad or simply want to experience slow travel at its most authentic, explore my full Mauritius Guide — written for slow travellers and digital nomads who want both honesty and inspiration. 🌿
For more insights into the island’s pace and hidden beauty, don’t miss Why Slow Travel in Mauritius Is Worth It — a guide to experiencing Mauritius differently.
