Buying Luxury Property in Mauritius: Prices, Yields and Ownership Rules

What the Mauritius market actually is

Approved schemes let foreign buyers own freehold with a residence permit attached above a defined threshold. Strong India links, English-language administration and a favourable tax treaty history.

Buyers who do well here usually arrive with one clear objective — income, a family base, mobility or preservation — rather than a general wish to "own something abroad". In Mauritius the objectives this market genuinely serves are residency, rental income, second home.

What it costs

From USD 400,000 under approved schemes. At the top of the market, usd 2m+ for beachfront and golf estate villas.

Headline price is not entry cost. Add transfer duty, legal fees, agency fees where the buyer pays them, and any furnishing or renovation needed to reach lettable standard. On tax and duty specifically: no annual property tax; registration duty on purchase.

What you can legally own

Freehold available to foreign buyers within government-approved schemes

On residency: residence permit attaches to qualifying purchases above the threshold. Ownership and immigration are separate decisions in most jurisdictions, and conflating them is the most common expensive mistake we see.

Where to buy

The addresses that resell are not always the addresses that market hardest. In Mauritius the segments worth understanding first are Grand Baie & North, Black River & West, Bel Ombre & South.

Grand Baie & North: Most liquid resale, expatriate depth.

Black River & West: Golf estates, family villas.

Bel Ombre & South: Newer resort-led schemes.

Income and exit

Expect 4–6% gross with resort management on a well-chosen asset, before management, service charges and vacancy. Underwrite on ten months of occupancy, not twelve.

The purchase process: Reservation, Economic Development Board approval, notarial deed — eight to sixteen weeks.

The risk to price in

Only approved-scheme property carries residency. Confirm the scheme classification in writing.

Our position is straightforward: no purchase should depend on a projection you cannot verify from a third party. If a developer or agent cannot show historic occupancy, historic resale evidence or clean title history, the discount you are being offered is not a discount.