Low budget, Rs 1,500 – 2,000 per day per person: this is the Mauritians' Mauritius, and it's delicious. A guesthouse or family pension room at Rs 800 – 1,200 (homemade breakfast included), bus travel (Rs 100 a day even criss-crossing the island), street food lunch at Rs 100, dinner at a Chinese shop or roti stand for Rs 150 – 250. Beaches, hikes, markets and Sunday sega are free. Only extras to plan: Rs 200 – 300 for a snorkelling mask and a few Rs 50 sweet treats.
Mid budget, Rs 4,000 – 6,000 per day: the independent traveller's sweet spot. Add a shared rental car (Rs 1,500/day between two), a seaside apartment or bungalow (Rs 2,500 – 3,500 a night for two), a proper restaurant in the evening (Rs 600 – 900 a head, grilled fish and a Phoenix beer) and one paid activity every other day: dolphin trip Rs 1,800, distillery visit Rs 450, Ile aux Cerfs catamaran Rs 2,000. At this level you live very well — and eat better than in many hotels.
High budget, Rs 12,000 – 20,000+ per day: resort Mauritius. A night in a 4-5 star hotel half-board (Rs 8,000 – 15,000 for two in season, double over the festive period), spa (Rs 2,500 – 4,000 per treatment), fine dining (Rs 2,500 – 4,000 per person), golf (green fee Rs 4,000 – 8,000), private boat trip (Rs 15,000 – 25,000). The tip that changes everything: book activities directly rather than through the concierge; the gap often reaches 30%.
Three cross-cutting rules to finish. One: high season (October – December, festive weeks) inflates accommodation by 30 to 50%, but neither street food nor buses. Two: cash is your friend — small prices are quoted in ringing rupees, not on card. Three: Mauritius's finest moments — sunset at Mont Choisy, the Sunday picnic, a dawn swim in the lagoon — cost exactly Rs 0. Local tip: set yourself a daily « pleasure budget » in small notes in an envelope, Mauritian-style, and stop counting the rest.