How Much Does a Website Cost in Mauritius? A Plain Guide for 2026
In my experience, the website cost in Mauritius is anywhere between Rs 5,000 and Rs 200,000 to build. The price depends on how professional you want it to be and on the type of website: a simple “window” website that shows who you are sits at the low end, an e-commerce website where people buy online sits in the middle, and an app-style website where customers log in sits at the top. On top of the build, you pay yearly fees for your domain and hosting, plus maintenance. And if the price is very low, ask a few questions before you pay, starting with: whose name is the domain in?
THE QUICK ANSWER
- Build price: from about Rs 5,000 to Rs 200,000, depending on the type and quality.
- Window website (shows who you are) costs least; e-commerce costs more; log-in or app-style websites cost most.
- Every year you also pay: the domain, the hosting and the maintenance.
- The domain must be in your name, and you must have the logins.
- Cheap website quote? Ask the 8 questions below before you pay.
One thing to keep in mind from the start: a website is a tool, not a plan. A beautiful website that nobody visits, or that has no easy way to contact you, does not bring sales. The rest of this guide explains, in plain words, what you are paying for, what each type costs, and how to avoid the most common traps.
I have worked with businesses who have a very beautiful, fast loading website but still could not get clients and some who did not have one and still had many clients. So the question I always ask when working with a client, “What is the purpose of your website?” . A website in itself is not useless but if you do not make appropriate use of it, you are missing out on many opportunities.
In this guide
What you need for a website, explained simply
Think of your website as a shop. To open a shop you need an address, a piece of land to build on, the shop itself, and someone to keep it clean and safe. A website needs the same four things.
| What you need | What it is | The shop version | How often you pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domain | Your website’s name, like yourbusiness.mu or yourbusiness.com | Your shop’s address | Every year |
| Hosting | A computer, always on, that stores your website and shows it to visitors | The land your shop stands on, which you rent | Every year (or every month) |
| The website | The pages, design, text, photos and buttons | The shop building and its window display | Once, when it is built |
| Maintenance | Updates, backups, security and small changes | Cleaning, repairs and locks | Every year (or every month) |
So when someone quotes you for a website, the quote should tell you all four prices, not just the first one. A domain ending in .com is usually cheaper than one ending in .mu; one overview puts the .mu domain at around US$60 a year, but prices vary by provider.
This is the simplest way I can explain things. In reality, things might be a little bit more nuanced but the basics are usually these four components. As your requirements for a website vary, such as needing an ecommerce website instead of a simple website, this list might expand.
For example, to maintain my website, I have paid for these four components excluding the cost of developing the website but in additional to this, I use WordPress, Google Workspace and a CRM to manage the full website.
Check yours: Do you know how much you pay each year for your domain and hosting, and when they renew?
Website cost in Mauritius by type of website
The biggest difference in price comes from what the website must do. Here are the three main types, with the price ranges I see in Mauritius.
| Type of website | What it does | Good for | Build price (my experience) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Window website (also called a showcase or static site) | A few pages: who you are, what you sell, photos, location, WhatsApp button | Shops, salons, restaurants, trades, consultants | From about Rs 5,000 |
| E-commerce website | Product pages, a basket, online payment, delivery options | Businesses that sell products online | About Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000, depending on the platform e.g shopify |
| App-style website | Customers log in: bookings, member areas, orders, accounts | Schools, clinics, clubs, services, hotels with bookings and accounts | Up to Rs 100,000 or more |
Within each type, the price also depends on how professional you want it to look: a ready-made template is cheaper than a custom design, and the number of pages, languages (English and French) and photos all add work.
WordPress, Shopify or a website builder?
The platform is the software your website runs on. It changes both the build price and the yearly cost.
| Platform | How you pay | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress | The software is free; you pay for hosting, a theme and any paid plugins | Window and business websites that need to rank on Google. Very flexible |
| Shopify | A monthly subscription that includes hosting: the Basic plan is US$39 a month, or US$29 a month paid yearly, plus a 2% fee per sale if you use an outside payment provider | Online shops that want an easy, secure checkout |
| Website builders (drag-and-drop) | A monthly or yearly subscription | Very simple sites you want to edit yourself |
I build most business websites on WordPress, because I specialise in SEO and local SEO, and WordPress with the Rank Math plugin lets me set up every page properly for Google from day one.
Do you still need a website in 2026?
Yes. If you run a business in 2026 and have no website, you are losing customers you never see. Before buying, people look you up. If they find nothing, or only a Facebook page that has not been updated, many will simply choose the business that looks more established.
How your website looks matters too. In a study of 2,684 people for Consumer WebWatch, the “design look” of a website was the feature people mentioned most when judging whether a site was credible, in 46.1% of comments. A clean, simple website builds trust before you say a word.
| Only a Facebook page | Your own website |
|---|---|
| Meta owns the page and decides who sees your posts | You own your domain and your content |
| Hard to find on Google for “your service + your town” | Can rank on Google for the searches your customers type |
| Looks the same as every other page | Shows your brand, your work and your prices your way |
Getting one does not have to be complicated or expensive. A clear window website with your services, photos, location and a WhatsApp button, linked to your Google Business Profile, is enough to start.
Cheap website? Ask these 8 questions before you pay
A Rs 4,000 or Rs 5,000 website can be a good deal. It can also become expensive later if you do not own what you paid for. Ask these questions first, and get the answers in writing.
- Whose name is the domain registered in? It must be yours or your company’s. The person who registers a domain is its owner, and domain registrants have rights such as seeing their registration agreement and the renewal and transfer rules. If the domain is in the builder’s name, you do not own your address.
- Is it my own domain, or a subdomain? yourbusiness.mu is your own domain. yourbusiness.somebuilder.com is a subdomain: a room inside someone else’s house. It looks less professional, and you cannot take it with you.
- Where is the website hosted, and how much is the renewal each year? Get the name of the hosting company and the yearly price.
- Will I get the logins? You should have access to the domain management account (where the domain is registered), the hosting account and the website’s admin area.
- What is included in maintenance, and how much is it? Updates, backups, security, small text or photo changes.
- Who owns the design, text and photos? And can I move the website to another provider if I want to?
- Will it work well on a phone, with HTTPS and a WhatsApp button? Most of your visitors will be on mobile.
- Is basic SEO included? Page titles and descriptions, a link to Google Search Console and to your Google Business Profile.
| Red flag | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| The domain is registered in the builder’s name | If you fall out, you can lose your website’s address |
| “Free domain” that is really a subdomain | You never own it, and it looks less trustworthy |
| No logins given to you | Every small change depends on one person |
| Nobody can tell you the yearly hosting price | Surprise bills, or a website that suddenly goes offline |
| No backups in the maintenance plan | One problem and your website is gone |
It can become a nightmare in the future if someone who has built a website for you disappears and you do not have access to the backend. I have to be honest, a proper website WILL COST MONEY but it takes away the stress of ever losing access to it or any funny business going on with the developer in the future. Your business reputation and name is at stake when you start cutting corners.
Check yours: Can you log in today to the account where your domain is registered? If not, ask your web designer this week.
The yearly costs to budget for
A website is like a car: the purchase is only the start. Put these in your yearly marketing budget so nothing expires by surprise. And believe me when I say it is a real problem if your domain expires and you are not aware. Transfers of domain later can also be messy so do it right the first time.
| Cost | How often | What happens if you forget |
|---|---|---|
| Domain renewal | Every year | Your website and email can stop working, and someone else could take the name |
| Hosting | Every year or month | Your website goes offline |
| Maintenance | Every year or month | Security risks, broken pages, no backups |
| Shopify or builder subscription | Every month or year | Your online shop closes |
| Paid plugins or apps | Usually every year | Features stop working |
Turn on automatic renewal for your domain, and keep the renewal dates in your calendar. For how to plan the full amount, see the marketing budget guide.
Why a website alone will not grow your sales
A website is a shop window. A window only sells if people walk past it, and if the door is easy to open. Many businesses pay for a beautiful website, then wonder why nothing happens.
Picture a fictional bakery in Rose-Hill. It pays Rs 60,000 for a custom website with lovely photos. Nobody finds it on Google because the pages have no titles, the cake prices are hidden, and the only contact is a form that nobody checks. The website is fine; the plan around it is missing.
A strategy decides what the website must do first: bring new customers from Google, convince people who already heard of you, or take orders. That changes which pages you build and what the buttons say. The conversion stage of a marketing strategy and the five stages show where a website fits.
Check yours: What is the one action you want a visitor to take on your website, and can they do it in one tap?
Frequently asked questions
How much does a website cost in Mauritius?
In my experience, between about Rs 5,000 and Rs 200,000 to build, depending on the type of website and how professional you want it. Domain, hosting and maintenance are paid on top, usually every year.
Is a Rs 5,000 website good enough?
For a simple window website, it can be, if the domain is in your name, you get all the logins, and you know the yearly hosting and maintenance prices.
What is the difference between a domain and hosting?
The domain is your website’s name and address, like yourbusiness.mu. Hosting is the always-on computer that stores your website and shows it to visitors. You need both.
Do I have to pay for my website every year?
Yes. The build is paid once, but the domain and hosting renew every year, and maintenance is usually a yearly or monthly fee.
Should I choose WordPress or Shopify?
WordPress suits most business websites and is very strong for SEO. Shopify suits online shops that want an easy checkout, with a monthly subscription that includes hosting.
What is a subdomain, and why should I avoid it?
A subdomain sits inside someone else’s domain, like yourbusiness.builder.com. You do not own it, it looks less professional, and you cannot take it with you if you change provider.
Need a website for your business?
I offer websites services for Mauritian businesses, based on what you actually need:
- Window website: from Rs 15,000, plus the yearly hosting and maintenance fee.
- E-commerce website: from about Rs 20,000 to Rs 40,000, depending on the platform (Shopify or WordPress) and the number of products.
- Custom or app-style website: priced after a short call, because every project is different.
Every website built comes with the domain in your name, all the logins, and SEO set up from day one with Rank Math, including local SEO for the town you serve. Book a call and tell me what you need. For more complex needs, I work with Website and software developers to ensure you get the best outcome for your service.
Not sure whether a website is your next priority? The free Market Dominator Scorecard shows your weakest stage in a few minutes, and the Market Dominator Blueprint builds the full plan with you.
If someone searched for your business tonight, what would they find?
