They said they felt immediately welcome
A couple sick of the British weather ditched the UK for sunny Greece and say the rent for their three-bed villa with a pool is £300 a month cheaper than their one-bed home in the UK. Danielle Grant, 35, and her husband Russell, 40, fell in love with Crete after visiting the Greek island on holiday and decided to pack their bags and relocate there in November 2024, when their daughter, one, was just three months old.
They now rent a huge villa with a roof terrace for £850 a month, compared to the £1,150 a month they paid for their one-bed in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, and said the “family-oriented” locals immediately made them feel at home. As the pair both work online, in digital marketing, they were able to get digital nomad visas and spend their days working from their sunny terrace. The couple said their goal in relocating was to provide the best life they could for their daughter and they never plan to return to the UK.
Danielle said: “We no longer felt safe in the UK, we were sick of the rat race and the weather. Our jobs weren’t location-dependent, so we thought why stay in the UK when we can travel the world and live life to the full.
“After visiting Crete on holiday about five years ago, we fell in love with the culture, the lifestyle and the people. They are so family-orientated and they just make you feel really at home, we didn’t feel like we had that back in the UK.
“We have a huge villa and loads of land space, all of our food is locally sourced and organic. It’s such a different way of life and it makes us feel so enriched and alive.
“You get so much more for your money here, we pay £850 for a three-bed villa with a pool, whereas we were paying £1,150 a month for a one-bed flat back in Essex.”
Danielle and Russell decided to wave goodbye to their life in Essex in November 2024, when their daughter was just three months old, after becoming sick of the British weather and because they no longer felt safe in their hometown.
“We just kept hearing more and more stories about crime being committed and the police not taking anything seriously”, Danielle said. “In countries like Greece, it just wouldn’t be tolerated.”
The soaring cost of living was also a factor that meant they no longer enjoyed life in the UK and, as they both work remotely, they realised there was no reason why they couldn’t up sticks and travel the world.
“Everywhere in the UK is now London prices,” Danielle said. “In Leigh-on-Sea, a glass of wine and a pint was £19, to me that’s crazy. Rent is shocking for what you get and childcare is ridiculous.”
After visiting Crete for a holiday five years ago, Danielle and Russell fell in love with the Greek Island and when they visited again for their honeymoon in 2023, they started looking at property there. The couple were attracted to the large island due to the culture, lifestyle and friendly people, which they said instantly made them feel at home.
The couple’s bills are cheaper too, with their energy bills coming to £70 a month, compared to the £160 they were paying in the UK, and car insurance costing just £100 a year, 10 times cheaper than the £1000 they were paying back in the UK. They also don’t have to pay for council tax or a TV licence in Greece, making their monthly outgoings much less.
“In Crete, the bin men come every day and it’s free,” she said. Both Danielle and Russell are on digital nomad visas, which entitle them to stay in Greece for two years, before it can then be renewed.
Despite finding it difficult to say goodbye to friends and family, the couple said the move had brought them closer together with their loved ones, as now, all of the time they spend together is “quality time”.
“It’s hard not being able to attend every family event, but you have to make sacrifices to live the life you want to,” Danielle said.
Despite loving their new life in Greece, the couple have experienced a few downsides, such as the fact that most restaurants and shops are closed between November and May, as there are no tourists. “You have to get creative with things to do, especially with a child,” Danielle said.
She added that despite Crete being a lot sunnier than the UK, it can still get cold in the winter, with temperatures dropping to around 12C. “We’re going to travel somewhere else for a few months this winter, to bypass the cold,” Danielle said.
The couple plan to live in Greece long term, but are also open to moving to another country in the future.
“We want to give our daughter the best quality of life possible and whatever country that takes us to, that’s where we’ll end up,” Danielle said.
However, the couple added that they would never return to the UK.
Danielle and Russell’s costs
Rent for a one-bed house in Essex: £1,150 a month
Rent for a three-bed villa with pool in Greece: £850
Energy bills in UK: £160
Energy bills in Greece: £70
Car insurance in UK: £1,000 a year
Car insurance in Greece: £100 a year
