Danielle Grant with her daughter in Greece (Image: Danielle Grant/SWNS)
A couple who grew weary of the British weather abandoned the UK in favour of sun-soaked Greece, and say the rent for their three-bed villa with a pool is £300 a month cheaper than their one-bed home back in Britain. Danielle Grant, 35, and her husband Russell, 40, fell head over heels for Crete after visiting the Greek island on holiday and decided to pack their bags and settle there in November 2024, when their daughter, one, was just three months old.
The pair now rent a spacious villa with a roof terrace for £850 a month, compared to the £1,150 a month they forked out for their one-bed property in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, adding that the “family-oriented” locals instantly made them feel welcome. As both work remotely in digital marketing, they were able to secure digital nomad visas and spend their days grafting from their sun-drenched terrace. The couple said their primary motivation for relocating was to give their daughter the finest possible upbringing, and they have no intention of ever returning 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 Grant and her husband Russell with their daughter in Greece (Image: Danielle Grant/SWNS)
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Danielle and Russell decided to bid farewell to their Essex life in November 2024, when their daughter was merely three months old, having grown tired of British weather and no longer feeling secure 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 spiralling cost of living was another factor that left them disillusioned with UK life and, since they both work remotely, they recognised there was nothing stopping them from relocating and travelling 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 on holiday five years ago, Danielle and Russell fell head over heels for the Greek island, and when they returned for their honeymoon in 2023, they began browsing the local property market. The couple were drawn to the large island owing to its culture, lifestyle and welcoming locals, who they say made them feel instantly at home.
Danielle Grant and her daughter in Greece (Image: Danielle Grant/SWNS)
The couple’s outgoings are considerably lower too, with energy bills amounting to just £70 a month, compared to the £160 they were forking out in the UK, while car insurance costs a mere £100 a year, 10 times cheaper than the £1000 they were paying back home. They are also exempt from council tax and a TV licence in Greece, reducing their monthly expenditure significantly.
“In Crete, the bin men come every day and it’s free,” she said. Both Danielle and Russell hold digital nomad visas, which permit them to remain in Greece for two years, after which the visa can be renewed.
Despite finding it tough to bid farewell to friends and family, the couple revealed that the move had actually brought them closer to their loved ones, as every moment they now 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 adoring their new life in Greece, the couple have encountered a few drawbacks, notably that most restaurants and shops shut between November and May due to the absence of tourists. “You have to get creative with things to do, especially with a child,” Danielle said.
She also noted that while Crete enjoys far more sunshine than the UK, temperatures can still dip during winter, falling to around 12C. “We’re going to travel somewhere else for a few months this winter, to bypass the cold,” Danielle said.
The couple intend to remain in Greece long term, though they are equally open to the prospect of settling in another country further down the line.
“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.
The couple were, however, adamant that returning to the UK was simply not an option.
Danielle Grant and Russell’s home in Greece (Image: Danielle Grant/SWNS)
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
