Danielle and Russell Grant moved to Crete after falling in love with the Greek island on holiday
Danielle Grant and her husband Russell after swapping the UK for Greece
A couple who were sick of cold, rainy UK weather have moved to sunny Greece – they save £300-a-month on rent while also having the luxury of a pool.
Danielle Grant, 35, and her husband Russell, 40, fell in love with Crete after visiting the Greek island on holiday. The pair decided to pack their bags and relocate in November 2024, when their daughter was just three months old.
Now the family live in a huge villa with a roof terrace which they rent for £850 a month, compared to the £1,150 a month they paid for their one bed in Leigh-on-Sea, Essex, and say the “family oriented” locals immediately made them feel at home.
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As Danielle and Russell 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 say their goal in relocating was to provide the best life they can for their daughter, and 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.
They are currently renting a three-bed villa, in Heraklion, complete with a pool and a rooftop terrace for £850 a month. Their new pad is a stark contrast to the one bed flat they lived in back in Essex, which set them back £1150 a month.
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 has 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.
And 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.
