Overview
- The family, who left Leigh-on-Sea in November 2024, now rent a three-bedroom villa with a pool in Heraklion for £850 a month compared with £1,150 for their former one-bed in Essex.
- Both partners work in digital marketing and hold Greece’s digital nomad visas, which permit a two-year stay with the option to renew.
- Their regular bills are lower in Crete, including about £70 a month for energy versus roughly £160 in the UK and £100 a year for car insurance versus about £1,000, and they do not pay council tax or a TV licence.
- They say they moved for safety, sunnier weather, and rising UK costs, and they report more space, locally sourced food, and a stronger sense of community, adding they do not plan to return to the UK.
- They note tradeoffs such as many shops and restaurants closing from November to May and winter temperatures near 12C, so they plan to travel for part of the season.