A couple say they're "living the dream" and saving £1,000 a month after ditching the UK for Spain.
Tim Sunderland, 35, and his fiancé, Sally Biddall, 33, decided to leave their new build studio flat in Fulham, London, for Nerja, in Andalusia, southern Spain following a stabbing on their street.
The couple claim the cost-of-living crisis combined with a spate of local crimes in their area made their life in London "a chore".
Having grown up in Hammersmith and Fulham, Londoner Tim felt "there was a lot of tension" in the capital - after his friend was mugged twice and lots of watches and phones in their area were stolen.
Tim - who runs a multi-asset brokerage Mitto Markets - decided to shut up shop in the UK in March - and now is a digital nomad.
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This new lifestyle means he can roam around different countries with access to the internet his only requirement. He is able to run his company from a laptop while sitting on a sunny terrace with a sea view.
Tim can end up working from 8am until 9pm, an intense schedule which made him want to make the most of "precious resources - time and happiness".
The couple claim living in Spain saves them £1,000 every month - and so far, they've saved themselves £3k by moving out of London. Tim insists they have "absolutely no regrets".
"It doesn’t feel like a holiday from Monday to Friday. Me and my fiancée both run very full-on businesses and we're entirely focussed on that," Tim said.
"Taking on such a heavy work commitment like we have, it’s become completely necessary to take more care of our mental health – and living near the sea in a sunny country and away from a major city, it helps us keep perspective on life.
“You rarely ever hear sirens. I have maybe heard two in the three months we’ve been here versus three every two hours in London. The week we were packing up to leave, a kid was stabbed on my road.
"I could see some of the blood stains on the pavement and thought: 'Thank God we’re off.'
"The cost of living is way cheaper here. Eating and drinking out is noticeably more affordable.
“Just the other night, I had a pint of local beer, large bottle of water and two tapas dishes which only came to €4.65”
Tim owns his flat in Fulham, but if he was renting his house it would cost at least £2,300-a-month whereas a like-for-like holiday apartment in Nerja costs just £1,700-a-month.
While rent and the cost of living generally are in the couple's favour, the arrival of digital nomads earning a different country's wage can lead to prices being bumped up quicker.
In certain countries such as Portugal - where the price of renting a flat has shot up significantly in recent months and the government offers tax breaks to attract overseas workers - an anti-digital nomad movement seems to be gaining pace.
Due to Brexit and new regulations, Tim can only remain in the EU's Schengen zone for 90 out of 180 days at a time - which means the couple can only stay in Spain for three months before they have to leave and cannot return to a Schengen country for another 90 days.
“We’re doing 90 days in Spain then 90 in Montenegro, then we will head back to Spain," he said.
"It's not as easy as it was to live in Spain as it was pre-Brexit. But there you can still get a visa if you can prove you are generating income in Spain and employing other people - so we are hopeful we will be able to get this."
Tim and his partner, Sally - who runs a remote digital agency called Dandelion social - are currently renting a long-term Airbnb for 90 days in Nerja, costing around 60 euros per night.
"The work culture is different here. Here everyone works to live, rather than the other way round," Tim added.
Tim says it is hard to think of the draw backs, but that the lack of Lime bikes and Deliveroo are two if he is "clutching at straws."
"In some ways it’s like the lifestyle has gone back 20 years, it’s very old school, but we love it," he added.
Both Tim and Sally have other remote workers on their teams and Tim is planning to expand the business to employ more people.
“They will be allowed to work abroad too if they want, it’s only fair. The pay for a grad salary for someone living in London now is just unrealistic," Tim said.
Some four million Brits changed their career last year for more flexible working arrangements, according to the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).
Andalusia vs London number crunching:
- Price of a meal out
Andalusia: £8.64, London: £18.50
- Price of a pint
Andalusia: £2.40, London: £6.00
- Cost of renting a one bed apartment/house
Andalusia: £700, London: £2,070
- Monthly travel pass
Andalusia: £30, London: £160
- Cost of childcare
Andalusia: £290, London: £1,600
