'I moved to Mauritius as I can't afford to be a stay-at-home mum in the UK'

A mum who now lives in Mauritius for a more desirable lifestyle claims it enables her to be a full-time parent, a luxury she couldn't afford in the UK.

Annabel Fenwick Elliott, 37, was keen to avoid putting her two-year-old son Jasper in childcare, so she opted for self-employment to spend more time with him. After her German-born husband, Julius Scholtes, 31, was denied a UK visa, the family moved to Mauritius, where they discovered a more laid-back lifestyle.

The cost of a four-bedroom house with a pool is comparable to what Annabel paid for her compact London studio flat, allowing her to balance work and parenting responsibilities. As a result, she can't see herself returning to the UK, where she believes a comfortable life is only achievable with significant financial resources.

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Annabel, a freelance journalist residing in Poste de Flacq, Mauritius, said: "I do not live in the UK because I want to be a stay-at-home mum and I could never afford that if I lived in the UK.

"I don't think you can have a good life in the UK unless you have a substantial amount of money. You need so much to live in a decent house. I'd have to win the lottery to move back."

Annabel had previously lived in a London studio flat with a £1,200 monthly mortgage and bills before transitioning to freelance work following the pandemic.

She said: "I did love my job. I wanted to work from home and have a kid."

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After giving birth to Jasper, Annabel temporarily moved to a friend's home in Essex with intentions to settle in the UK. However, Annabel had to relocate overseas when her spouse Julius, a helicopter pilot, could not obtain a UK visa despite their son being British-born.

"We wanted a better lifestyle for our family," Annabel said.

Initially settling in Iceland in 2022, the family shifted to Mauritius in September 2023 due to a work opportunity. However, they quickly fell in love with the lifestyle. They found themselves in a four-bedroom house with an ocean vista, complete with a gardener and cleaner, costing roughly the same as Annabel's London apartment.

Annabel said: "It's a big big house. I never thought I'd be able to live somewhere like this. In England this would be more than a £1m house. Everything is so much cheaper."

She found that while a 900-square-foot furnished residence in an upscale expat locale averages about £800 monthly, it's around £490 in a standard local area. Thanks to the lower cost of living, she can spend days at home with her child Jasper and work remotely while leasing out her studio flat in London.

"I didn't want to have to put Jasper in day care. All my friends had to put their babies in cay care at nine or 10 months old," Annabel said.

"The concept of working full time when you don't want to be away from your baby - just to afford to bring them up - is wrong. I would have had such mum guilt."

She chose not to enroll Jasper in the nursery but noted its affordability at £150 per month, which is a stark contrast to the weekly average of £290.77 in the UK for full-time care of a two-year-old.

The mum enjoys the outdoors with her son, spending much of their time in the open air.

She expressed her contentment, saying: "It's always warm. We go to the beach every day. We have a pool - which is so insane."

Highlighting the affordability of life there, she said that locally sourced food is cheap, petrol costs just £1 a litre, unlimited monthly phone data is available for £6, and cleaning services are priced at £3 per hour.

Annabel believes that being able to afford to raise a child "shouldn't be too much to ask."

Reflecting on her situation, she added: "I don't see how we could have a good lifestyle in the UK. I feel so lucky."