'I swapped London for African country with £132 rent - I still love the UK'

'I swapped London for African country with £132 rent - I still love the UK' Fidelia Okanze swapped her one-bed flat in Pimlico, London, for a two-bed in the capital of Congo A woman who swapped life in the UK for Congo pays just £132-a-month in rent and claims she could even purchase a mountain for £1,500. Fidelia Okanze, 32, was born in Congo but her family fled the civil war and relocated to the UK when she was just four years old. She moved back with her husband, 36, in November 2025 so he could undertake his surgical training there. Trading in her £1,000-a-month one-bed London flat, she now pays just £132 for a two-bed apartment in the capital city of Brazzaville and gets by on just £1.50 per meal. Having returned to "reconnect" with her family and remain close to her husband, she is revelling in the food and climate in Congo, though she admits she misses "everything" about London, including her friends and British staples such as Lurpak and muesli. Unable to get on the property ladder in the UK as she "didn't have any surplus left over to save", she now has her sights set on buying in Congo instead. Fidelia, a content creator originally from Pimlico, London, says: "Since being in Congo we plan to buy land as it's quite easy to buy land. You can easily buy acres and acres for like £300. "In 2021 I had the opportunity to buy a mountain for £1,500. In Congo it's very soil rich so you can find anything – gold, diamonds, metals. You could literally come here, buy a mountain, dig and sell whatever you find and get whatever investments. In Congo to rent our two-bed flat in the middle of the city is £132. "It's a huge relief. It gives you this breather to actually build other things and not constantly be chasing the next pay check in order to survive." Fidelia says she "loves" living in the UK, and the only factor that swayed her decision to relocate to Congo beyond her family being there is the climate. "I've in the UK most of my life but I still get so cold, and I couldn't imagine living the rest of my life on vitamin D tablets – I just refuse," she says. "I would love to live in the UK and go on holidays multiple times a year but I can't afford it." Fidelia had previously visited Congo on family holidays in 2011 and 2013 - discovering both the capital and countryside of the nation. She met her husband, who is Congolese and a general doctor specialising in surgery, in 2025 after being introduced by her cousin. Fidelia explains that land in Congo is held by different families, not the state, and you can approach families with an offer to negotiate and sign a lease. For the time being, she intends to continue renting until next year following the second part of their traditional Congolese wedding ceremony after their initial wedding in February this year. Launching her TikTok channel to help establish herself as a full-time content creator, she says it is "the norm" in Congo not to apply for jobs online but instead having "to network" to find opportunities. "You have to be in the middle of it all in order for people to think of you when a new role comes up," she said. "It's very much about being a socialite and socialising." Describing it as a "cash centric" country, she explains that card payments are largely not accepted, though food is generally affordable. "To make a meal the other day it cost me £1.50," she said. "That's fresh veg, meat - including fresh fish and side as well - and we ate that for two days," she said. "In terms of transport that can be a bit expensive. The thing in London is the travel cap. If you're tapping your oyster card it's £12 for the day. There's no cap here and so every time you take a mode of transport you're having to pay. A bus is 20p for one way. A taxi might cost you £2 depending on the distance." Since relocating to Congo, she has grown closer to her family, with cultural traditions playing a significant role in that bond. Fidelia said: "In Congo, the cultural norm is that your aunts and uncles are your parents too. "There is no such thing as an auntie or an uncle, it doesn't exist. My mum's sisters look at me as their child. That means their children are my siblings instead of my cousins. "Because of that mindset there is so much more closeness and you feel like you have lots of mums and siblings. It's a very nice dynamic." Despite embracing her new life in Congo, Fidelia confesses she still yearns for aspects of her former London lifestyle. "In Brazzaville there is not much to do. In London, there is always something to do," she said. "I'm a big fan of desserts and one thing I really miss is I used to try different bakeries and dessert shops but here you can't do that because it's not really a thing. "With my friends we still have catch ups over the phone and on video calls and stuff. Knowing their in their bubbles with their husbands and children raising their families and doing their thing, climbing the career ladder and all that I think at the point I decided to move to Congo because everyone is busy in their lives anyway. "I felt the need to focus on building my life and thought, 'I won't be able to do it here'. One of the main reasons it was more convenient to move here is so I can save. "When I'm in London, I can't save to save my life. I wasn't earning enough and I was spending a lot too. Now I'm here I want to build something and save but I want to move back at some point and have a base in both countries". Fidelia's costs per month UK Rent: £1,000. Council tax: £52. Water: £41.97. Electricity and gas: £134-£200 a month. Broadband: £32.99. SIM only contract: £10. Transport: £300. Food shopping: £200. Total: £1,770.96-1,836.96. Congo Internet: £19.73. Rent: £132. Council tax: £0. Electricity: £5. Gas: £5.50. Water: £3. Food shopping: £52.60. Total: £217.83.