Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Portugal and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Portugal: $1,742 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $8,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Portugal
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Portugal Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index

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🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,742

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Portugal and in the United Kingdom

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Portugal and in the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,742 per month in Portugal vs $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Portugal $1,742
United Kingdom $2,462

A couple spends around $2,557 per month in Portugal vs $3,600 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Portugal $2,557
United Kingdom $3,600

A family of three spends $3,373 per month in Portugal vs $4,738 in the United Kingdom, rent included.

Portugal $3,373
United Kingdom $4,738

The regional cost range is wider in the United Kingdom ($1,126–$4,646) than in Portugal ($1,014–$2,351), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Portugal is roughly 29% lower than in the United Kingdom on average.

Both Portugal and the United Kingdom are pricier than the global median – Portugal by 28%, the United Kingdom by 81%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.36 €11.93

$21.48 £16.00

-37.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.94 €44.60

$85.7 £63.9

-41.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.87 €8.81

$10.61 £7.90

-6.97%

Cappuccino

$2.13 €1.90

$4.91 £3.66

-56.62%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.77

$2.66 £1.98

-25.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.87 £1.39

-28.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.87 €2.56

$6.63 £4.93

-56.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.31 €2.96

$6.84 £5.10

-51.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.68 £1.25

-35.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 €1.41

$1.72 £1.28

-8.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.56 €1.40

$2.17 £1.62

-28.11%

Eggs

$3.33 €2.97

$4.00 £2.98

-16.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.37 €10.16

$9.42 £7.02

20.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.72 €6.89

$9.19 £6.84

-16.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.09 €13.48

$14.77 £11.00

2.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$2.97 £2.21

-26.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 €1.30

$1.62 £1.21

-9.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.85 £2.13

-36.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.38 €2.13

$3.52 £2.62

-32.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.83 £1.36

-5.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.70

$1.61 £1.20

18.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.32

$1.25 £0.93

18.40%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.73 €0.65

$1.66 £1.23

-56.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.27 €5.60

$23.65 £17.61

-73.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.42 €4.84

$10.50 £7.82

-48.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 €1.16

$2.98 £2.22

-56.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 €1.99

$3.51 £2.61

-36.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 €2.05

$3.98 £2.96

-42.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.82 €39.13

$107 £80.0

-59.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 €3.42

$5.18 £3.86

-26.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 €0.96

$2.35 £1.75

-54.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.04 €15.22

$26.84 £19.98

-36.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.99 £1.48

2.51%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$33.0K €29.5K

$39.4K £29.4K

-16.26%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$37.8K €33.7K

$40.5K £30.1K

-6.66%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$133 €119

$327 £244

-59.34%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$20.11 €17.96

$18.21 £13.56

10.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.38 €36.06

$43.60 £32.47

-7.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.96 €37.47

$42.36 £31.54

-0.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.82 €14.13

$18.22 £13.57

-13.17%

Cinema Ticket

$8.70 €7.77

$13.85 £10.31

-37.18%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$484 €433

$1,868 £1,391

-74.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K €10.4K

$22.6K £16.9K

-48.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.1 €77.8

$92.9 £69.2

-6.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.82 €35.56

$45.92 £34.19

-13.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.1 €79.6

$102 £75.7

-12.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €91.7

$102 £76.1

0.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,060 €946

$1,342 £1,000

-21.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$839 €749

$1,073 £799

-21.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,793 €1,601

$2,231 £1,662

-19.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,341 €1,197

$1,742 £1,297

-23.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,099 €3,661

$5,601 £4,171

-26.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,921 €2,609

$4,265 £3,176

-31.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,331 €1,189

$3,349 £2,494

-60.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.73

5.32

-29.89%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Portugal: October 24, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Portugal

$839 48.2%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 28% $235

Groceries & Markets

Portugal

$249 14.3%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 23.6% $59

Eating Out

Portugal

$196 11.3%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 67% $131

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Portugal

$194 11.1%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 101% $195

Clothing & Footwear

Portugal

$143 8.2%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 7.5% $11

Getting Around

Portugal

$62 3.6%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 125% $78

Sport & Entertainment

Portugal

$59 3.4%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 18% $11

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $972 in Portugal vs $1,287 in the United Kingdom. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,608 in Lisbon and $2,811 in London.

Average salary: $1,283 in Portugal vs $3,251 in the United Kingdom. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 32% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 73% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 159% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 2.5 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Portugal

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

22:44 10:44 PM

Same time as Portugal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,347,892

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Portugal United Kingdom 1,590 km ≈ 2 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Portugal
United Kingdom

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Portugal vs United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Portugal is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 29% lower on average.

Housing costs more in the United Kingdom: a central one-bedroom averages $1,287 versus $972 in Portugal.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Portugal – part of why living there is about 29% cheaper overall.

$3,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Portugal, but in the United Kingdom it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Portugal is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.