Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Portugal

Name: Portugal
Address: PT

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.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
83

Cost of Living Index in Portugal
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Portugal Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

United Kingdom $2,462
Portugal $1,742

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

United Kingdom $3,600
Portugal $2,557

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

United Kingdom $4,738
Portugal $3,373

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 the United Kingdom is about 41% higher than in Portugal on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.00

$13.36 €11.93

60.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £63.9

$49.94 €44.60

71.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.90

$9.87 €8.81

7.50%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.66

$2.13 €1.90

130.52%

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

$2.66 £1.98

$1.98 €1.77

34.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.39

$1.33 €1.19

40.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.93

$2.87 €2.56

131.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.10

$3.31 €2.96

106.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.25

$1.08 €0.97

55.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.28

$1.58 €1.41

8.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$1.56 €1.40

39.10%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.98

$3.33 €2.97

20.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.02

$11.37 €10.16

-17.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.84

$7.72 €6.89

19.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.00

$15.09 €13.48

-2.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.21

$2.19 €1.96

35.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$1.46 €1.30

10.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$1.82 €1.62

56.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.62

$2.38 €2.13

47.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.36

$1.73 €1.54

5.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$1.91 €1.70

-15.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$1.48 €1.32

-15.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.23

$0.73 €0.65

127.40%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.61

$6.27 €5.60

277.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.82

$5.42 €4.84

93.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.22

$1.30 €1.16

129.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.61

$2.22 €1.99

58.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.96

$2.29 €2.05

73.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.0

$43.82 €39.13

145.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.86

$3.83 €3.42

35.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$1.08 €0.96

117.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £19.98

$17.04 €15.22

57.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.48

$2.04 €1.82

-2.45%

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

$39.4K £29.4K

$33.0K €29.5K

19.42%

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

$40.5K £30.1K

$37.8K €33.7K

7.13%

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

$327 £244

$133 €119

145.93%

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

$18.21 £13.56

$20.11 €17.96

-9.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.47

$40.38 €36.06

7.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.54

$41.96 €37.47

0.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.57

$15.82 €14.13

15.17%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.31

$8.70 €7.77

59.20%

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

$1,868 £1,391

$484 €433

285.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$11.6K €10.4K

94.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.2

$87.1 €77.8

6.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.19

$39.82 €35.56

15.32%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £75.7

$89.1 €79.6

14.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.1

$103 €91.7

-0.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,000

$1,060 €946

26.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £799

$839 €749

27.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,662

$1,793 €1,601

24.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,297

$1,341 €1,197

29.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,171

$4,099 €3,661

36.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,176

$2,921 €2,609

46.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,494

$1,331 €1,189

151.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

3.73

42.63%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Last update for Portugal: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Portugal

$839 48.2% 21.9% $235

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Portugal

$194 11.1% 50.2% $195

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Portugal

$196 11.3% 40.1% $131

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Portugal

$249 14.3% 19.1% $59

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Portugal

$143 8.2% 7% $11

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Portugal

$62 3.6% 55.6% $78

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Portugal

$59 3.4% 15.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

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

Average salary: $3,251 in the United Kingdom vs $1,283 in Portugal. 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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇵🇹 Portugal

🕒 Local time

01:43 1:43 AM

Same time as the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

10,347,892

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.745 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.834 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.893 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

United Kingdom
Portugal

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

United Kingdom vs Portugal: 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.