Cost of Living · PT vs GB
🇵🇹 Lisbon vs 🇬🇧 London: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $1,298 in Portugal vs $2,037 in United Kingdom — 56.96% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in United Kingdom
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 15.38%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): 15.8%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 15.81%
Closest to Portugal prices
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +67.1%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +67.09%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +67.09%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Portugal | United Kingdom | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $866 | $1,447 (1,098 GBP) | +67.09% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $693 | $1,158 (879 GBP) | +67.1% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $1,583 | $2,646 (2,008 GBP) | +67.09% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $10.36 | $15.50 (12 GBP) | +49.61% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $43.15 | $64.59 (49 GBP) | +49.69% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $6.65 | $9.60 (7 GBP) | +44.36% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.74 | $0.99 (1 GBP) | +33.78% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $2.14 | $2.87 (2 GBP) | +34.11% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $2.27 | $3.05 (2 GBP) | +34.36% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $6.69 | $8.97 (7 GBP) | +34.08% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $2.68 | $3.59 (3 GBP) | +33.96% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $3.21 | $4.31 (3 GBP) | +34.27% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $8.03 | $10.76 (8 GBP) | +34% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $1.34 | $1.79 (1 GBP) | +33.58% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $3.45 | $5.17 (4 GBP) | +49.86% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $6.54 | $7.58 (6 GBP) | +15.9% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $2.88 | $4.31 (3 GBP) | +49.65% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.54 | $2.06 (2 GBP) | +33.77% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $39.32 | $56.75 (43 GBP) | +44.33% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.66 | $2.40 (2 GBP) | +44.58% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $2.30 | $3.44 (3 GBP) | +49.57% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $1.04 | $1.55 (1 GBP) | +49.04% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.78 | $0.90 (1 GBP) | +15.38% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $121 | $175 (133 GBP) | +44.3% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $42.35 | $61.11 (46 GBP) | +44.3% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $27.23 | $39.28 (30 GBP) | +44.25% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $28.77 | $43.06 (33 GBP) | +49.67% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $8.05 | $12.06 (9 GBP) | +49.81% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $17.26 | $25.84 (20 GBP) | +49.71% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $44.98 | $52.09 (40 GBP) | +15.81% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $73.61 | $85.24 (65 GBP) | +15.8% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $144 | $215 (163 GBP) | +49.69% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is United Kingdom than Portugal?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $2,037 in United Kingdom versus $1,298 in Portugal — 56.96% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in United Kingdom?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $5.17 in United Kingdom (≈ 3.92 GBP), versus about $3.45 in Portugal.
- How much is rent in United Kingdom compared to Portugal?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,447/month in United Kingdom versus $866/month in Portugal (+67.09%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.