Lisbon, Portugal
Head to head

Lisbon vs London.

London leaves about $50K more of a $1M income in hand each year than Lisbon, on the Patrician.ch 2026 model. 🇵🇹 Portugal against 🇬🇧 United Kingdom, compared on tax, residence, cost and the life.

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In short, current to October 2026

  • On $1,000,000 of income, Lisbon takes an effective 48% and London takes 43%, so London leaves about $50K more in hand each year on the Patrician.ch 2026 model.
  • On a capital gain realized after residence begins, Lisbon charges 28% and London charges 24%. On a $5,000,000 event that is a difference of about $200K.
  • Portugal operates a special regime for arriving foreigners: IFICI, the successor to NHR, gives qualifying new residents a 20% flat rate for 10 years. The United Kingdom operates: 4 year foreign income and gains regime for new arrivals.
  • Inheritance, what a child pays: nothing in Lisbon, 40% in London.
  • Route in: Lisbon by Residence by investment, Remote work visa, Founder & talent. London by Founder & talent.
  • Cost of the life is 62 in Lisbon against 96 in London on the Patrician.ch index where Zurich is 100, and safety 9 against 6 of 10. Both are Patrician.ch editorial indices scored by us, not published statistics.

Source: the Patrician.ch board, an original ranking of 100 residence addresses across 47 countries and territories. Tax rates, thresholds and routes are sourced. Cost, safety, schools, sun and beauty are Patrician.ch editorial indices. Figures current to October 2026. Updated . Cite as: Patrician.ch, Lisbon vs London: tax, residence and cost 2026, patrician.ch/compare/lisbon-vs-london/, October 2026.

Summarize with
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By the Patrician.ch research desk · Updated 29 October 2026 · 7 min read
Lisbon, Portugal
Lisbon 🇵🇹 Portugal
London, United Kingdom
London 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
LisbonLondon
Effective tax at $300K43%39%
Effective tax at $1M48%43%
Effective tax at $3M50%44%
Kept after tax at $1M$518K$568K
Capital gains28%24%
Inheritance tax, childrennothing40%
Cost index (Zurich 100)6296
A 200 m² prime home, US$$2.5M$6.1M
Prestige of address (editorial)6/1010/10
Safety9/106/10
Schools7/1010/10
Sun hours2,8001,630
Supercar street index#70#12
Routes inResidence by investment, Remote work visa, Founder & talentFounder & talent
Net millionaire flow, 2025 forecast (country, Henley)+1,400−16,500
Flight from London2h 50m nonstopHome
Flight from New York7h 10m nonstop7h 05m nonstop
See these 2 places for your own income.Lisbon and London, side by side on your income, passports and family. Free, in the ranking of all 100. Then the Dossier: a written report in 10 chapters on the 3 places that rank first for you. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 31 October.
Compare them on my income →

Head to head

Effective income tax rate, % of income, at 3 incomes

$300K$1M$3MLisbon43%48%50%London39%43%44%

Note: single filer, not a US citizen

Source: Patrician.ch 2026 tax model, built on official tax authority rates

Simplified marginal model, indicative 2026 brackets, non-US single filer, no social contributions, deductions, wealth taxes, or treaties. Inheritance is shown as it falls on a child, current to October 2026.

By profile

How each profile reads.

For an executive on salary

London keeps more of a $1M salary, $50K a year on this model. Lisbon answers with safety.

For a founder with an exit

Capital gains: Lisbon 28%, London 24%. Neither city levies an annual wealth tax.

For a family

London leads on schools, Lisbon on safety, a lower cost and sun.

Lisbon, PortugalLisbonThe full pageLondon, United KingdomLondonThe full pageRank both on my numbersThe engine, 90 seconds
Questions

Which keeps more of a $1M income, Lisbon or London?

London, by about $50K a year on Patrician.ch's 2026 model.

Lisbon takes an effective 48% of $1,000,000 and London takes 43%. At $3,000,000 the rates are 50% and 44%.

Which taxes capital gains less, Lisbon or London?

London, at 24% against 28% in Lisbon.

On a $5,000,000 liquidity event realized after residence begins, the difference is about $200K.

Which is better for inheritance, Lisbon or London?

Lisbon. What a child pays: nothing in Lisbon, 40% in London.

Portugal charges 10% stamp duty on inheritance, but a spouse, children and parents are exempt. The UK taxes an estate at 40% above £325,000, with a further band for a home left to children. A spouse inherits free. Since April 2025 exposure follows 10 of the last 20 years of residence.

Which is cheaper to live in, Lisbon or London?

Lisbon, at 62 on the Patrician.ch cost index against 96 for London, where Zurich is 100.

Safety scores 9 of 10 in Lisbon and 6 of 10 in London, schools 7 and 10. These are Patrician.ch editorial indices, not published statistics.

The Dossier: Lisbon, London, and the third you have not considered.A written report on the 3 places that rank first for you, on your income, a sale, your passports and your family. 10 chapters, written the moment you pay. Every tax figure carries its official source and the date it was last checked. The Dossier is $500. The founding price, $250, holds until 31 October. Refunded in full within 7 days of delivery, no reason needed.
Read chapters 1 to 3, free →
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The income tax of Lisbon and London, side by side on 2026 rates. Your readers type their own salary and the places reorder. Free on any site, with the credit line under it.

<iframe src="https://patrician.ch/embed/compare/?c=lis,lon&inc=1000000" title="Income tax in Lisbon and London, Patrician.ch" width="100%" height="900" style="border:0;max-width:760px;display:block;color-scheme:normal" loading="lazy"></iframe>
<p style="margin:6px 0 0;font-size:.875em;line-height:1.4">Research by <a href="https://patrician.ch/compare/lisbon-vs-london/">Patrician.ch</a></p>

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Income tax on the published 2026 rules. Social contributions, most deductions and treaties are not modeled. In Portugal employees also pay social security at 11% of salary, with no cap. Figures are for a non-US single filer. Wealth tax, an exit and your passports are added when you run the engine on your own numbers. Not advice. Residence rules change often. Verify before acting.

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