Gytis Griskevicius, 32, was found guilty of murdering Marina Erte, 33, at her Boston flat on 20 May 2016.
The jury in the trial at Lincoln Crown Court heard he was jealous of her relationship with a new boyfriend.
Lithuanian national Griskevicius, of St Ann's Lane, Boston, was told he must serve a minimum of 23 years.
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Sentencing him, judge Michael Heath said: "I have detected not a shred of remorse in your body.
"You inflicted upon your wife a brutal assault. She suffered a traumatic brain injury. You weren't satisfied with that and you finished her off."
The court heard Griskevicius tried to set fire to the flat after killing Ms Erte, who worked at a fruit packing plant in Spalding, but the flames failed to spread.
In a statement, Ms Erte's family described her as a "much loved mother, daughter, sister and friend".
They said her death "left a big void" in all their lives.
Ms Erte's injuries included fractures to both eye sockets, her nose and her jaw.
Her naked body was found in the bath by firemen who had been called out by neighbours.
Griskevicius, who denied murder, had been celebrating his birthday before heading to Ms Erte's flat.
He told police the couple had sex at her flat and she was "fine" when he left her, the jury heard.
The couple married in 2010 but had begun divorce proceedings in January 2016.
A man who killed his estranged wife by drowning her with a shower attachment in a bath after badly beating her has been jailed for life.