Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cambridge and Vacaville, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Cambridge: $3,191 a month against $3,635 in Vacaville, CA, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

155

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index
177

Cost of Living Index in Vacaville, CA
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Vacaville, CA Living Index

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Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,191

/mo nomad

Vacaville, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,635

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cambridge and in Vacaville, CA

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

A single person spends $3,191 per month in Cambridge vs $3,635 in Vacaville, CA, rent included.

Cambridge $3,191
Vacaville, CA $3,635

A couple spends around $4,509 per month in Cambridge vs $4,771 in Vacaville, CA, rent included.

Cambridge $4,509
Vacaville, CA $4,771

A family of three spends $5,827 per month in Cambridge vs $5,907 in Vacaville, CA, rent included.

Cambridge $5,827
Vacaville, CA $5,907

Cambridge is about 12% cheaper than Vacaville, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cambridge and Vacaville, CA sit above the global median – Cambridge by 136%, Vacaville, CA by 168%.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.56 £16.17

$20.25 $20.25

6.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$88.5 £66.4

$45.54 $45.54

94.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 £8.12

$13.24 $13.24

-18.20%

Cappuccino

$4.49 £3.37

$5.98 $5.98

-24.92%

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

$2.79 £2.09

$3.11 $3.11

-10.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 £1.41

$2.75 $2.75

-31.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.90 £5.93

$7.13 $7.13

10.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.54 £4.91

$6.94 $6.94

-5.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 £1.23

$1.70 $1.70

-3.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 £1.34

$4.83 $4.83

-62.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 £1.87

$4.89 $4.89

-49.08%

Eggs

$4.53 £3.40

$4.85 $4.85

-6.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.93 £7.45

$16.50 $16.50

-39.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.43 £7.07

$15.34 $15.34

-38.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.44 £11.59

$22.83 $22.83

-32.37%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 £2.22

$6.09 $6.09

-51.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 £1.30

$1.93 $1.93

-10.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.70 £2.77

$4.06 $4.06

-8.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.39 £2.54

$6.76 $6.76

-49.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.84 £1.38

$3.03 $3.03

-39.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 £1.42

$3.60 $3.60

-47.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 £0.93

$2.80 $2.80

-55.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 £1.47

$2.63 $2.63

-25.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.36 £16.77

$12.09 $12.09

84.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.97 £8.23

$14.43 $14.43

-23.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.27 £2.45

$3.08 $3.08

6.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.15 £3.11

$3.65 $3.65

13.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 £71.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.76 £5.82

$4.26 $4.26

82.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.70 £2.02

$2.07 $2.07

30.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.9 £38.18

$38.61 $38.61

31.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 £1.55

$1.51 $1.51

37.09%

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

$37.9K £28.4K

$34.8K $34.8K

8.81%

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

$41.1K £30.8K

$26.0K $26.0K

57.85%

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

$345 £258

$211 $211

63.22%

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

$18.37 £13.78

$60.3 $60.3

-69.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.78 £32.10

$76.8 $76.8

-44.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.4 £49.09

$45.20 $45.20

44.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 £15.48

Cinema Ticket

$17.15 £12.86

$17.82 $17.82

-3.76%

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

$2,590 £1,943

$2,963 $2,963

-12.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$35.8K £26.9K

$43.1K $43.1K

-16.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.4 £67.8

$74.7 $74.7

21.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.74 £35.82

$48.57 $48.57

-1.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 £68.6

$101 $101

-9.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 £95.5

$141 $141

-9.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,115 £1,587

$2,349 $2,349

-9.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,736 £1,302

$2,179 $2,179

-20.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,193 £2,396

$2,901 $2,901

10.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,694 £2,021

$2,865 $2,865

-5.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,107 £6,832

$3,750 $3,750

142.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,803 £4,353

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,405 £3,305

$5,315 $5,315

-17.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.04

6.76

-25.44%

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

Last update for Cambridge: October 18, 2026

Last update for Vacaville, CA: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cambridge

$1.7K 54.4%

Vacaville, CA

$2.2K 60% 25.5% $443

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cambridge

$406 12.7%

Vacaville, CA

$348 9.6% 14.2% $58

Eating Out

Cambridge

$330 10.3%

Vacaville, CA

$346 9.5% 4.9% $16

Groceries & Markets

Cambridge

$327 10.2%

Vacaville, CA

$502 13.8% 53.5% $175

Clothing & Footwear

Cambridge

$161 5%

Vacaville, CA

$164 4.5% 2.2% $3.6

Getting Around

Cambridge

$133 4.2%

Vacaville, CA

$15 * 0.4% 89% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Cambridge

$100 3.1%

Vacaville, CA

$81 2.2% 18.9% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,115 in Cambridge versus $2,349 in Vacaville, CA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 21% higher in Vacaville, CA, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88.0 in Cambridge versus $46.00 in Vacaville, CA. Groceries tell a different story – $327 in Cambridge vs $502 in Vacaville, CA – so Cambridge wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🇺🇸 Vacaville, CA

🕒 Local time

15:17 3:17 PM

07:17 7:17 AM

8 h behind Cambridge

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

145,818

100,670

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 0.75 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.843 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cambridge Vacaville, CA 8,500 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cambridge
Vacaville, CA

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

Cambridge vs Vacaville, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Vacaville, CA is pricier by about 14%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $4,787 per month in Cambridge and $5,452 in Vacaville, CA. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cambridge, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $3,191 in Cambridge and $3,635 in Vacaville, CA. That's a gap of about 14%.

Kindergarten costs $2,590 per month in Cambridge and $2,963 in Vacaville, CA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$2,500 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,191 in Cambridge and $3,635 in Vacaville, CA. You'll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Cambridge – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cambridge. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vacaville, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.