Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vacaville, CA and Cambridge

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.

177

Cost of Living Index in Vacaville, CA
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Vacaville, CA Living Index
155

Cost of Living Index in Cambridge
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Cambridge Living Index

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Vacaville, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,635

/mo nomad

Cambridge

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$3,191

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Vacaville, CA costs about 14% more than Cambridge, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.25 $20.25

$21.56 £16.17

-6.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.54 $45.54

$88.5 £66.4

-48.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.24 $13.24

$10.83 £8.12

22.25%

Cappuccino

$5.98 $5.98

$4.49 £3.37

33.18%

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

$3.11 $3.11

$2.79 £2.09

11.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 $2.75

$1.88 £1.41

46.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.13 $7.13

$7.90 £5.93

-9.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.94 $6.94

$6.54 £4.91

6.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 $1.70

$1.64 £1.23

3.66%

White Bread (500g)

$4.83 $4.83

$1.79 £1.34

169.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.89 $4.89

$2.49 £1.87

96.39%

Eggs

$4.85 $4.85

$4.53 £3.40

7.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.50 $16.50

$9.93 £7.45

66.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.34 $15.34

$9.43 £7.07

62.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.83 $22.83

$15.44 £11.59

47.86%

Apples (1kg)

$6.09 $6.09

$2.95 £2.22

106.44%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.73 £1.30

11.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.06 $4.06

$3.70 £2.77

9.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.76 $6.76

$3.39 £2.54

99.41%

Potato (1kg)

$3.03 $3.03

$1.84 £1.38

64.67%

Onion (1kg)

$3.60 $3.60

$1.89 £1.42

90.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 $2.80

$1.24 £0.93

125.81%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.63 $2.63

$1.95 £1.47

34.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.09 $12.09

$22.36 £16.77

-45.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.43 $14.43

$10.97 £8.23

31.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.08 $3.08

$3.27 £2.45

-5.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 $3.65

$4.15 £3.11

-12.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$4.07 £3.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$95.1 £71.3

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.26 $4.26

$7.76 £5.82

-45.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 $2.07

$2.70 £2.02

-23.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.61 $38.61

$50.9 £38.18

-24.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 $1.51

$2.07 £1.55

-27.05%

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

$34.8K $34.8K

$37.9K £28.4K

-8.10%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$41.1K £30.8K

-36.65%

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

$211 $211

$345 £258

-38.73%

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

$60.3 $60.3

$18.37 £13.78

228.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.8 $76.8

$42.78 £32.10

79.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.20 $45.20

$65.4 £49.09

-30.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.63 £15.48

Cinema Ticket

$17.82 $17.82

$17.15 £12.86

3.91%

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

$2,963 $2,963

$2,590 £1,943

14.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$43.1K $43.1K

$35.8K £26.9K

20.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$74.7 $74.7

$90.4 £67.8

-17.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.57 $48.57

$47.74 £35.82

1.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 $101

$91.4 £68.6

10.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$141 $141

$127 £95.5

10.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,349 $2,349

$2,115 £1,587

11.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,179 $2,179

$1,736 £1,302

25.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,901 $2,901

$3,193 £2,396

-9.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,865 $2,865

$2,694 £2,021

6.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,750 $3,750

$9,107 £6,832

-58.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,803 £4,353

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,315 $5,315

$4,405 £3,305

20.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.76

5.04

34.13%

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

Last update for Vacaville, CA: October 17, 2026

Last update for Cambridge: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vacaville, CA

$2.2K 60%

Cambridge

$1.7K 54.4% 20.3% $443

Groceries & Markets

Vacaville, CA

$502 13.8%

Cambridge

$327 10.2% 34.8% $175

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vacaville, CA

$348 9.6%

Cambridge

$406 12.7% 16.5% $58

Eating Out

Vacaville, CA

$346 9.5%

Cambridge

$330 10.3% 4.7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Vacaville, CA

$164 4.5%

Cambridge

$161 5% 2.2% $3.6

Sport & Entertainment

Vacaville, CA

$81 2.2%

Cambridge

$100 3.1% 23.4% $19

Getting Around

Vacaville, CA

$15 * 0.4%

Cambridge

$133 4.2% 807% $118

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,349 in Vacaville, CA versus $2,115 in Cambridge. 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 $46.00 in Vacaville, CA versus $88.0 in Cambridge. Groceries tell a different story – $502 in Vacaville, CA vs $327 in Cambridge – so Cambridge wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Vacaville, CA

🇬🇧 Cambridge

🕒 Local time

04:37 4:37 AM

12:37 12:37 PM

8 h ahead of Vacaville, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,670

145,818

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

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

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).

GBP to USD in detail →

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Between locations

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

From you

Vacaville, CA
Cambridge

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

Vacaville, CA vs Cambridge: 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 $5,452 per month in Vacaville, CA and $4,787 in Cambridge. 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 $3,635 in Vacaville, CA and $3,191 in Cambridge. That's a gap of about 14%.

Kindergarten costs $2,963 per month in Vacaville, CA and $2,590 in Cambridge. 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 $3,635 in Vacaville, CA and $3,191 in Cambridge. 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.