Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Schaffhausen

For one person, living is cheaper in Mexico City: $1,608 a month against $3,139 in Schaffhausen, rent and utilities included – about $18,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

78

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
150

Cost of Living Index in Schaffhausen
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Schaffhausen Living Index

Jump to prices

Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,608

/mo nomad

Schaffhausen

🇨🇭 Switzerland

$3,139

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Schaffhausen

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,139 in Schaffhausen.

Mexico City $1,608
Schaffhausen $3,139

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $5,010 in Schaffhausen.

Mexico City $2,549
Schaffhausen $5,010

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $6,882 in Schaffhausen.

Mexico City $3,490
Schaffhausen $6,882

Living in Mexico City costs roughly 49% less than in Schaffhausen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Mexico City 18% above, Schaffhausen 131% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 MX$199

$30.45 CHF 25.24

-65.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.35 MX$904

$122 CHF 101

-60.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 MX$193

$18.19 CHF 15.08

-43.10%

Cappuccino

$3.69 MX$69.0

$6.01 CHF 4.98

-38.60%

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

$1.67 MX$31.14

$5.32 CHF 4.41

-68.61%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.65

$4.78 CHF 3.96

-73.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.19 MX$59.7

$8.39 CHF 6.96

-61.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.31 MX$99.2

$7.11 CHF 5.89

-25.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 MX$32.23

$2.16 CHF 1.79

-20.37%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 MX$56.8

$4.00 CHF 3.32

-24.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$4.25 CHF 3.52

-54.35%

Eggs

$2.89 MX$54.0

$7.81 CHF 6.47

-63.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.97 MX$205

$27.90 CHF 23.13

-60.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.25 MX$173

$30.45 CHF 25.24

-69.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.13 MX$283

$42.66 CHF 35.36

-64.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.05 MX$57.0

$3.84 CHF 3.18

-20.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 MX$36.27

$2.07 CHF 1.72

-6.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.03 MX$37.85

$3.17 CHF 2.63

-35.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.31 MX$43.25

$5.49 CHF 4.55

-57.92%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 MX$38.03

$2.38 CHF 1.97

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 MX$33.63

$2.14 CHF 1.77

-15.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.64

$2.31 CHF 1.91

-35.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 MX$23.69

$1.16 CHF 0.96

9.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.30 MX$99.1

$10.82 CHF 8.97

-51.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 MX$301

$12.00 CHF 9.94

34.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$37.06

$2.89 CHF 2.40

-31.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.25 MX$79.5

$3.59 CHF 2.97

18.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.31 MX$5.70

$4.01 CHF 3.32

-92.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.73 MX$369

$98.0 CHF 81.2

-79.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.84 MX$34.34

$6.10 CHF 5.06

-69.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.97

$2.86 CHF 2.37

-81.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.30 MX$99.0

$59.6 CHF 49.39

-91.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 MX$28.23

$2.22 CHF 1.84

-31.98%

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

$21.8K MX$406.5K

$38.4K CHF 31.8K

-43.28%

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

$24.0K MX$448.2K

$39.4K CHF 32.7K

-39.15%

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

$63.0 MX$1,177

$229 CHF 190

-72.53%

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

$27.39 MX$512

$28.98 CHF 24.02

-5.49%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.67 MX$666

$62.0 CHF 51.4

-42.46%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.9 MX$1,101

$110 CHF 91.2

-46.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.64 MX$442

$46.30 CHF 38.37

-48.94%

Cinema Ticket

$6.40 MX$120

$23.59 CHF 19.55

-72.87%

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

$432 MX$8,065

$3,157 CHF 2,616

-86.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K MX$213.5K

$24.5K CHF 20.3K

-53.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.2 MX$1,275

$163 CHF 135

-58.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 MX$993

$54.9 CHF 45.47

-3.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 MX$2,014

$172 CHF 142

-37.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 MX$2,191

$150 CHF 124

-21.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,113 MX$20.8K

$1,272 CHF 1,054

-12.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$710 MX$13.3K

$1,192 CHF 988

-40.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,588 MX$48.4K

$2,689 CHF 2,228

-3.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,406 MX$26.3K

$2,317 CHF 1,921

-39.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,631 MX$67.8K

$8,110 CHF 6,723

-55.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,135 MX$39.9K

$8,439 CHF 6,995

-74.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$946 MX$17.7K

$7,148 CHF 5,925

-86.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.35

2.41

370.95%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Schaffhausen: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$710 44.2%

Schaffhausen

$1.2K 38% 67.8% $482

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$320 19.9%

Schaffhausen

$626 19.9% 95.8% $306

Eating Out

Mexico City

$199 12.4%

Schaffhausen

$467 14.9% 135% $268

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$156 9.7%

Schaffhausen

$243 7.7% 55.7% $87

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 7.8%

Schaffhausen

$320 10.2% 154% $194

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$72 4.5%

Schaffhausen

$157 5% 119% $85

Getting Around

Mexico City

$25 1.6%

Schaffhausen

$134 4.3% 428% $109

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $1,272 in Schaffhausen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Schaffhausen pays about 7.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $122 in Schaffhausen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $626 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇨🇭 Schaffhausen

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

12:59 12:59 PM

7 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

35,927

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Swiss Franc CHF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

1 CHF = 1.21 USD

1 CHF = 1.08 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CHF, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

Swiss Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.829 CHF (1 CHF = 1.21 USD). 1 EUR = 0.923 CHF (1 CHF = 1.08 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mexico City Schaffhausen 9,670 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Schaffhausen

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

Mexico City vs Schaffhausen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mexico City and Schaffhausen differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($1,608 vs $3,139 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 87% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $1,272 in Schaffhausen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 80% less than in Schaffhausen. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Childcare runs $432 in Mexico City versus $3,157 in Schaffhausen. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

At $1,608 in Mexico City versus $3,139 in Schaffhausen, a $3,000 budget is realistic in Mexico City but tight or insufficient in Schaffhausen. The gap between the two cities makes Mexico City the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Mexico City gentler on the wallet – expenses run 49% less than in Schaffhausen. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.