Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Schaffhausen and Mexico City

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.

Schaffhausen, Switzerland
Mexico City, Mexico
Schaffhausen
🇨🇭 Switzerland
$3,139
/mo nomad
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

  • Schaffhausen $3,139
  • Mexico City $1,608

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

  • Schaffhausen $5,010
  • Mexico City $2,549

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

  • Schaffhausen $6,882
  • Mexico City $3,490

Living in Schaffhausen is roughly 95% more expensive than in Mexico City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Schaffhausen
Mexico City
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$30.45 CHF 25.24
$10.62 MX$199
186.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$122 CHF 101
$48.35 MX$904
152.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$18.19 CHF 15.08
$10.35 MX$193
75.75%
Cappuccino
$6.01 CHF 4.98
$3.69 MX$69.0
62.87%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.32 CHF 4.41
$1.67 MX$31.14
218.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.78 CHF 3.96
$1.27 MX$23.65
276.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$8.39 CHF 6.96
$3.19 MX$59.7
163.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$7.11 CHF 5.89
$5.31 MX$99.2
33.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Schaffhausen
Mexico City
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.16 CHF 1.79
$1.72 MX$32.23
25.58%
White Bread (500g)
$4.00 CHF 3.32
$3.04 MX$56.8
31.58%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$4.25 CHF 3.52
$1.94 MX$36.27
119.07%
Eggs
$7.81 CHF 6.47
$2.89 MX$54.0
170.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$27.90 CHF 23.13
$10.97 MX$205
154.33%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$30.45 CHF 25.24
$9.25 MX$173
229.19%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$42.66 CHF 35.36
$15.13 MX$283
181.96%
Apples (1kg)
$3.84 CHF 3.18
$3.05 MX$57.0
25.90%
Banana (1kg)
$2.07 CHF 1.72
$1.94 MX$36.27
6.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.17 CHF 2.63
$2.03 MX$37.85
56.16%
Tomato (1kg)
$5.49 CHF 4.55
$2.31 MX$43.25
137.66%
Potato (1kg)
$2.38 CHF 1.97
$2.04 MX$38.03
16.67%
Onion (1kg)
$2.14 CHF 1.77
$1.80 MX$33.63
18.89%
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.31 CHF 1.91
$1.48 MX$27.64
56.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.16 CHF 0.96
$1.27 MX$23.69
-8.66%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.82 CHF 8.97
$5.30 MX$99.1
104.15%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.00 CHF 9.94
$16.10 MX$301
-25.47%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.89 CHF 2.40
$1.98 MX$37.06
45.96%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.59 CHF 2.97
$4.25 MX$79.5
-15.53%
🚌 Getting Around
Schaffhausen
Mexico City
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.01 CHF 3.32
$0.31 MX$5.70
1193.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$98.0 CHF 81.2
$19.73 MX$369
396.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$6.10 CHF 5.06
$1.84 MX$34.34
231.52%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.86 CHF 2.37
$0.53 MX$9.97
439.62%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$59.6 CHF 49.39
$5.30 MX$99.0
1024.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.22 CHF 1.84
$1.51 MX$28.23
47.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$38.4K CHF 31.8K
$21.8K MX$406.5K
76.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.4K CHF 32.7K
$24.0K MX$448.2K
64.34%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Schaffhausen
Mexico City
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$229 CHF 190
$63.0 MX$1,177
264.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$28.98 CHF 24.02
$27.39 MX$512
5.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$62.0 CHF 51.4
$35.67 MX$666
73.79%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Schaffhausen
Mexico City
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$110 CHF 91.2
$58.9 MX$1,101
86.63%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$46.30 CHF 38.37
$23.64 MX$442
95.85%
Cinema Ticket
$23.59 CHF 19.55
$6.40 MX$120
268.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Schaffhausen
Mexico City
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$3,157 CHF 2,616
$432 MX$8,065
631.39%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$24.5K CHF 20.3K
$11.4K MX$213.5K
114.43%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Schaffhausen
Mexico City
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$163 CHF 135
$68.2 MX$1,275
138.42%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$54.9 CHF 45.47
$53.1 MX$993
3.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$172 CHF 142
$108 MX$2,014
59.33%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$150 CHF 124
$117 MX$2,191
28.07%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Schaffhausen
Mexico City
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,272 CHF 1,054
$1,113 MX$20.8K
14.23%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,192 CHF 988
$710 MX$13.3K
67.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,689 CHF 2,228
$2,588 MX$48.4K
3.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$2,317 CHF 1,921
$1,406 MX$26.3K
64.81%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$8,110 CHF 6,723
$3,631 MX$67.8K
123.36%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$8,439 CHF 6,995
$2,135 MX$39.9K
295.28%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Schaffhausen
Mexico City
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$7,148 CHF 5,925
$946 MX$17.7K
655.45%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
2.41
11.35
-78.77%

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

Last update for Schaffhausen: October 27, 2026

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Schaffhausen
$1.2K
Mexico City
$710 40.4% $482
Groceries & Markets
Schaffhausen
$626
Mexico City
$320 48.9% $306
Eating Out
Schaffhausen
$467
Mexico City
$199 57.5% $268
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Schaffhausen
$320
Mexico City
$126 60.6% $194
Clothing & Footwear
Schaffhausen
$243
Mexico City
$156 35.8% $87
Sport & Entertainment
Schaffhausen
$157
Mexico City
$72 54.4% $85
Getting Around
Schaffhausen
$134
Mexico City
$25 81.1% $109

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,272 in Schaffhausen and $1,113 in Mexico City. 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: $122 in Schaffhausen vs $48 in Mexico City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $626 vs $320 per month, with Mexico City cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇨🇭 Schaffhausen
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🕒 Local time
12:06 12:06 PM
05:06 5:06 AM
7 h behind Schaffhausen
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
35,927
9,209,944 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to CHF – Swiss Franc Converter

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).

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Schaffhausen Mexico City 9,670 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Schaffhausen
  • Mexico City

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
Schaffhausen vs Mexico City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the total cost difference between living in Schaffhausen and in Mexico City?
Schaffhausen and Mexico City differ by about 95% in total monthly costs ($3,139 vs $1,608 including rent). Mexico City is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.
Which city pays better: Schaffhausen or Mexico City?
Average pay in Schaffhausen is about 7.6 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.
How do apartment prices compare in Schaffhausen and in Mexico City?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,272 in Schaffhausen versus $1,113 in Mexico City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do commuting costs compare in Schaffhausen and in Mexico City?
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.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Schaffhausen and Mexico City?
Childcare runs $3,157 in Schaffhausen versus $432 in Mexico City. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.
Which city is more doable on $3,000 per month?
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.
How does quality of life compare between Schaffhausen and Mexico City?
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.
Where should expats move: Schaffhausen or Mexico City?
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.

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