"frets setup in different places" is ambiguous, but the KISS answer to what I think you are most probably enquiring about. Yes, the reason being fit.

What's important is the ratio constant between intervals. As long as this is correct for any given scale length, the principles of fretting notes, chords, notes and scales and in application however, remain a constant regardless.

Ergo fret spacing will be tighter on a [u]legitimately[/u] half-size (34") instrument as it must be to retain proportion on an overall shortened instrument with significantly [u]shortened scale length[/u] and reduced body size. If you think about it, this makes sense on an instrument whose raison d'être is a fit for smaller childrens' hands -vs a reduced size travel guitar or reduced body size guitar intended for adult hands.

A steel rule or digital caliper measuring the respective fret spacings on both will provide you with a definitive quantitative answer of the fret spacing for the actual instruments in question. For respective frets, measure comparative fret centre to centre. To reveal the scale length, rear of nut to middle of 12th fret and double it = scale length for that instrument.