It turns out that living in Mexico exposes you to some frequently asked questions by curious acquaintances. While on a recent flight from San Francisco to Chicago to visit my sister, I mentioned to my seatmate, a 40-something accountant, that my husband and I divide our lives between Guanajuato, a city in central Mexico, and Eureka, on California’s North Coast.
“Don’t you worry about the violence in Mexico?” she asked me.

“No, I don’t,” I said. “I mean, I’m careful, of course, to avoid getting robbed. But otherwise no.”
I kept going. “Of course there’s violence in Mexico, but it’s very different than in the States. The chance that I’d be randomly killed in a mass shooting in a Mexican church, school or a Walmart is next to zero.” (To be fair, the chances in the U.S., though higher, are not very high — but the awareness and anxiety among the public as a whole is dramatically more). I went on to explain that narcotraficos mostly target other cartels, rarely tourists.
Frequent concerns about living in Mexico
She nodded, seemingly satisfied by my explanation. I didn’t keep going, because who wants to put up with a lecture on an airline flight? But in case you need data the next time you’re talking to a Mexico skeptic, there’s more: The violence in Mexico is partly caused by U.S. drug policy and ever-growing consumption of illegal narcotics and the half million traced weapons (between 70% and 90%) smuggled into Mexico every year from the U.S.
Mexico has highly restrictive laws regarding gun possession, and it also takes months of paperwork to purchase a gun legally. To my amazement, there are only two gun stores in the entire country, one near Mexico City and one in the northern state of Nuevo León.
Violence in Mexico is by no means the only issue people raise. Some ask questions that sound a bit negative; others appear concerned for me. Here’s how I respond to the most common questions:
What about personal crime?
Mexicans are very security conscious, so people lock their doors and are careful with their valuables, wallets, and credit cards. On our street in Guanajuato we have a Whatsapp group that alerts fellow neighbors if someone looks suspicious.
But there’s a lot of machismo, right?

Yes, unfortunately, and the statistics around violence against women are truly awful. Three percent of Mexican murder victims are classified as femicide, one of the highest rates in the world.
However, the country is unrivaled in its commitment to gender inclusion and equality. In 2019, Mexico passed a constitutional amendment setting a goal of gender parity in elected and appointed senior positions in the judicial and executive branches of government. The chief justice of the Supreme Court, the leaders of both houses of Congress, and the director of Mexico’s Central Bank are all women. There is no other country that has this kind of requirement — and certainly not the United States.
In addition, Mexico just elected its first female (and Jewish) President, Claudia Sheinbaum, who holds a PhD in energy engineering. If Mexico can elect a female president, you’d think the U.S. could.
Are there a lot of homeless people?
There are some homeless people, naturally, but nowhere I’ve visited are they visible. While in the U.S., and especially on the West Coast, homelessness has become the norm, I have never seen a homeless encampment anywhere in Mexico. The reason is that for the most part, Mexico’s poor live in slums, which can indeed be squalid — but some, surprisingly, have electricity. Even a flimsy structure provides a roof, and a slum is more permanent, with a potentially higher quality of life, than a homeless encampment.
Is it crazy hot?
Rarely, but more than in the past. Certain areas can get very hot and humid. Oddly, April and May have higher temperatures than July and August, because summer is the rainy season when, in theory, afternoon thunderstorms cool things off. However, as with everywhere else in the world, the climate crisis has brought extreme heat and drought to cities that are usually just moderately warm. Since houses are rarely air-conditioned, many expats leave in April and May to avoid the heat.
Is the health care affordable?

Absolutely! Long before the Affordable Care Act, Mexico offered several tiers of subsidized health care. All Mexicans have access to universal health coverage, but reliable health care is limited in remote, rural areas. Even when you pay, though, your bill is dramatically less than in the US, not to mention the fact that you don’t have to contend with the Byzantine system of figuring out what you’re paying for and what the esoteric coding means.
Can you get by without Spanish?
Depends on where. In highly touristic areas, yes, but even there, I wouldn’t advise it. Even a few basic phrases go a long way in earning appreciation and respect from Mexicans.
Do you have decent internet?
It’s much better than in Eureka! Our fiber optic in Guanajuato is super-fast, whereas in remote Eureka (five hours north of San Francisco), it’s slower.
Do tourists get sick from street food?

Not if you do what full-time foreign residents do: follow the locals, who not only know which are the tastiest food puestos (stalls), but also the healthiest.
People who don’t know Mexico, or know it only superficially, often ask insightful questions, and can be very interested in an in-depth conversation. Unfortunately, strangers who don’t know me can assume negative things about the country, making me want to sigh inwardly. But since my goal is to help them come away with a better understanding of Mexico, I do my best to answer respectfully. It can be a challenge, but as we say in Spanish, así es.
Louisa Rogers and her husband Barry Evans divide their lives between Guanajuato and Eureka, on California’s North Coast. Louisa writes articles and essays about expat life, Mexico, travel, physical and psychological health, retirement and spirituality. Her recent articles are on her website, https://authory.com/LouisaRogers
This past weekend the United States recorded its 240th mass shooting of the year in 175 days = 1.4/day
Yea, it’s awful, and no one is willing to do anything about it.
There is one thing the government can do about it. And it’s so easy, the rest of the world has done it.
I always say Mexico is safe unless you sell or buy drugs and I do neither.
You nailed it!
Good article. I frequently get the question about safety. My answer is always the same. “If decisions were based on the headlines, no one would ever visit the United States. 240 mass shootings to date. That doesn’t happen in Mexico.” Seldom is there pushback.
Miami, New Orleans, DC and many other cities have far more crime than Mexico City. No one hesitates to go to those cities.
I have lived in Mexico for seven years. I have driven to many places here and never felt threatened. I never travel at night. I’m not drunk and roaming the streets at 3 am acting like an asshole. I don’t go sticking my nose in places I’m not familiar with. Common sense and good emotional intelligence will keep you safe in Mexico. In the US you can be killed going to the grocery store, driving, or asleep in your home. Its two two totally different worlds.
That is easy for you to say. There are small towns in certain states in Mexico where residents are afraid to walk out of their hose at night. Where their daughters at a certain age , are forced into prostitution,where their sons ,at a certain age are forced to work as runners for the gangs.
Talk to some of the families on the border that are desperate to get out of Mexico It’s not all about money.
I know this is true. Foreigners live in a bubble in Mexico.
I’m happy you feel safe, and I do too. But I think the situation is very different for many women, regardless of nationality. For example, my Spanish teacher, even though she lives in a safe neighborhood, is very cautious about walking alone.
I feel safer in Mexico than the United States or anywhere else. I first visited Mexico in 1985 and have been a full time resident for the last 25 years. I live in a Mexican village where residents look out for their neighbors. I only lock my house I when I am gone for more than a day. I travel the world extensively and am always glad to be back home in Mexico with my 3 street mutts.
Sounds wonderful. Do you mind sharing which village you live in? We can share privately if you prefer.
This Mexican daily seems to not do much reporting or information on Baja. So much news around Tijuana, Tecate, Mexicali, Ensenada and Rosarito areas. People in small communities keep their heads down and mouths shut. The police continue to turn their heads when dealing with small groups of criminals. They strong arm even a lady who sells tamales or a lady who had a hair cut place. during a local soccer game. Yeah most expats are safe as many live in secured communities but if you mix with the locals it’s a different story. I feel bad for the locals who have to live this way. We need a a lot Jack Reachers.
woops. Got my sentence mixed up. A lady who makes tamales and sells them during soccer games got strong armed to pay to sell them. A lady who had a super cuts barber shop refused to pay punks and got beat up so bad she had to close the shop.
I’ve heard a lot of awful stories like yours, not only in Baja.
We Have ridden the length of Mejico on our big, old BMW motor bike, I would guess seven times over several decades.
I think the first trip was from San Francisco to Guerrero Negro to see the whales for my wife’s February birthday in 1994.
After being asked the same question by our less adventurous, frightfully timid American neighbors dozens of times we hit upon the solution.
“Do you know what city we would NEVER ever travel in, night or day? “ we’d ask them.
When they nod negatively we replied:
“It’s just across the bay, it’s called Oakland, California.
I am from Canada, which has a lower crime rate than the states and is one of the safer countries in the world.
There have been no school or shopping mall shootings, but one must still be sensible in the larger cities, Toronto and Vancouver. Toronto’s population exceeds 7.5 million.
I have lived in Nuevo Vallarta and Puerto Vallarta for over 23 years. Other than being hassled by the police when I am driving, I do give them a payoff, and all has been fine. However, I do not go to bars or banks late at night, walk at night, and keep a” heads up” attitude as I would anywhere else in the world.