A new survey of foreign residents in Mexico says many feel safer in their Mexican communities than they did in the place they last lived abroad.
The first MND Expat Safety Perceptions Index gave Mexico an average personal safety score of 88.97 out of 100 for the first quarter of 2026. The survey asked foreign nationals living in Mexico how safe they feel in their daily lives.
That distinction matters. The survey did not ask whether Mexico is safe in general. It asked residents to judge their own daily experience in their city, town, or community.
The results also showed that respondents, on average, felt safer in Mexico than in their previous home country. On that separate comparison scale, the average score was 63.71 out of 100. A score of 50 meant the person felt about the same level of safety in Mexico as back home.
For many foreign residents, that finding matches a common experience. Family and friends outside Mexico often judge the country by national crime headlines. Residents usually judge safety by their own block, market, commute, social circle, and routine.
What the survey found
The survey included 773 foreign residents living in 29 of Mexico’s 32 states. The largest groups of respondents lived in Jalisco, Guanajuato, Baja California Sur, Nayarit, Mexico City, and Quintana Roo.
The cities and towns with the largest respondent groups included San Miguel de Allende, Puerto Vallarta and nearby areas, Ajijic, Mexico City, Guadalajara, and Mazatlán.
The profile of respondents also reflects the presence of many established foreign communities. More than half had lived in Mexico for at least six years. More than three-quarters had lived here for at least three years.
Age also played a role. More than three-quarters of respondents were 60 or older, which makes the results especially relevant for retirees and long-term residents.
The survey also found that more than four in five respondents said neither they nor an immediate household member had been a crime victim in Mexico during the past 12 months.
Among those who did report a crime, petty theft was the most common. That included stolen phones, wallets, or bags. Smaller numbers reported fraud, home burglary, extortion, vehicle theft, verbal harassment, and armed robbery.
Safety does not mean no problems
The results should not be read as a claim that Mexico has no security problems. Mexico continues to face serious crime issues, including organized crime, extortion, gender-based violence, and localized violence in several regions.
The survey measures lived safety perception among foreign residents. It does not replace official crime data. It also does not reflect every Mexican resident’s experience.
That context is important because official public-safety surveys show a different national picture. In the most recent national urban safety survey, 63.8% of adults in 91 urban areas said they considered their city unsafe in December 2025.
Women reported higher insecurity than men in that survey. The figure was 69.4% for women and 57.1% for men.
Those numbers do not cancel out the expat survey. They show that two things can be true at once. Many foreign residents may feel safe in their own daily lives, while many Mexicans still feel insecure in their cities.
Why foreign residents may see safety differently
Foreign residents often live in specific neighborhoods or towns with strong social networks. They may also avoid higher-risk areas because they are retired, work from home, or live around familiar routines.
Many also choose communities with established foreign populations. These networks can help new arrivals learn which areas to avoid, how to move around safely, and whom to call in an emergency.
That may help explain why safety perception can be higher among surveyed foreign residents than in broader national surveys.
It may also reflect lifestyle differences. A retired couple in Ajijic may have a very different daily risk profile than a Mexican worker commuting late at night in a large city.
Income can also shape daily life. Some foreign residents live in areas with private security, gated housing, active neighborhood groups, or more stable local services.
None of that makes the survey irrelevant. It simply means readers should understand what it measures. It captures how foreign residents experience safety, not how all people experience Mexico.
The Ajijic and Lake Chapala connection
The survey’s mention of Ajijic is notable for readers in the Lake Chapala area. Ajijic and Chapala are among Mexico’s best-known foreign-resident communities, especially for Americans and Canadians.
Academic research on Chapala has identified the area as one of Mexico’s major lifestyle-migration destinations. One study found that North Americans made up most of the foreign population in Chapala, with Americans and Canadians forming the two largest groups.
That background helps explain why Ajijic appears in the survey. It is not only a tourist town. It is a long-term residential community for many foreigners who live in Mexico full-time or most of the year.
For residents around Lake Chapala, the safety question is often local, not national. People want to know whether they can walk to dinner, go to the market, attend community events, and use public spaces without constant concern.
The survey suggests that many foreign residents answer that question in the affirmative. Still, the same practical precautions remain important. Residents should know local emergency numbers, avoid risky situations, protect phones and wallets, and stay aware of local advisories.
Confidence in police was more mixed
The survey did not give Mexican security forces the same high marks as personal safety.
Respondents rated the responsiveness and effectiveness of police and other security forces in their community at 3.1 out of 5 stars. That points to an average rating, not a strong endorsement.
This is an important part of the story. Foreign residents may feel safe in daily life, but still see room for improvement in local policing.
That gap is familiar in many Mexican communities. Residents may feel comfortable in their neighborhood, yet doubt whether authorities will respond quickly or effectively when something goes wrong.
For foreign residents, this can be a practical issue. Language barriers, unfamiliar reporting systems, and uncertainty about local procedures can make police contact more difficult.
The result is a more balanced picture. The survey shows strong personal safety perception, but not blind confidence in institutions.
What readers should take from the survey
For foreign residents already living in Mexico, the survey offers data for a conversation many have had for years. It supports what many residents say privately: their daily lives often feel calmer and safer than outsiders expect.
For people considering a move, the survey should be useful but not definitive. Safety in Mexico depends heavily on location, habits, income, language ability, and local knowledge.
A person’s experience in Ajijic may not match life in another part of Jalisco. Life in Puerto Vallarta may not match life in rural Michoacán. Even within a single city, safety can vary from one neighborhood to another.
The bigger lesson is that Mexico’s safety reality is local. National headlines matter, but they rarely explain daily life in specific communities.
For many foreign residents, daily life includes walking dogs, shopping at local markets, meeting friends for lunch, and joining community groups. The survey suggests those everyday routines are a major reason many say they feel safe here.
