Navigating Safety Concerns: Is Mexico Safe for Single Parent Expats?
If you're a single parent over 40 and you're thinking about moving abroad for the first time ever, you're in the right place. Today we're going to tackle a big question. Is Mexico safe for single parent expats? You might have heard a lot of things about Mexico and the news lately, but what's the real story?
Part 1: Addressing Common Safety Concerns
If you've ever told somebody that you're thinking about moving to Mexico, you probably heard things like. Mexico, aren't you afraid of all the drug crime and the cartels there? And kidnappings? Is it? Isn't it dangerous for a single person to live there by themselves?
Truth is, safety depends on where you go, just like in the United States. In your city, you have areas of where it's safe, relatively safe, and then you have areas that aren't so safe that are dangerous. And did you know that some cities in the US actually have higher crime rates than some places in Mexico?
Homicide Rates — U.S. vs. Mexico
I did some research online and put together a couple of tables comparing homicide rates in the United States versus Mexico, with a couple of caveats. Data from the United States is only as recent as 2022, and for Mexico it's 2024, and the first couple months of 2025 as well. The most dangerous cities in the United States, at least in terms of homicides, are listed below.
Homicides per 100,000 persons in most dangerous US cities compared with select cities in Mexico
Mexico has a lot of dangerous zones, but a lot of places are surprisingly safe and safer than some cities in the United States, at least in terms of homicides.
For some personal perspective on this matter, I've visited many places in Mexico going all the way back to 1995, 2016 on a more regular basis. I've been to Guadalajara, Mazatlán, Ensenada, Puerto Vallarta. Parts between. I've always felt safe there. In fact, I felt safer in those cities like Guadalajara compared to Phoenix and Tucson, Arizona.
But just like anywhere, I take basic precautions, don't carry large amounts of cash on you, just take only what you need to survive like in the movie SpaceBalls. In fact, it's a good idea to get a money belt and have that under your clothes.
Another tip is don't be drunk in public. You're sitting duck if you do. You could lose your coins, your cash, your wallet, your phone, your keys, your sense of direction, your dignity. You'd be drawing attention to yourself, too, which is not something you want to do when you're traveling abroad. Try not to.
Call a cab or an Uber or a DiDi or some rideshare service. If you're alone, it's after dark and you want to get back home, be on the safe side and call a cab.
How to stay safe in Mexico
In Guadalajara especially, there's an increase in property crime like theft, like petty thefts, especially avoid using your smartphone on sidewalks.
There's been literally known to be guys or gangs, people on mopeds, literally snatching phones out of people's hands on the sidewalks in Guadalajara. I, in fact, was coming back from Walmart, was walking downtown Guadalajara, saw a huge crowd, asked a guy, “Que Paso Aqui”?, (what happened here?)
And he said, un robo, meaning a robbery, a crime, likely a cell phone grab. So you have to be aware of your surroundings at all times. If you must use your phone out in public, it's good to go to a café or a restaurant or a bar. Or even squat down on the sidewalk, make yourself very low. It's going to be kind of hard for a guy on a motorcycle or a moped to go down, grab your phone out of your hands without crashing into something.
So make the criminal's job harder.
Part 2: Factors That Affect Safety in Mexico
Location is really important. There are certain areas in Mexico that are safer than others. Generally speaking, border towns tend to be a bit more dangerous because of cartel competition.
Now. Other places like Merida, Puerto Vallarta, San Miguel de Allende. Those are touristy areas, and they tend to have lower crime rates simply because Mexico goes to great lengths to protect the tourism industry.
How you present yourself is important. Flashy jewelry, expensive clothing, walking alone at night, public intoxication, all those things can make you a target. So do what you can to blend in. I was told it's important to look poor. Well, I'm not thinking you should be dirt poor, destitute, no.
Especially if you want to get a job or make local connections in the community, you wanna dress nicely. But don't, don't stand out like a sore thumb. Don't look like a rich person. Kind of look as normal as you can. That's the bottom line. And of course, adapting to the culture of where you go, whether it's Mexico or Spain, you need to learn Spanish, even at a basic level will help you.
I recommend B1 level, if possible. The more you know, the better it is to communicate with people, avoid misunderstandings, and if you understand the language, it'll be a bit more difficult for somebody to victimize you.
Part 3: Practical Safety Tips for Single Parents Moving to Mexico
Look into housing and neighborhoods down at the city level, at the neighborhood level especially. Choose a safe neighborhood to live in. You want to get some feedback from locals, talk to them in person. Do your housing search on foot, in fact, with some cash in your pocket.
Check online expat forums on Facebook and Reddit. Visit. Definitely visit the location where you want to go before you commit to signing a lease. That's very important. Like I said a minute ago, make some local friends, build a support system. WhatsApp is big in Guadalajara. There's Meetup.com. It's in the US, it's also in Mexico.
Just join a group, join something, find ways to make some new friends and acquaintances that way, and that way you can build yourself a nice support system when you need it. Whether through language exchanges, expat meetup groups, neighbors, block parties, do what you can, do what you can to make some friends and allies.
And of course being prepared for an emergency is really important. You have to know the local emergency number. From what I know, I've never had to call it, but nine-one-one should work in Mexico. I think if you're traveling on the, the federal highways, there's a special number to call. Like if you have a car accident or a breakdown, that's different.
Get a local SIM card as soon as you arrive, and better yet, if you have a smartphone like me, I've got an iPhone 11. I'm planning to upgrade. Those you can get an e-SIM and you don't even need to get a physical card to stick in there. You just get an eSIM and then you activate it electronically.
Always have a backup plan. I do have a second cell phone I bought in Hermosillo a year ago, so that way I've got my iPhone 11 to use primarily for maps and navigational purposes, photography, and videos. It's better at all those things than my Mexican bought Motorola smartphone, which is a decent phone. It's good for local things. Texting, WhatsApp, Facebook. That's what I use my Mexican bought phone for.
Conclusion
Finally, to wrap this all up, the question we answered in the beginning is, is Mexico safe for single parent expats? In a word, yes, but it's a qualified yes. You need to understand cities, good areas, bad parts of cities. There are crime statistics broken down by state, which doesn't help you when you want to look at local crime levels, you have to look at both state level crime statistics, local crime statistics, news, local news. Do anything you can to do some ground research before you move there.
To learn as much as you can is about your own personal safety, what you need to do to make sure you don't become a crime victim. With research, preparation, some smart choices, Mexico can be a great destination for a single parent expat.
As far as I'm concerned, and in my experience, it's amazing and phenomenal country, and I'll be glad to call home once I get back.
