Crime in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Crime rates in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Level of crime	37.80	Low
Crime increasing in the past 5 years	59.59	Moderate
Worries home broken and things stolen	38.30	Low
Worries being mugged or robbed	33.72	Low
Worries car stolen	27.56	Low
Worries things from car stolen	36.06	Low
Worries attacked	24.42	Low
Worries being insulted	19.17	Very Low
Worries being subject to a physical attack because of your skin color, ethnic origin, gender or religion	11.80	Very Low
Problem people using or dealing drugs	37.42	Low
Problem property crimes such as vandalism and theft	44.15	Moderate
Problem violent crimes such as assault and armed robbery	33.58	Low
Problem corruption and bribery	63.11	High

Safety in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Safety walking alone during daylight		86.56	Very High
Safety walking alone during night		61.85	High

Contributors: 174

Last update: March 2025

These data are based on perceptions of visitors of this website in the past 5 years.

If the value is 0, it means it is perceived as very low, and if the value is 100, it means it is perceived as very high.

Moving to Puerto Vallarta? Explore:

Nearby Cities:

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Crime in Guadalajara	206.00 miles
Crime in Tepatitlán de Morelos	231.91 miles
Crime in Ajijic	238.92 miles

This Page in Other Languages:

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Leave a comment:

17 Comments so far

Anonymous on Mar 24, 2025:

My husband and I are considering moving to Puerto Vallarta for three months. We are considering driving down from the mid-west so we can bring our dog with us. Has anyone done this and would you be open to sharing your experience? We are mostly wondering if it is safe to drive from the US to Puerto Vallarta. I have heard that you should stick to toll roads, pre-plan your driving stops and not drive at night. But, I've also read accounts where this did not make a difference and US travelers were still targeted by the cartel.

We would also like to know if there are any areas in Puerto Vallarta that are not safe. From what I've read, the city seems to be safe since it is a tourist town but I would like to hear more from anyone who has spent extensive time.

Anonymous on Feb 20, 2025:

Is puerta vallarta safe for me to carry my child? Is kidnapping a problem here?

Answer: idiot

Anonymous on Oct 28, 2024:

Over 20 years I lived just north of Puerto Vallarta and have never seen any violence ever.
Also I have driven down from Canada without any problems for the same 20 years.
Mexico is a beautiful country with very loving friendly people.
Visit and enjoy!
Lois Dykstra

Mike Hampel on Sep 02, 2023:

I don't understand. The stats here suggest puerta Vallarta and Mazatlan is as safe if not safer than Vancouver Canada or many northern or European cities. Yet the comments suggest otherwise. Can numbeo crime stats be trusted ?

Leslie on Oct 17, 2022:

Is puerta vallarta safe for me to carry my child? Is kidnapping a problem here?

Bruce Brooker on May 25, 2022:

We live in Vallarta. We split our time between Toronto and Vallarta. We feel as safe in V as we do in Tor. We have not been subject to any crime or violence in the 30 years of living in Vallarta. We have seen crime, but not have been victims of crime. We are constantly aware of our surroundings at all times and we do not wear expensive looking accessories or clothing. We speak Spanish, that way we can over hear conversations of the local populace and detect any potential bad situations. We know what we are doing and where we are going. Listen...pay attention. Keep your ears and eyes open and your mouth closed. Trust your instincts. Remember, even if you feel the need to identify as an "ExPat", you are visiting. Even if you live there, you are visiting.

Bruce Broker on May 25, 2022:

We live in Vallarta. We split our time between Toronto and Vallarta. We feel as safe in V as we do in Tor. We have not been subject to any crime or violence in the almost 20 years of living in Vallarta. We have seen crime, but not have been victims of crime. We are constantly aware of our surroundings at all times and we do not wear expensive looking accessories or clothing. We speak Spanish, that way we can over hear conversations of the local populace and detect any possible bad potential bad situations. Listen..keep your ears and eyes open and your mouth closed. Trust your instincts.

Josex on May 24, 2022:

I was a victim of a crime in an hotel from Puerto Vallarta. The name of the hotel was ola's altas suites. They stole a large amount of money,since they have no security.

LA Guys on Aug 29, 2021:

We just moved here August 1and live in the Alta Vista neighborhood. Been coming here since the 90s. Just saw a guy pushed out of a black VW beetle (newer model) and got beat up by the driver and another guy with the driver. This all happened right outside our balcony in the middle of the day on this Sunday afternoon. Looked gang style including the victim. All involved looked like they were in their mid to late 20s. This is a dead end street so we are guessing the assailants knew they could beat the crap out of this guy and then drive away. Otherwise this is a quiet street but you never know. All happened so fast and didn’t take any pics cuz you never know if they had guns or whatever.

watewut on Aug 25, 2021:

I love PV! I'm from Honolulu originally and recently moved to PV because it is a beautiful beach city and much more affordable than Honolulu. I've not even seen any kind of crime unless you consider someone selling weed on the beach a crime. I'm sure things like thefts do happen but in general it seems extremely safe. These people here are really nice and welcoming and remind me a lot of Hawaiians in that regard. Hell I think Hawaiians are more likely to knock out a tourist than a Mexican in Puerto Vallarta is.

Joe coates on Aug 07, 2021:

I’ve been here for 6 months now. I’ve seen no crime no attacks . I’ve been treated very courteously but virtually everyone. I’ve lived in Miami Toronto Vancouver nyc Detroit and Canada and the USA are 100 percent more dangerous. See for yourself. Don’t buy into the bill everyone tries to feed you about cartels. I’ve seen no sign of one. And I get around to all neighborhoods but use common sense. You should too. And enjoy lovely Mexico and it’s friendly courteous citizens.

Stefan Cansler on Jan 13, 2021:

You’ve done a very good job conveying your passion with accurate information.
https://www.rvblinds.com/

ChicanoMan323 on Sep 13, 2020:

Dude, no one travels to Mexico more than Americans do. I don’t know if you know this, but there are 40 million Americans of Mexican descent, meaning a lot of Mexicans have family in the United States. Why do britons and Canadians think they’re so much better than Americans? Of course we know how to act, we’re more familiar to Mexican culture than probably any other culture is. If you want an honest opinion, Mexicans generally think Americans are really nice. Like I said, most Mexicans have family in the US.

HampshireMan on Sep 11, 2020:

My wife and myself have been taking holidays in Mexico, mainly visiting Puerto Vallarta, since 2013, without any problems. We take public transport and taxis to get about with no problems. I’m a British national, my wife is an American. I am a Spanish speaker, albeit not a fluent speaker, but enough to make contact with the locals. We believe in treating people the way we would want to be treated: friendly and out-going, not condescending, as it seems most Americans can be when travelling abroad. Britons and Canadians travel more outside of their respective countries, than do Americans, thus knowing how to behave as guests in a foreign country, and, for the most part, avoid loutish behaviour! Learn some Spanish, read-up on the area your visiting and treat the locals as equals, not as your servants.

ChicanoMan323 on Sep 03, 2020:

I don’t want to scare you, but it isn’t uncommon for cartels to deal with people who harm tourists/EXPATS in an unorthodox fashion. It seems like he committed a hit and run. If he stuck around to help you out I would believe your initial assumption. Beach cities are safe because they’re heavily invested by cartels, and they want you to return and keep spending money. They do actually protect foreigners, that’s not a myth.

Bev F on Sep 03, 2020:

I thought the taxi authority is probably protecting him. Why kill him? There were witnesses, but I guess they have all disappeared.

ChicanoMan97 on Sep 02, 2020:

I can assure you.... that Taxi driver is probably dead.

About Numbeo in the News Newsletter API

Index
Crime Index:	34.93
Safety Index:	65.07