Is Los Cabos - La Paz, Mexico safe? What's the crime rate in general in Los Cabos - La Paz, Mexico?
John K. Glaab - the settlement company®
Yes, Los Cabos and La Paz are safe. We always tell people that if you stay away from doing drugs and you keep aware of your surroundings, you’re safe. Even in my state of Michoacán in Uruapan (on the mainland between Guadalajara and Mexico City), the Canadian embassy says it’s not safe outside our area but where we live, we walk on the street and everywhere else and security is not really a problem for people, especially to tourists. The people who get shot are the...Yes, Los Cabos and La Paz are safe. We always tell people that if you stay away from doing drugs and you keep aware of your surroundings, you’re safe. Even in my state of Michoacán in Uruapan (on the mainland between Guadalajara and Mexico City), the Canadian embassy says it’s not safe outside our area but where we live, we walk on the street and everywhere else and security is not really a problem for people, especially to tourists. The people who get shot are the people who are into the drug business but we don’t have drug wars that happen in other Mexican states and near the US border. You might hear about some petty theft here but that type of crime happens everywhere in the world. My wife and I walk everywhere. Two years ago, my wife drove from Mazatlan up to the Arizona border by herself and then across to San Jose, California and she didn’t have any concerns.I am going to give the news companies in the US a map because they seem to paint the whole country of Mexico with a broad brush and also they keep talking about things that happened 10 to 12 years ago. Yes, there is a thin line along the US and Mexico border and there are a few hot spots but I would rather spend a night there than in East Los Angeles. Other than those areas, it’s safe.
(Sea of Cortez, La Paz, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted February 10, 2016
Jimena Malagamba
Our entire area; the capital of La Paz, Cabo, and our little towns, are extremely safe. There are, however, people who rob houses, especially when have been unoccupied for a long period of time. But there is not heavy crime here or craziness like gun firing. Some isolated areas have troubles that are mostly narco-related. The crime in our area is petty theft crime; definitely nothing violent and scary. Most of the theft happens when no one is in the...
Our entire area; the capital of La Paz, Cabo, and our little towns, are extremely safe. There are, however, people who rob houses, especially when have been unoccupied for a long period of time. But there is not heavy crime here or craziness like gun firing. Some isolated areas have troubles that are mostly narco-related. The crime in our area is petty theft crime; definitely nothing violent and scary. Most of the theft happens when no one is in the house so there’s never any physical harm.
If you are in our little town of El Sargento (south of La Paz about 40 minutes), you left your phone in your car and left the window open, there would be a 100% chance that your phone would still there when you returned, including your wallet or whatever else you left. In La Paz you do have to be a little more careful. In La Paz if you left for 15 minutes, nothing is going to happen but if you go to have lunch in a restaurant and you’re not watching your car, you might get those things stolen. In Cabo, you definitely you have to be more careful. There are a lot of people walking by and businesses operating; it’s a busier place, and in busier places there’s more opportunity for people to see that there’s something they could steal.
Regarding violent crime, I have felt completely safe my entire life here. I never had any problems whatsoever or felt insecure. When I was little and living in La Paz, you could sleep with your house and the windows open, the doors open, and most people slept outside in the summer. Nowadays, not many people do that any longer.
In Sargento, for example, I sleep every day with our doors and windows open and I don’t lock my car. A lot of people sleep on the roof because it’s hot or it’s just nice to sleep on the roof. I’ve been walking at midnight by myself in my pajamas and never felt anything scary.
In La Paz I have been out sometimes around 3 AM with my friends, and never had a problem. I’ve never felt threatened or been attacked or in an uncomfortable situation; never.
I don’t have a lot of experience in Los Cabos, but I’ve been there for a couple of nights. I feel the same. I always feel safe.
If you live amongst Mexicans, they will make sure to look after your house, property and safety, because they will see you as a neighbor who needs looking after.
When I lived in British Columbia about 15 years ago, I felt much less safe than I do here. In British Columbia, I saw a lot of people doing heroin. I saw a lot more police and it definitely felt a little weird.
(Condo home with a large terrace, La Paz,Baja California Sur, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted June 19, 2016
Ana Maria Carranza - Diamante Associates
Compared to other parts of Mexico, the crime rate in Los Cabos and La Paz is very low, although recently there has been an outbreak in La Paz where there were a couple of shootings among drug dealers in which in total, seven people have died. They were all involved in drug dealing and for the most part, they were in remote outskirt areas of La Paz so these areas are places that tourists or expats don’t worry about as these are nowhere near where an expat would be. Personally, I...Compared to other parts of Mexico, the crime rate in Los Cabos and La Paz is very low, although recently there has been an outbreak in La Paz where there were a couple of shootings among drug dealers in which in total, seven people have died. They were all involved in drug dealing and for the most part, they were in remote outskirt areas of La Paz so these areas are places that tourists or expats don’t worry about as these are nowhere near where an expat would be. Personally, I feel safe walking around La Paz. I go out at night by myself or with friends and have no issues at all. In comparison to places like New York or Florida and other similar places, I feel safe here in La Paz. This past summer, my daughter and I flew to Tijuana and then we crossed over to San Isidro and we got on the trolley to get on the train station to go up to LA. The people that were on the trolley kind of stressed me out because some of them that weren’t really in their right mind. They were obviously on drugs. My daughter had never seen homeless people before since we have lived here in La Ventana and even before that when we lived in La Paz for 10 years. She had never seen a homeless person until we went to San Diego, nor had she seen people who are talking to themselves. When we were crossing, there were guys who were sort of getting into fights so it felt kind of stressed since we don’t see that here in La Ventana.
In comparison, there might be less petty crimes in the States than here. As an example, you could leave your home unattended in the States and not think that someone is going to break in. But here in La Ventana, where I live now, I also do not have concerns about any petty crime, theft, and I have zero concern about violent crimes.
In La Paz, safety depends on what part of town you’re driving through. There are parts of town where I would be concerned. It also depends on what time it is. I would be concerned about being in Ocho de Octubre or out by Camino Real after 10 PM but it’s just the same thing as avoiding Compton or a bad part of Los Angeles at 10 PM.
(The malecon, the boardwalk in La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico, pictured.)
Posted July 22, 2016
Paul Clark - East Cape Homes
Living in Cabo Pulmo is very safe. (Cabo Pulmo is located 28 miles east of the Los Cabos Airport (SJD). Just north of Cabo Pulmo is where our house is located.) We’ve never locked our front door and our keys are always in our vehicles. That’s how comfortable we are in the countryside in Cabo Pulmo. Our Mexican neighbors are mainly ranchers, and we all watch out for one another. Whenever there is an occasional problem, everybody is watching out.In the city of...
Living in Cabo Pulmo is very safe. (Cabo Pulmo is located 28 miles east of the Los Cabos Airport (SJD). Just north of Cabo Pulmo is where our house is located.) We’ve never locked our front door and our keys are always in our vehicles. That’s how comfortable we are in the countryside in Cabo Pulmo. Our Mexican neighbors are mainly ranchers, and we all watch out for one another. Whenever there is an occasional problem, everybody is watching out.In the city of Cabo San Lucas itself, there is a major problem with gangs fighting one another, but I have not heard or seen any members of these gangs affecting the expat community. The same thing happened in La Paz a couple of years ago, but that died down. In San José del Cabo, on the other hand, these gangs are still very active.
.png)
(East Cape, Baja California Sur, Mexico, pictured. )
Posted October 20, 2017