One claim I find ridiculous (crime rates, house, unemployment, neighborhoods)

[Willy702]

I am tired of hearing the refrain XXX Mexican city (not a border town) has lower crime than US cities. Really? How can one prove this considering there are virtually no legitimate crime stats in Mexico beyond how many people got murdered? Most Mexicans don't report crimes to the police, especially smaller ones which make up the bulk of most crime rates. And most Mexican cities are far less populated than comparable US cities.

I am not one of those who believe the media hype about Mexico being unsafe as a whole, but lets be honest here. And this comment I heard time and again in a recent trip to Puebla, even though it seemed everyone in the city wanted to live in a gated community. Why is it wherever you are in Mexico people say never leave anything of value in your car? Where is your car more likely to be stolen? Where are you more likely to be a victim of a pickpocket or a house break in? I don't think its even close.

[shh1313]

Assuming you are from the US and were just visiting Mexico, what I have discovered (and I have lived in Mexico but am an American) Xpats that live there, tend to see life thru rose colored glasses.

Many but not all xpats have moved to smaller cities in MX, hence their perception of less crime vs a large city where they came from with murders and rape etc.

Mexico does have its pluses and minuses, the same as the USA.

Culture wise MX is as different as an apple is to an ear of corn. It is like comparing NY City to southern Mississippi.

[oceangaia]

Anyone know if Mexican insurers offer homeowner/renter policies that cover theft, and what the coverages/premiums are? Insurers know how to assess risk accurately - it's their business. The premium to coverage ratio will reveal the true answer - crime stats be dammed - and if they don't even offer such policies that tells you even more.

[joelaldo]

Originally Posted by Willy702

I am tired of hearing the refrain XXX Mexican city (not a border town) has lower crime than US cities. Really? How can one prove this considering there are virtually no legitimate crime stats in Mexico beyond how many people got murdered? Most Mexicans don't report crimes to the police, especially smaller ones which make up the bulk of most crime rates. And most Mexican cities are far less populated than comparable US cities.

I am not one of those who believe the media hype about Mexico being unsafe as a whole, but lets be honest here. And this comment I heard time and again in a recent trip to Puebla, even though it seemed everyone in the city wanted to live in a gated community. Why is it wherever you are in Mexico people say never leave anything of value in your car? Where is your car more likely to be stolen? Where are you more likely to be a victim of a pickpocket or a house break in? I don't think its even close.

Pickpocketing does exist in the U.S. and a lot of European cities, but home invasions (where the people are home and the criminal breaks in anyway) are rare in the U.S. They happen in the U.S., yes, but there's a reason why steel bars and gates are ubiquitious throughout residential neighborhoods in Mexico, but are rare in the U.S. Crime statistics aside, people feel much more insecure in Mexico than in the U.S.

DriverTodd, glad you brought that up. I only have personal experience: I live in Puerto Rico, one of the most crime ridden places in the world. If Puerto Rico were to join the union, itd be the state with the highest crime, unemployment, poverty, illiteracy, etc. Since I was going to be here a whole year, I decided to just buy a car, sell it and count my losses as cheaper than a car rental. I got a VW Jetta, 2008, just regular, no frills. To insure it here, it costs me about $80 a month. That's full coverage with a $500 deductible. In Cuernavaca, my friend has the exact same car. Same model and everything, except his is called BORA. He's the same age as I am and pays over 15000 MXP a year with a 5000 deductible. I even looked through his cert and mine... my policy was slightly more comprehensive than his. My policy in puerto rico is 25% cheaper than his. It'd probably be 40% cheaper somewhere like Texas, California or Florida.

His loft in Santa Fe is worth about twice as much as my ranch in Texas but his policy is 4 times higher than mine.

I don't have official statistics on that (yet) but I can assure you, being insured in Mexico doesn't come cheap... which is why many Mexicans actually just risk it and go uninsured. On top of the extremely high crime levels that permeate THE WHOLE country, the crux of Mexican society is wanting something for nothing... so insurance fraud is rampant. Luckily, Mexican insurance companies are privvy to this and investigate claims throughly. (They grilled the crap out of me when my car got stolen)