The saying “perception is reality” may have some truth to it based on how residents feel safe in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. A beach destination with a taste of MexicoPuerto Vallarta is defined by the natural charm of its beaches embraced by the Sierra Madre mountains.

A recent survey by the National Urban Public Safety Survey (ENSU) and the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) says public perceptions of safety have made Puerto Vallarta the fifth-safest city in Mexico.  For more information, Visit Puerto Vallarta.

The Top 10 cities with the highest perception of safety in Mexico are as follows:
  1. San Pedro Garza García, Nuevo León
  2. Benito Juárez, CDMX
  3. Tampico, Tamaulipas
  4. Piedras Negras, Coahuila
  5. Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco
  6. Saltillo, Coahuila
  7. Los Cabos, BCS
  8. Los Mochis, Sinaloa
  9. Tepic, Nayarit
  10. Mérida, Yucatán
Puerto Vallarta, Healthy Living + Travel
Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

The survey is conducted quarterly, and surveyed more than 27,000 households in 91 urban areas. It asks participants questions based on the following:

• Feeling of insecurity due to fear of crime (perception)

• Social expectations about crime trends (perception)

• Witnessing criminal or antisocial behavior (knowledge)

• Change of routines due to fear of being a victim of crime (experiences)

• Perception of the performance of public security authorities (perception)

• Prevalence of conflicts and antisocial behavior (experiences)

• Government performance (perception)

• Consultation of information on public safety (experiences)

• Trust in the federal, state and municipal government (perception)

• Violence in the family environment (experiences)

Tapachula, Chiapas, ranked as Mexico’s most unsafe city, with 91.9% of its residents feeling endangered. Naucalpan and Fresnillo follow closely, with 88.0% and 87.0% of their populations feeling unsafe, respectively.