Every American considering a move to Brazil asks the same question. The answer will surprise you.
"Isn't Brazil really dangerous?" It's the first thing most Americans say when we tell them where we live. And we understand — the media portrayal of Brazil, particularly Rio de Janeiro's favelas, has shaped a perception that the entire country is a war zone. But we live in Florianópolis, in the state of Santa Catarina, and the data tells a very different story.
According to Numbeo — the world's largest database of user-contributed data about cities — Florianópolis has a Crime Index of 45.96 and a Safety Index of 54.04. Now compare that to some American cities that most people consider perfectly normal places to live:
| City | Crime Index | Safety Index | vs Florianopolis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Florianopolis, Brazil | 45.96 | 54.04 | — |
| Los Angeles, CA | 61.26 | 38.74 | 33% MORE crime |
| Miami, FL | 59.29 | 40.71 | 29% MORE crime |
| San Antonio, TX | 48.20 | 51.80 | 5% MORE crime |
| New Orleans, LA | 72.40 | 27.60 | 57% MORE crime |
Let that sink in. Los Angeles — home to Hollywood, the beach, and the American dream — has a crime index 33% higher than Florianópolis. Miami, the city most Americans compare to a Brazilian beach lifestyle, is 29% more dangerous by the same measure. And New Orleans? Nearly 57% more crime than where we live.
Brazil is a massive country with enormous regional variation in safety. The crime statistics that dominate international headlines come primarily from Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo's periphery, and the impoverished northeastern states. Florianópolis is the capital of Santa Catarina — a state in southern Brazil that the US Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) specifically identifies as having some of the lowest crime rates in Brazil, with only 8.9 homicides per 100,000 residents.
Compare that to some American cities: New Orleans sits at 46 homicides per 100,000, Baltimore at approximately 30, Memphis at 28, and Chicago at 18. Even the US national average of roughly 6.3 homicides per 100,000 is comparable to Santa Catarina's 8.9 — and that's before accounting for the fact that the US figure includes many rural areas that artificially lower the average for dangerous urban centers.
Our Personal Experience
"We walk on the beach at night. Our neighbors let their kids play outside unsupervised. We've never witnessed a police chase, never heard gunshots, never seen road rage escalate to violence. The type of crime that exists here is mostly petty theft — the same kind you'd find in any tourist destination worldwide. What doesn't exist here is the random, explosive gun violence that Americans have simply normalized."
It's important to be honest: crime does exist in Florianópolis. Petty theft, pickpocketing in crowded areas, and occasional vehicle break-ins are real concerns, particularly in tourist-heavy neighborhoods during peak season. The Numbeo data shows moderate concern for property crimes and things being stolen from cars.
But the nature of crime here is fundamentally different from what Americans experience at home. The fear of being shot — at a concert, at a grocery store, at school, during a traffic stop — simply does not exist in the same way. When was the last time you heard about a mass shooting at a Brazilian beach festival? When did a Brazilian school last go into lockdown for an active shooter?
Florianópolis ranked #2 in South America for Safety Index in Numbeo's 2024 rankings — ahead of Montevideo, Uruguay, and Bogotá, Colombia. It ranked alongside San Antonio, Texas in the global crime index. If you'd feel comfortable living in San Antonio, you'd feel comfortable in Florianópolis — with better beaches, lower costs, and warmer weather year-round.
The bottom line: if safety concerns are what's keeping you from making the move, the data suggests you may actually be safer in Florianópolis than in the American city you're trying to leave.
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