On my monthly relocation/retirement tours and consultations my guests always ask me about personal safety in Costa Rica. I am quick to point out that I would never be living in Costa Rica for one minute if I felt my family or I were in danger. In fact, I feel much safer here than in many places in the United States.

According to the FTI International Consulting Company, Costa Rica, Chile and Uruguay are three safest countries in Latin America. On the other hand, Mexico, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela and Haiti are considered the most dangerous countries in the region. Venezuela is riddled with crime as things it spin out of control and progressively deteriorate. In 2009 alone over 15,000 Venezuelans died violently.

México, once considered a retirement haven for Americans, isn’t far behind because of the violence generated by the war on drugs.

Although the homicide rate has risen slightly, this should not keep you from moving to Costa Rica. Compared with the rest of the countries in the region Costa Rica is still paradise and Latin America’s #1 retirement haven.