Is São Paulo Safe for Women? Crime Rate in São Paulo

Safety rating

Moderate
2.7 /5

Women living in São Paulo consider the safety level to be moderate, with an overall safety rating of 2.7 out of 5.

Crime rating

Moderate
3.3 /5

Women living in São Paulo consider the crime rate to be moderate, with an overall crime rating of 3.3 out of 5.

Violence rating

11.7%

On average 11.7% percentage of women in Brazil have experienced physical and/or sexual violence from an intimate partner at some time in their life, according to OECD Data.

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Crime & Safety Statistics

Based on 41 experiences

Safety rating:

2.7/5Moderate

Safety walking alone after dark:

1.8/5Unsafe

Safety using public transport:

3.2/5Moderate

Crime rate:

3.3/5Moderate

Worries of being sexually harassed:

3.4/5Moderate

Worries of being sexually assaulted or raped:

3.2/5Moderate

Worries of being physically attacked:

2.7/5Moderate

Worries of home broken and things stolen:

2.3/5A bit worried

Worries of being mugged or robbed:

3.9/5Fairly worried

Worries of being kidnapped or murdered:

2.2/5A bit worried

How safe is São Paulo?

If you are always aware of your surroundings you should be fine. Never easily trust people. if you do not speak the language it's safer if you are walking in groups. Do not go downtown alone. Research places before you go and you should be fine!

Posted: April 26, 2025
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São Paulo is a safe place, with some specific locals where you should be careful. Is not somewhere you need to be scared to walk by, but it’s important to be aware while at street. While at home, I feel 100% safe, and when I’m out, I’m always aware, but not in a way that it could prevent you from loving and enjoying the city

Posted: April 1, 2025
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Livia

Livia

Sao Paulo is the biggest and the richest city of Latin America. Although to us women is not a very safe place, mainly when it’s dark on empty streets. It is very good to come here with other people or coming when you already know someone here that can walk around with you and give some advices about “how to behave” on streets.

Posted: April 1, 2025
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Giovanna

Giovanna

São Paulo is pretty safe. You can do a lot of things alone,(I do many things) Like drinking or just a walk in some places. I think you just have to be a person who pays attention to yours around. It’s all about experience and what you want feel here, cause dangers women encounter everywhere(unfortunately).

Posted: March 31, 2025
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Really depends on the neighbourhood you go to and what times, some neigh ourhoods are extremely safe, some extremely dangerous, some in the middle, always ask a local, but basically main places are safe like Paulista, Bela Vista, main avenues ...

Posted: March 12, 2025
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São Paulo is a great city to visit, sadly is getting unsafe, but not impossible to visit. You just have to be careful, at night I don't recommend walking, taking a taxi or Uber, is better. But in the daylight is a beautiful city, just take care of your belongings.

Posted: March 8, 2025
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São Paulo is a huge city and there are different levels of safety depending where you are. Generally it is safe to walk around alone as a woman, but be aware of pickpockets. I wouldn’t recommend walking alone at night on streets with little movement and always stay alert.

Posted: February 11, 2025
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Júlia

Júlia

São Paulo is not as dangerous as it seems or as they make it seem, but at the same time, it is a city where you always need to be alert... people tend to be a bit rude and there are many robberies and muggings here. Don't go out alone at night, and if you do go out, try to take an Uber!

Posted: January 30, 2025
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São Paulo we needs to be in attention, about cellphone, bags, depending the neighborhood, because big city, different peoples… but we can walk around, visit different places. There’s some neighborhood we fell more save than others

Posted: January 21, 2025
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Julia

Julia

Sao Paulo is a big city and so it has its risks. I never leave my place without self-defense items, but, yeah, i dont let it stop me from going out and enjoying until later at night, tho. I’ve only been robbed once in like 8 years ago.

Posted: January 8, 2025
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Is São Paulo worth visiting?

Travel rating

3.9 /5

based on 9 experiences from female travelers

Solo travel

Sao Paulo is a very fast-paced city, full of life and lights. It has great places to visit, such as parks and avenues. In my experience, the people were polite and I really liked it! However, many people warned me to be careful because the robbery and crime rate there is high, which made me quite worried.

Posted: May 7, 2025Experienced: April, 2025
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Family travel

I was worried to visit São Paulo after hearing a lot of people say it was dangerous. After it went dark I did feel a bit unsafe and we ubered everywhere. But during the day it was completely fine, I took my phone out when I had to and just kept to busier areas.

Posted: May 2, 2025
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Meet locals in São Paulo

Gabriela

Gabriela

About Me

I'm an environmental engeneering student in São Paulo, Brazil. I'm passionate about meeting new people, exploring new places and cultures. Mostly, I'm down for everything, I crave a lot of novelty haha. I love museums, historic sites, partying and hiking.

Speaking

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Naty

Naty

About Me

I love meeting new people and I'm looking to help girls who need tips or are staying here in the city! It's a little dangerous for outsiders here, but it's beautiful and a lot of fun! I'm an actress in training and I love art as a whole, it's full of it here! I don't speak English fluently, but I'm willing to make new friends even with this obstacle ;)

Speaking

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Safety in Brazil

Frequently asked questions

Is São Paulo safe?

Women living in São Paulo consider the safety level to be moderate, with an overall safety rating of 2.7 out of 5.

Is São Paulo safe to walk alone at night?

Women living in São Paulo consider walking alone at night to be relatively unsafe, with an overall safety rating of 1.8 out of 5.

Is public transport safe in São Paulo?

Women living in São Paulo consider public transport to be moderately safe, with an overall safety rating of 3.2 out of 5.

What is the crime rate in São Paulo?

Women living in São Paulo consider the crime rate to be moderate, with an overall crime rating of 3.3 out of 5.

What is the risk of being sexually harassed in São Paulo?

Women living in São Paulo consider the risk of being sexually harassed to be moderate, with an overall risk rating of 3.4 out of 5.

What is the risk of being sexually assaulted or raped in São Paulo?

Women living in São Paulo consider the risk of being sexually assaulted or raped to be moderate, with an overall risk rating of 3.2 out of 5.

What is the risk of being physically attacked in São Paulo?

Women living in São Paulo consider the risk of being physically attacked to be moderate, with an overall risk rating of 2.7 out of 5.

What is the risk of burglary in São Paulo?

Women living in São Paulo consider the risk of burglary to be relatively low, with an overall risk rating of 2.3 out of 5.

What is the risk of being mugged or robbed in São Paulo?

Women living in São Paulo consider the risk of being mugged or robbed to be relatively high, with an overall risk rating of 3.9 out of 5.

What is the risk of being kidnapped or murdered in São Paulo?

Women living in São Paulo consider the risk of being kidnapped or murdered to be relatively low, with an overall risk rating of 2.2 out of 5.