Monterrey

Think twice.

Numbeo's Safety Index puts Monterrey at 52/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than Mexico's national picture overall (53/100 vs 54/100).

Verified Sep 9, 2026Confidence high
53Sketch Score

City page · part of Mexico

The one number a country page can't give you

What people who actually live in Monterrey report

Numbeo aggregates thousands of resident-submitted perception surveys into a per-city Crime Index (higher = worse) and its inverse, a Safety Index — the only real city-granularity crime signal feeding this page, alongside Mexico's national advisory, political, health, and police-trust data.

Crime Index

47.9

Safety Index

52.1

Source: Numbeo, user-submitted →

Sub-scores

Same real inputs as Mexico's national page, with crime swapped for Monterrey's own Numbeo number above.

67advisoryConsensus
36Political Stability
27Police Trust
72Health
68Road Safety
35Natural Disaster
90LGBTQ+
52Crime

Local know-how

Staying safe in Monterrey, specifically

  • • The city is mostly safe and is well patrolled by several municipal police departments and the Nuevo Leon state police.
  • • Police generally patrol with their red and blue emergency lights on.
  • Avoiding high-crime areas: Tourists sometimes run into trouble by straying into neighborhoods that have no notable sights, no hotels, and no upscale restaurants.
  • Avoiding crime when getting around: Walking in tourist areas is generally safe, though it would be prudent to avoid walking at night in unfamiliar areas without people around.
  • • The safest way to get around the city is by Uber or a known taxi (meaning one you call, or get from a populated sitio, not one hailed on the street).
  • • Several kinds of public transportation exist in Monterrey and many are quite safe. The Metrorrey subway system is generally safe as is the Eco-Via bus rapid transit (BRT) system.…
Source: Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA) →

Legal status (national law)

Legal since 1871+ UN decl. sign.

Source: Wikipedia — LGBTQ rights by country →

Pack this, know this

The little things that trip people up

🔌

Plug & voltage

A / B · 120V

🚗

Driving side

right

🚨

Emergency

police: 911 / ambulance: 911 / fire: 911

💵

Tipping

Tipping in Mexico is similar to the United States. It is usually from 10 to 15%. Meals have a 10% to 15% tip (this includes fast food deliveries). This tip is usually left by most people in restaurants, although it is not so common in street restaurants or stands, where the tenders usually have a can or box where people deposit coins.

Cash vs. Card

The currency of Mexico is the peso, denoted in Mexico as "$" (ISO code MXN) and in Wikivoyage as "M$". It is divided into 100 centavos. Prices in US dollars (in tourist areas) are labeled "US$" or sport an S with a double stroke. Coins are issued in denominations of 5, 10 (steel), 20, and 50 centavos (brass; new 50-centavo coins issued from 2011 onwards are steel and smaller in size) and 1, 2, 5 (

How this compares to Mexico

Numbeo's Safety Index puts Monterrey at 52/100 for crime — that makes it read sketchier than Mexico's national picture overall (53/100 vs 54/100).

See the full Mexico page and all receipts →

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