South America is increasingly relevant for people seeking a safer, lower-cost, and more flexible lifestyle destination. While the region still has countries and cities with serious security problems, several major South American and Latin American cities compare favorably with large cities in the United States, especially when looking at homicide rates.
The region may not always be the best place to incorporate a business, hold banking structures, or base an entire operating company. A more practical approach may be to live in South America while placing business, banking, and some investment structures elsewhere.
For lifestyle, however, the region is becoming more attractive. Some countries offer straightforward residence permits, improving safety, lower cost of living, and the possibility of long-term optionality.
Argentina and Uruguay as safer lifestyle options
Argentina is described as the safest country in South America in the 2024 Global Peace Index rankings, moving ahead of Uruguay.
Uruguay remains a strong option for people seeking safety, low taxes, and a calm lifestyle. It scores close to Canada on some safety and economic freedom metrics, while potentially offering a lower-tax environment for successful people.
Argentina is also becoming more attractive as safety improves and the country stabilizes. Buenos Aires is the main urban option, while Salta and Mendoza are described as even safer, with roughly half the crime of Buenos Aires. Mendoza also offers a strong wine-region lifestyle.
Latin American cities compared with U.S. and Canadian cities
Homicide rates per 100,000 inhabitants were used as the main safety comparison. The safest large cities in the Americas were listed as Calgary, Montreal, and Toronto.
Buenos Aires ranked close behind them and was described as roughly on par with Toronto. Córdoba, Argentina, also ranked highly, with only slightly more homicides than Buenos Aires.
Several Latin American cities were presented as safer than major U.S. cities:
- Buenos Aires and Córdoba are safer than San Diego and New York.
- São Paulo and Lima are slightly higher than New York but lower than Los Angeles.
- Mexico City is safer than Los Angeles.
- Belo Horizonte, Medellín, and Bogotá are safer than Houston.
- Montevideo, Guadalajara, Santo Domingo, Monterrey, and Rio de Janeiro are safer than Chicago.
The broader point is not that every place in Latin America is safe. Cities such as Tijuana, Ciudad Juárez, Guayaquil, Salvador, and Caracas remain high-crime examples. But the region is not uniform, and several major cities compare well with North American alternatives.
Neighborhood choice matters
City-level statistics can be misleading. A city may have a high overall crime rate while still containing safe neighborhoods or suburbs where affluent residents live comfortably.
Caracas was used as an example of a city that is unsafe overall but where some people with money and local knowledge can live safely. The same logic applies to cities such as Cali, Colombia. A person may avoid the city center and instead live in a secure community outside the city, with gardens, schools, and a better lifestyle at lower cost.
This does not mean high-crime cities are ideal first choices for new expats. People leaving North America for the first time are unlikely to start in Venezuela or the roughest parts of Colombia. But it shows why local context matters more than national stereotypes.
Residence permits are often straightforward
One of Latin America’s main advantages is the relative ease of getting residence permits. Many countries allow foreigners to qualify by showing stable income or savings.
In many cases, income of roughly $1,000 to $4,000 per month may be enough, depending on the country and visa category. Pensioners may qualify with less in some cases.
Requirements vary by country. Some countries require residence to maintain status, while others may allow the holder to keep residence without living there full-time.
Mexico is described as one example where a person can obtain residence by showing financial means. Buying property is also possible, but many people qualify through income or savings. Mexico does not require full-time residence to keep the permit, and the residence clock for citizenship can be started later.
Ecuador is also mentioned as a country where residence may not require full-time living.
The practical advantage is that a person can obtain a residence permit now and keep it as a backup option while deciding later whether to move.
Citizenship possibilities
Most Latin American countries offer residence first, not immediate citizenship.
Argentina is one of the faster citizenship options, with citizenship potentially available after as little as two years of living there. The Argentine passport is described as relatively good quality, though there may be unusual issues around whether it can later be renounced.
Mexico may also offer a citizenship path, but the person would need to spend time in the country and meet the relevant requirements.
El Salvador is different because it offers a “freedom passport” aimed at Bitcoin investors, priced at $1 million. This is contrasted with Caribbean citizenship by investment programs that may cost around $200,000. The point is that countries often raise requirements once they become safer or more desirable.
Getting residence earlier may allow people to enter under easier conditions before costs or criteria increase.
Taxes and lifestyle trade-offs
Not all Latin American countries are tax-friendly. Argentina, for example, is not described as broadly tax-friendly, despite its current political direction.
A person may still be able to live there part of the year, such as four or five months, without entering the tax net. Whether that works depends on the country’s tax residency rules and personal circumstances.
Some Latin American countries may offer lower taxes, lower living costs, and better lifestyle than North America. Others may be attractive for lifestyle but not ideal for tax residency.
This is why the strategy may be to separate lifestyle, tax residence, business structure, banking, and investments across different countries.
Why Latin America appeals
Latin America may not offer the absolute highest safety in the world. People looking for maximum order and security may prefer places such as Singapore, South Korea, the Gulf states, parts of Eastern Europe, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, or the UAE.
Latin America’s appeal is different:
- straightforward immigration
- same or similar time zones for North Americans
- strong food and culture
- lower cost of living
- good lifestyle options
- easier access from the United States and Canada
- potential tax and residence flexibility
- countries that are culturally familiar to North Americans in some ways
Governments in the region may also be more hands-off than in highly regulated countries. This can appeal to people who want less interference, provided they are comfortable taking more responsibility for their own safety and planning.
Practical decision criteria
People considering South America or Latin America should compare countries by:
- city and neighborhood safety, not just national reputation
- homicide rates and local crime patterns
- residence permit requirements
- whether residence must be maintained by physical presence
- income or savings thresholds
- tax residency rules
- cost of living
- healthcare and schools
- lifestyle fit
- citizenship timeline
- whether the country is improving or deteriorating
The best option depends on the person. A family may prioritize safety, schools, and secure neighborhoods. A tax-sensitive entrepreneur may focus on part-year living and avoiding local tax residence. A retiree may prioritize low cost, healthcare, and residence simplicity.
South America should not be treated as one uniform region. Some cities are dangerous, some are improving, and some compare favorably with major U.S. and Canadian cities. For people willing to choose carefully, obtain residence early, and separate lifestyle from business and banking structures, the region can offer a useful Plan B and a better quality of life.
