Lowest Crime
Leave your bike outside. It'll be fine.
Low crime, strong rule of law, and the luxury of not thinking about personal safety. Authoritarian regimes with impressive crime stats are shown the door.
121 cities ranked by data · updated June 2026
We exclude authoritarian regimes. Dubai looks great on paper, but "safe" means something different when the state itself is the thing you might need safety from.
How we rank
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60% homicide rate (UNODC) + 40% democratic governance (EIU). Authoritarian states (index < 4) excluded — a surveillance state with low street crime is not "safe" for a settler.
Sources: Numbeo · UNODC · EIU · OECD PISA · Ookla · EF EPI · World Bank · Updated June 2026
This ranking is based on fixed data criteria (60% homicide rate (unodc) + 40% democratic governance (eiu)). Your ideal city depends on your personal priorities — climate, budget, language, politics all weigh differently for everyone. Take the quiz for a personalized ranking.
Monthly budget cap
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Frequently Asked Questions
OK but which lowest crime city actually wins?▾
Oslo (Norway) sits at #1 right now — city-centre rent starts around $2004/month. That's based on data, not vibes.
Top 3, no hedging?▾
#1 Oslo (Norway), #2 Zurich (Switzerland), #3 Stuttgart (Germany). These scored highest on the actual metrics we use for this collection — not on how many Instagram reels mention them.
Where can I do this without burning through savings?▾
Goa (India) — rent starts at ~$167/month for a 1-bed in the centre. Your mileage varies with lifestyle, but the signal is clear.
Which one won't keep me up at night?▾
Singapore (Singapore) — 0.1 homicides per 100k residents (UNODC). That's the lowest in this collection, and a strong proxy for overall safety.
How does this ranking actually work?▾
Low crime, strong rule of law, and the luxury of not thinking about personal safety. Authoritarian regimes with impressive crime stats are shown the door. Scores come from real data: Numbeo (rent), UNODC (crime), EIU (democracy), Ookla (internet speed), EF EPI (English). No one paid to be here.