Just to mention one place, Queretaro, Qro. is a lovely colonial city two hours northwest from Mexico City. The homicide rate is about the same as Wisconsin*. From Mexico City (Aeropuerto Benito Juarez) a couple of hours or so by Primera Plus bus (we do not have anything as comfortable as these buses in the USA) for about USD $22.
*3.2 per 100,000 residents per year; Sacramento, CA, near where I reside, has over twice that rate at 7.0. Cancún (and the state of Quintana Roo in which it's situated) have a lower homicide rate than Arizona.
For more perspective:
Miami's homicide rate is 19 per 100,000 inhabitants; Washington DC homicide rate is 31 per 100,000 inhabitants; New Orleans' is 74 per 100,000 (source: FBI & Brookings Institute). USA traffic death rate is 11 per 100,000 (USDOT).
Dominican Republic, Panama and Costa Rica homicide rates are respectively 21, 19 and 11 per 100,000. Jamaica, over 60 per 100,000. (source: Brookings Institute Washington D.C.)
The homicide rate in all of Mexico, (INCLUDING the drugs related murders in the north) is 14 per 100,000 habitants; sans drugs related murders the figure is around 11 per 100,000 habitants. (source: Milenio) (That's just over the suicide rate in California!)
That being said, there are definitely places I would avoid in Mexico and manage my risks well. Oh, in the US and elsewhere as well.
Last edited by JDiver; Mar 19, 2012 at 10:07 pm