Hi Splat! Yes, São Paulo is a safe city, despite what what some news says... Of course there're areas you don't want to be, like most of the cities. But, in general, people enjoy the night at streets, bars, dance clubs, parks, etc. I say that not only as a Brazilian, but as person that has foreign friends living here :)

I think the right question is: would anyone feel safe in São Paulo? I wouldn´t, as I wouldn´t feel safe in any american (the continents) city either; since most of them are violent, only varying its degree of violence. São Paulo is dangerous, but I don't believe this should be a reason not to visit it. It's better if you go with someone who is already familiar with the city and can point out the places which you might wanna avoid.

Funny thing is that most of the foreigners I know who have been in my city (Vitória) said they didn´t find the country to be so dangerous. I guess this is because they were expecting to see people carrying guns on the street or that they would be robbed for sure. And, of course, it is not like that -- for instance, so far I was never robbed in Brazil. In fact, some places look quite peaceful. But as we brazilians are constantly hearing violent cases, we know appearances can be deceitful, so we are always very careful. An slovenian girl who lived here once said to me: "Brazil is as dangerous as anywhere in the world, brazilians are just more paranoid". She is mistaken when she equals Brazil's degree of violence to the rest of the world, but I think she is right about us being kinda paranoid..

me reservo la opinión sobre esta pregunta un tanto discriminatoria, splat te sientes seguro en EEUU???

In Brazil, you just need to use common sense. Is it dangerous? Yes, but only if you don't use common sense. Don't walk around with a half of pound of jewelry hanging off you. Keep all valuables somewhat concealed. Don't get so drunk at night and wander around the streets. Don't fall asleep on the beach at night. Don't go into the Favelas (ghettos), And treat everyone you meet with respect. These are common sense things that you should practice when going anywhere new. Some places you can get away with being more lax, Brazil isn't one of them. That doesn't make it unsafe though.

Anywhere in the world you are, will depend on what your goal and the companies you want to have.