Why São Paulo’s Stress Ranking Went Viral — And What It Really Measures

Key Points

1. Remitly ranks São Paulo 8th in a global “stress” top 10, scoring 7.14 out of 10.
2. Perceived safety drives the result, while travel times and everyday costs keep São Paulo from the very top.
3. Reports from Pinheiros show what “stress” looks like on the ground: constant planning to avoid being a target.

São Paulo just gained a label few cities want. Remitly, a U.S. financial-services company, placed it 8th among the world’s 10 most stressful cities, at 7.14 out of 10.

New York led at 7.56, Dublin followed at 7.55, and Mexico City came next at 7.38. The story behind the story is what the ranking is, and is not. It is not a measure of happiness or depression.

Remitly says it scored 170 cities using five proxies for daily strain: time to travel 10 km, a cost-of-living index excluding housing, access to healthcare, perceived safety (crime index), and annual PM2.5 air pollution. It relied on October 2025 data from TomTom, Numbeo and IQAir.

Those components explain why São Paulo lands high, yet not No. 1. In the top-10 comparison, it recorded the highest crime index: 70 out of 100. That single figure does most of the lifting. But the city looks less punishing on two other inputs.

The estimated time to cover 10 km was about 26.7 minutes, and its cost-of-living index was 37.1, far below New York’s 100. Healthcare scored 60.2. PM2.5 measured 15.9 µg/m³.

When Insecurity Shapes Daily Life

Local reporting helps translate the index into lived experience. On Rua Joaquim Antunes in Pinheiros, residents and workers have described repeated robberies and a feeling of impotence, including attacks followed by fast motorcycle getaways.

The stress is not only the headline crime. It is the routine adjustment: hiding phones, changing routes, and turning simple errands into security decisions.

In some rich capitals, stress is priced in rent and groceries. Cornell-linked polling coverage on New York highlights cost of living as a top worry.

São Paulo’s warning is different: when order feels unreliable, time and attention are taxed every day, and normal life becomes a series of precautions.