Well, I did forget the presence of debt slavery in Ul'dah, as well as privateering being legal in Limsa. Note that piracy itself is technically illegal, hence the need for the Kraken's Arms pirates and the protagonists to refer to their... particular profession as "spice trading."

Regardless of whether or not people get away with it, beyond Ul'dahn debt slavery human trafficking is still illegal in Eorzea as far as we know. People get away with it in real life as well, regardless of legality or morality, and those who are caught are punished, like in real life. (Doesmaga is heavily implied to be involved in slave trade, and was exiled from Limsa for it; the SAM 52 quest involves stopping human traffickers, including a corrupt Brass Blade, and so on.) I'm just inclined to argue that crime, as we would see it, seems common in Eorzea because of how the Warrior of Light frequently deals with criminals as a part of their profession. The cities, at least, seem pretty lawful and secure, even if corruption runs rampant in Ul'dah.

Both Gridania and Ishgard are very disciplined, of course, for their own reasons, though I suspect Ishgard may get a bit more lax now that people aren't being arrested for heresy with the end of the theocracy.

While there are some practices we've left behind in the real world - debt slavery and privateering - Eorzea's not too bad, in the cities at least.

Can't account for the borderline transparent corruption in Ul'dah, though...