Bogor vs Surabaya
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Bogor edges it, 52 to 49, winning 2 of the 9 factors. Bogor is stronger on air quality, getting there & around; Surabaya on nothing outright. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Rainy botanic-garden city in the hills south of Jakarta
Full Bogor profile →Plan a trip to Bogor →Indonesia's second city, business-first and cheap
Full Surabaya profile →Plan a trip to Surabaya →Where they differ
- Air quality. Bogor leads on air quality, 51 to 37, against Surabaya. PM2.5: 27 µg/m³ vs 33.3 µg/m³.
- Getting there & around. Bogor leads on getting there & around, 29 to 16, against Surabaya. Non-stop airport destinations: 98 vs 41.
Where they are close. Within five points on cost of living, internet, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Bogor if you want
- cleaner air
- more flights and easier getting around
Pick Surabaya if you want
- to spend about $9 less a month
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Bogor | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 74 | 75 ✓ |
| Safety | 67 | 67 |
| Healthcare | 65 | 65 |
| Internet | 52 | 52 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 54 | 54 |
| Getting there & around | 29 ✓ | 16 |
| Climate | 25 | 25 |
| Air quality | 51 ✓ | 37 |
| Quality of life | 49 | 49 |
Cost
| Metric | Bogor | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,000 | $991 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Bogor | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.41 | 0.41 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 52.7 | 52.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 67 | 67 |
| Life expectancy | 72.7 yrs | 72.7 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Bogor | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 13 Mbps | 14.5 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 8.7 Mbps ✓ | 5.7 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Bogor | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Remote worker visa (E33G) | Remote worker visa (E33G) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $5,000/mo | $5,000/mo |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Bogor | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 98 ✓ | 41 |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Bogor | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 27 µg/m³ ✓ | 33.3 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Bogor or Surabaya?
- Surabaya is cheaper: about $991 per month versus $1,000 for one person.
- Is Bogor or Surabaya safer?
- Bogor and Surabaya score the same on safety (67), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Bogor or Surabaya?
- Surabaya: a measured median of 14.5 Mbps versus 13 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); SatPM2.5 satellite-derived annual PM2.5 (V6.GL.02.04); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); WhereNext city cost estimates 2026 (city pages); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.