---
title: "Bukhara vs Surabaya for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/bukhara-vs-surabaya
description: "Under balanced weights Surabaya edges it, 50 to 46, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Bukhara is stronger on healthcare; Surabaya on visa ease, air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.10.7 (2026-10-13)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# Bukhara vs Surabaya for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Surabaya edges it, 50 to 46, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Bukhara is stronger on healthcare; Surabaya on visa ease, air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

| Metric | Bukhara | Surabaya | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | no data | 63 | — |
| Safety | 70 | 67 | Bukhara |
| Healthcare | 69 | 56 | Bukhara |
| Internet | 55 | 52 | Bukhara |
| Visa ease | 33 | 54 | Surabaya |
| Getting there & around | 47 | 47 | tie |
| Climate | 25 | 25 | tie |
| Air quality | 25 | 37 | Surabaya |
| Quality of life | 41 | 45 | Surabaya |

## Cost

| Metric | Bukhara | Surabaya | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | no data | $922 | — |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Bukhara | Surabaya | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 1.4 | 0.41 | Surabaya |
| Political stability (0–100) | 67.4 | 52.7 | Bukhara |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 79 | 67 | Bukhara |
| Life expectancy | 72.2 yrs | 68.3 yrs | Bukhara |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Bukhara | Surabaya | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 13.6 Mbps | 14.5 Mbps | Surabaya |
| Upload | 18 Mbps | 5.7 Mbps | Bukhara |

## Visa

| Metric | Bukhara | Surabaya | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | none listed | Remote worker visa (E33G) | Surabaya |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | $5,000/mo | — |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | visa on arrival | Surabaya |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Surabaya |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Surabaya |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Bukhara | Surabaya | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 9 | 41 | Surabaya |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 5 | 2 | Bukhara |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Bukhara | Surabaya | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 3 | 3 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 38.8 µg/m³ | 33.3 µg/m³ | Surabaya |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, Bukhara or Surabaya?

We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.

### Is Bukhara or Surabaya safer?

Bukhara scores higher on safety (70 vs 67), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, Bukhara or Surabaya?

Surabaya: a measured median of 14.5 Mbps versus 13.6 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [Bukhara](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/bukhara) · [Surabaya](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/surabaya). Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; 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.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/bukhara-vs-surabaya