Which is cheaper, Colombo or Semarang?

Colombo is cheaper: about $820 per month versus $1,000 for one person.

Is Colombo or Semarang safer?

Semarang scores higher on safety (67 vs 63), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

Where is the internet faster, Colombo or Semarang?

Semarang: a measured median of 11.4 Mbps versus 7.2 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

Colombo vs Semarang

for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Colombo edges it, 55 to 51, winning 6 of the 9 factors. Colombo is stronger on healthcare; Semarang on internet. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

Colombo

out of 100

Sri Lanka's capital with the whole island within reach

Full Colombo profile →Where to stay in Colombo →

Semarang

out of 100

Central Java's port capital with a restored Dutch old town

Full Semarang profile →Where to stay in Semarang →

Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)

Metric	Colombo	Semarang
Cost of living	68 ✓	60
Safety	63	67 ✓
Healthcare	72 ✓	56
Internet	37	48 ✓
Visa ease	64 ✓	54
Getting there & around	50 ✓	41
Climate	25	33 ✓
Air quality	59 ✓	53
Quality of life	52 ✓	45

Cost

Metric	Colombo	Semarang
Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city	$820 ✓	$1,000
Central one-bedroom rent	no data	no data

Safety and health (country-level)

Metric	Colombo	Semarang
Homicides per 100k	2.51	0.41 ✓
Political stability (0–100)	64.9 ✓	52.7
UHC service coverage (0–100)	72 ✓	67
Life expectancy	77.2 yrs ✓	68.3 yrs

Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

Metric	Colombo	Semarang
Download	7.2 Mbps	11.4 Mbps ✓
Upload	2 Mbps	5.2 Mbps ✓

Visa

Metric	Colombo	Semarang
Nomad visa	Digital nomad visa	Remote worker visa (E33G)
Minimum income for the visa	$2,000/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	Colombo	Semarang
Non-stop airport destinations	55 ✓	14
Walkability (1–5, editorial)	2	2
Transit (1–5, editorial)	2	3 ✓

Climate and air

Metric	Colombo	Semarang
Comfortable months per year	3	4 ✓
Annual mean PM2.5	23.6 µg/m³ ✓	26.3 µg/m³

✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.

Frequently asked

Which is cheaper, Colombo or Semarang?: Colombo is cheaper: about $820 per month versus $1,000 for one person.
Is Colombo or Semarang safer?: Semarang scores higher on safety (67 vs 63), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
Where is the internet faster, Colombo or Semarang?: Semarang: a measured median of 11.4 Mbps versus 7.2 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); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); 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 2026.10.7. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.