Fergana vs Surabaya
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Surabaya edges it, 49 to 45, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Fergana is stronger on nothing outright; Surabaya on visa ease. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Leafy base for the Fergana Valley's silk and ceramics towns
Full Fergana profile →Plan a trip to Fergana →Indonesia's second city, business-first and cheap
Full Surabaya profile →Plan a trip to Surabaya →Where they differ
- Visa ease. Surabaya leads on visa ease, 54 to 33, against Fergana.
- Healthcare. Fergana leads on healthcare, 74 to 65, against Surabaya. Health coverage index: 79 vs 67.
- Climate. Fergana leads on climate, 33 to 25, against Surabaya. Comfortable months: 4 vs 3.
Where they are close. Within five points on quality of life, air quality, safety, internet.
Pick Fergana if you want
- stronger healthcare
Pick Surabaya if you want
- faster internet (14.5 Mbps measured)
- a dedicated digital-nomad visa
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Fergana | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | no data | 75 |
| Safety | 70 ✓ | 67 |
| Healthcare | 74 ✓ | 65 |
| Internet | 52 ✓ | 52 |
| Visa ease | 33 | 54 ✓ |
| Getting there & around | 22 ✓ | 16 |
| Climate | 33 ✓ | 25 |
| Air quality | 33 | 37 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 44 | 49 ✓ |
Cost
| Metric | Fergana | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | no data | $991 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Fergana | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 1.4 | 0.41 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 67.4 ✓ | 52.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 79 ✓ | 67 |
| Life expectancy | 74 yrs ✓ | 72.7 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Fergana | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 12.2 Mbps | 14.5 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 12.9 Mbps ✓ | 5.7 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | Fergana | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | Remote worker visa (E33G) ✓ |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | $5,000/mo |
| Entry, US passport | e-visa required | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | visa on arrival ✓ |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Fergana | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 14 | 41 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 4 ✓ | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Fergana | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 35.2 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, Fergana or Surabaya?
- We lack a monthly cost figure for one of the two cities.
- Is Fergana or Surabaya safer?
- Fergana scores higher on safety (70 vs 67), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Fergana or Surabaya?
- Surabaya: a measured median of 14.5 Mbps versus 12.2 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
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. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.