---
title: "General Santos vs Semarang for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/general-santos-vs-semarang
description: "Under balanced weights Semarang edges it, 51 to 49, winning 5 of the 9 factors. General Santos is stronger on quality of life; Semarang on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# General Santos vs Semarang for digital nomads

Under balanced weights Semarang edges it, 51 to 49, winning 5 of the 9 factors. General Santos is stronger on quality of life; Semarang on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.

## Where they differ

- **Safety.** Semarang leads on safety, 67 to 47, against General Santos. Homicides per 100,000: 4.31 vs 0.41.
- **Quality of life.** General Santos leads on quality of life, 61 to 49, against Semarang.
- **Air quality.** Semarang leads on air quality, 53 to 43, against General Santos. PM2.5: 30.5 µg/m³ vs 26.3 µg/m³.

Where they are close: within five points on visa ease, healthcare, climate.

**Pick General Santos if you want** faster internet (18 Mbps measured).

**Pick Semarang if you want** to spend about $150 less a month; the safer country figures.

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

| Metric | General Santos | Semarang | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 67 | 74 | Semarang |
| Safety | 47 | 67 | Semarang |
| Healthcare | 63 | 65 | Semarang |
| Internet | 55 | 48 | General Santos |
| Visa ease | 58 | 54 | General Santos |
| Getting there & around | 10 | 17 | Semarang |
| Climate | 33 | 33 | tie |
| Air quality | 43 | 53 | Semarang |
| Quality of life | 61 | 49 | General Santos |

## Cost

| Metric | General Santos | Semarang | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,150 | $1,000 | Semarang |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | General Santos | Semarang | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 4.31 | 0.41 | Semarang |
| Political stability (0–100) | 51 | 52.7 | Semarang |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 69 | 67 | General Santos |
| Life expectancy | 70.4 yrs | 72.7 yrs | Semarang |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | General Santos | Semarang | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 18 Mbps | 11.4 Mbps | General Santos |
| Upload | 6.6 Mbps | 5.2 Mbps | General Santos |

## Visa

| Metric | General Santos | Semarang | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad visa (DNV) | Remote worker visa (E33G) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | $5,000/mo | — |
| Entry, US passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Semarang |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Semarang |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Semarang |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | General Santos | Semarang | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 3 | 14 | Semarang |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 | Semarang |

## Climate and air

| Metric | General Santos | Semarang | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 30.5 µg/m³ | 26.3 µg/m³ | Semarang |

## FAQ

### Which is cheaper, General Santos or Semarang?

Semarang is cheaper: about $1,000 per month versus $1,150 for one person.

### Is General Santos or Semarang safer?

Semarang scores higher on safety (67 vs 47), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.

### Where is the internet faster, General Santos or Semarang?

General Santos: a measured median of 18 Mbps versus 11.4 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).

City pages: [General Santos](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/general-santos) · [Semarang](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/semarang). 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); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Nostos long-stay visa guides; Starlink availability map.

HTML page: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/general-santos-vs-semarang