General Santos vs Surabaya
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 49. General Santos is stronger on quality of life; Surabaya on safety. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
The Philippines' tuna capital on Sarangani Bay
Full General Santos profile →Plan a trip to General Santos →Indonesia's second city, business-first and cheap
Full Surabaya profile →Plan a trip to Surabaya →Where they differ
- Safety. Surabaya 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 Surabaya.
- Climate. General Santos leads on climate, 33 to 25, against Surabaya. Comfortable months: 4 vs 3.
Where they are close. Within five points on visa ease, internet, healthcare.
Pick General Santos if you want
- faster internet (18 Mbps measured)
Pick Surabaya if you want
- to spend about $159 less a month
- the safer country figures
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | General Santos | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 67 | 75 ✓ |
| Safety | 47 | 67 ✓ |
| Healthcare | 63 | 65 ✓ |
| Internet | 55 ✓ | 52 |
| Visa ease | 58 ✓ | 54 |
| Getting there & around | 10 | 16 ✓ |
| Climate | 33 ✓ | 25 |
| Air quality | 43 ✓ | 37 |
| Quality of life | 61 ✓ | 49 |
Cost
| Metric | General Santos | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,150 | $991 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | General Santos | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 4.31 | 0.41 ✓ |
| Political stability (0–100) | 51 | 52.7 ✓ |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 69 ✓ | 67 |
| Life expectancy | 70.4 yrs | 72.7 yrs ✓ |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | General Santos | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 18 Mbps ✓ | 14.5 Mbps |
| Upload | 6.6 Mbps ✓ | 5.7 Mbps |
Visa
| Metric | General Santos | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Digital nomad visa (DNV) | Remote worker visa (E33G) |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | $5,000/mo |
| Entry, US passport | 30 days | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | visa on arrival ✓ |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | visa on arrival ✓ |
Getting there and around
| Metric | General Santos | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 3 | 41 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | General Santos | Surabaya |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 ✓ | 3 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 30.5 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, General Santos or Surabaya?
- Surabaya is cheaper: about $991 per month versus $1,150 for one person.
- Is General Santos or Surabaya safer?
- Surabaya 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 Surabaya?
- General Santos: a measured median of 18 Mbps versus 14.5 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
- General Santos vs Cagayan de Oro
- General Santos vs Baguio
- Surabaya vs Medan
- Surabaya vs Semarang
- All 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 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.