---
title: "General Santos vs Surabaya for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/general-santos-vs-surabaya
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 67 | 75 | Surabaya |
| Safety | 47 | 67 | Surabaya |
| Healthcare | 63 | 65 | Surabaya |
| Internet | 55 | 52 | General Santos |
| Visa ease | 58 | 54 | General Santos |
| Getting there & around | 10 | 16 | Surabaya |
| Climate | 33 | 25 | General Santos |
| Air quality | 43 | 37 | General Santos |
| Quality of life | 61 | 49 | General Santos |

## Cost

| Metric | General Santos | Surabaya | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,150 | $991 | Surabaya |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

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

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | General Santos | Surabaya | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 18 Mbps | 14.5 Mbps | General Santos |
| Upload | 6.6 Mbps | 5.7 Mbps | General Santos |

## Visa

| Metric | General Santos | Surabaya | 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 | Surabaya |
| Entry, EU passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Surabaya |
| Entry, UK passport | 30 days | visa on arrival | Surabaya |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | General Santos | Surabaya | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 3 | 41 | Surabaya |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 | tie |

## Climate and air

| Metric | General Santos | Surabaya | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 3 | General Santos |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 30.5 µg/m³ | 33.3 µg/m³ | General Santos |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [General Santos](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/general-santos) · [Surabaya](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/surabaya). 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.

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