Semarang vs Surakarta
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights Surakarta edges it, 53 to 51, winning 3 of the 9 factors. Semarang is stronger on nothing outright; Surakarta on air quality. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Central Java's port capital with a restored Dutch old town
Full Semarang profile →Plan a trip to Semarang →Solo, Java's quieter royal city an hour from Yogyakarta
Full Surakarta profile →Plan a trip to Surakarta →Where they differ
- Air quality. Surakarta leads on air quality, 68 to 53, against Semarang. PM2.5: 26.3 µg/m³ vs 19.3 µg/m³.
Where they are close. Within five points on internet, getting there & around, cost of living, safety, healthcare, visa ease, climate, quality of life.
Pick Semarang if you want
- no clear edge over Surakarta in the data
Pick Surakarta if you want
- cleaner air
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Semarang | Surakarta |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 74 | 74 |
| Safety | 67 | 67 |
| Healthcare | 65 | 65 |
| Internet | 48 | 50 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 54 | 54 |
| Getting there & around | 17 | 18 ✓ |
| Climate | 33 | 33 |
| Air quality | 53 | 68 ✓ |
| Quality of life | 49 | 49 |
Cost
| Metric | Semarang | Surakarta |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one personcountry-level estimate for at least one city | $1,000 | $1,000 |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Semarang | Surakarta |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 0.41 | 0.41 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 52.7 | 52.7 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 67 | 67 |
| Life expectancy | 72.7 yrs | 72.7 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Semarang | Surakarta |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 11.4 Mbps | 12.8 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 5.2 Mbps | 6.1 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Semarang | Surakarta |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | Remote worker visa (E33G) | Remote worker visa (E33G) |
| Minimum income for the visa | $5,000/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 | Semarang | Surakarta |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 14 | 20 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 ✓ |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 ✓ | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Semarang | Surakarta |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 26.3 µg/m³ | 19.3 µg/m³ ✓ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Semarang or Surakarta?
- Semarang and Surakarta cost about the same: roughly $1,000 per month for one person.
- Is Semarang or Surakarta safer?
- Semarang and Surakarta score the same on safety (67), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Semarang or Surakarta?
- Surakarta: a measured median of 12.8 Mbps versus 11.4 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); 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. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.