---
title: "Semarang vs Surakarta for digital nomads"
url: https://nostos.navoy.io/compare/semarang-vs-surakarta
description: "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."
dataset: 2026.11.2 (2026-11-09)
license: CC BY 4.0
---

# 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.

## 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 | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost of living | 74 | 74 | tie |
| Safety | 67 | 67 | tie |
| Healthcare | 65 | 65 | tie |
| Internet | 48 | 50 | Surakarta |
| Visa ease | 54 | 54 | tie |
| Getting there & around | 17 | 18 | Surakarta |
| Climate | 33 | 33 | tie |
| Air quality | 53 | 68 | Surakarta |
| Quality of life | 49 | 49 | tie |

## Cost

| Metric | Semarang | Surakarta | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Monthly cost, one person | $1,000 | $1,000 | tie |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data | — |

## Safety and health (country-level)

| Metric | Semarang | Surakarta | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Homicides per 100k | 0.41 | 0.41 | tie |
| Political stability (0–100) | 52.7 | 52.7 | tie |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 67 | 67 | tie |
| Life expectancy | 72.7 yrs | 72.7 yrs | tie |

## Internet (M-Lab measured medians)

| Metric | Semarang | Surakarta | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Download | 11.4 Mbps | 12.8 Mbps | Surakarta |
| Upload | 5.2 Mbps | 6.1 Mbps | Surakarta |

## Visa

| Metric | Semarang | Surakarta | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Nomad visa | Remote worker visa (E33G) | Remote worker visa (E33G) | tie |
| Minimum income for the visa | $5,000/mo | $5,000/mo | tie |
| Entry, US passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |
| Entry, EU passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |
| Entry, UK passport | visa on arrival | visa on arrival | tie |

## Getting there and around

| Metric | Semarang | Surakarta | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Non-stop airport destinations | 14 | 20 | Surakarta |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 3 | Surakarta |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 3 | 2 | Semarang |

## Climate and air

| Metric | Semarang | Surakarta | Better |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Comfortable months per year | 4 | 4 | tie |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 26.3 µg/m³ | 19.3 µg/m³ | Surakarta |

## FAQ

### 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).

City pages: [Semarang](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/semarang) · [Surakarta](https://nostos.navoy.io/cities/surakarta). 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.

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