A surface-coated cutting tool in which a hard coating layer including at least three layers of an upper layer α, an adhesion layer β, and a lower layer γ is formed on a surface of a tool body made of any of tungsten carbide-based cemented carbide, titanium carbonitridebased cermet, or a cubic boron nitride-based ultrahighpressure sintered body, wherein (a) the upper layer α is formed of an Al 2 O 3 layer having an α-type crystal structure with an average layer thickness of 1.0 to 10 μm, (b) the adhesion layer β has a total average layer thickness of 0.5 to 10.0 μm, and an outermost layer of the adhesion layer β being in contact with an interface with the upper layer α includes at least a TiCN layer having a layer thickness of at least 0.5 μm or more, (c) oxygen is contained to a maximum depth of 0.5 μm toward the inside in a layer thickness direction of the TiCN layer from the interface with the upper layer α, and an average oxygen content in the depth area is 0.5 to 3 at% of a total content of Ti, C, N, and O contained in the depth area, (d) the lower layer γ is formed of a layer of a complex nitride or complex carbonitride of Ti and Al having an average layer thickness of 1.0 to 20 μm, (e) the layer of a complex nitride or complex carbonitride of Ti and Al is formed of a single phase of a NaCl type face-centered cubic structure, and (f) when an average composition of the layer of a complex nitride or complex carbonitride of Ti and Al is expressed by (Ti 1-X Al X)(C Y N 1-Y), an average content ratio X avg in atomic ratio of Al to a total amount of Ti and Al and an average content ratio Y avg in atomic ratio of C to a total amount of C and N respectively satisfy 0.60 ≤ X avg ≤ 0.95 and 0 ≤ Y avg ≤ 0.005, characterized in that: (g) the adhesion layer β further includes a layer of a complex nitride or complex carbonitride of Ti and Al, an average layer thickness L avg (μm) of the layer of a complex nitride or complex carbonitride of Ti and Al satisfies 0.30 ≤ L avg ≤ 5.0, and when an average content ratio X βavg of Al to a total amount of Ti and Al is obtained in each of sections obtained by dividing the layer of a complex nitride or complex carbonitride of Ti and Al by [L avg] + 2, X βavg < X avg is satisfied in each of the sections, and X βavg of a section closer to a surface side is equal to or smaller than X βavg of a section closer to a body side. (a) the upper layer α is formed of an Al 2 O 3 layer having an α-type crystal structure with an average layer thickness of 1.0 to 10 μm, (b) the adhesion layer β has a total average layer thickness of 0.5 to 10.0 μm, and an outermost layer of the adhesion layer β being in contact with an interface with the upper layer α includes at least a TiCN layer having a layer thickness of at least 0.5 μm or more, (c) oxygen is contained to a maximum depth of 0.5 μm toward the inside in a layer thickness direction of the TiCN layer from the interface with the upper layer α, and an average oxygen content in the depth area is 0.5 to 3 at% of a total content of Ti, C, N, and O contained in the depth area, (d) the lower layer γ is formed of a layer of a complex nitride or complex carbonitride of Ti and Al having an average layer thickness of 1.0 to 20 μm, (e) the layer of a complex nitride or complex carbonitride of Ti and Al is formed of a single phase of a NaCl type face-centered cubic structure, and (f) when an average composition of the layer of a complex nitride or complex carbonitride of Ti and Al is expressed by (Ti 1-X Al X)(C Y N 1-Y), an average content ratio X avg in atomic ratio of Al to a total amount of Ti and Al and an average content ratio Y avg in atomic ratio of C to a total amount of C and N respectively satisfy 0.60 ≤ X avg ≤ 0.95 and 0 ≤ Y avg ≤ 0.005, (g) the adhesion layer β further includes a layer of a complex nitride or complex carbonitride of Ti and Al, an average layer thickness L avg (μm) of the layer of a complex nitride or complex carbonitride of Ti and Al satisfies 0.30 ≤ L avg ≤ 5.0, and when an average content ratio X βavg of Al to a total amount of Ti and Al is obtained in each of sections obtained by dividing the layer of a complex nitride or complex carbonitride of Ti and Al by [L avg] + 2, X βavg < X avg is satisfied in each of the sections, and X βavg of a section closer to a surface side is equal to or smaller than X βavg of a section closer to a body side.