A surface-coated cutting tool includes a tool substrate made of tungsten carbide-based cemented carbide or titanium carbonitride-based cermet; and a hard coating layer formed by vapor-depositing in order, a lower layer (a), an intermediate layer (b), and an upper layer (c) on the tool substrate. The lower layer (a) is a Ti layer composed of one or more of a titanium carbide layer, a titanium nitride layer, a titanium carbonitride layer, a titanium carboxide layer, and a titanium oxycarbonitride layer, and having a thickness of 3 to 20 μm. The intermediate layer (b) is an aluminum oxide layer having a thickness of 1 to 5 μm, and having an α-type crystal structure in a chemically vapor-deposited state. The upper layer (c) is an aluminum oxide layer having a thickness of 2 to 15 μm, and containing one or more elements of Ti, Y, Zr, Cr, and B.