Samoa
Samoa is a Polynesian island nation located in the central South Pacific Ocean, comprising two main islands (Upolu and Savai'i) and several smaller islands. Situated in the heart of Oceania, the country is known for its stunning tropical landscapes,...
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With a safety index of 58/100, Samoa offers moderate safety conditions for expats and their families.
Samoa offers visa-free entry for tourists from most major countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and EU nations.[1][5] Visitors traveling solely for tourism or recreation do not require an advance visa and can enter with just a valid passport. Upon arrival, tourists receive a visitor permit stamp in their passport, typically granted for stays up to 90 days.[1][5] To enter Samoa, international visitors must meet specific requirements: a passport valid for at least 6 months beyond the...
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11% below EU avg
Baselines based on EU averages. Source: Numbeo indices.
Capital
Apia
Timezone
UTC+13:00
Area
2,842 km²
Population
198,410
GDP
$843,850,778
HDI
0.7
Quality of Life
N/A
NYC baseline: 43
Purchasing Power
N/A
NYC baseline: 42
Understanding the economic landscape is essential for evaluating living costs and opportunities in Samoa. This comprehensive overview covers key financial indicators including cost of living, housing markets, income levels, and fiscal policies that shape daily life and long-term financial planning.
Cost of Living Index
Moderate costs with restaurant prices at 96.5 (near NYC baseline). Limited data on groceries and general CPI, but rental index of 11.0 indicates affordable housing relative to income.
Housing Market
Property prices average 230.3 years of household income, indicating extremely high property-to-income ratio. Housing market is severely unaffordable for most residents.
Average Income Levels
GDP per capita approximately $6,250 USD. Economy growing at 4.0-4.2% (2024-2025), moderating to 2.7-3.0% by 2026. Tourism (20% of GDP) and remittances (33% of GDP) are primary income sources.
Tax System
Samoa operates a progressive income tax system with rates up to 40%. VAT at 15% applies to most goods and services. Limited available data on specific tax brackets and regional variations.
Business Environment
Small island economy with growing tourism sector. Limited World Bank Doing Business data available. Business environment faces challenges from geographic isolation and climate vulnerability, though government actively supports private enterprise development.
Social Security
Basic social security system in place with government support for vulnerable populations. Healthcare and pension systems exist but limited comprehensive data on coverage breadth and benefit levels available.
Samoa, a small Pacific island nation covering about 2,831 km², features a uniformly tropical climate ideal for residents seeking year-round warmth and lush greenery. Predominantly classified as Tropical rainforest (Af) in coastal areas like Apia and Tropical savanna (Aw) in most inland regions per Köppen-Geiger, it offers consistent temperatures with minimal seasonal variation.
2 distinct climate regions — see full guide for details
Read full guideLife Expectancy
75.0
Population
198,410
Religions
Ethnic Composition
Research in Progress
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Samoa is a unitary parliamentary democracy with a unicameral legislature of 51 members serving five-year terms. The current Prime Minister is La'auli Leuatea Schmidt, with Tuimaleali'ifano Va'aleto'a Sualauvi II serving as Head of State. The FAST party has governed since 2021, ending nearly four decades of HRPP rule following a constitutional crisis resolved by the Supreme Court.
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Data Source: Safety, crime, and quality metrics are sourced from Numbeo, a crowd-sourced global database of reported data.
All scores are relative comparisons on a 0-100 scale, where 50 = global average. Higher scores mean better than average, lower scores mean worse than average.