Living in Samoa

Samoa pays around the middle of the global range, and what you earn here stays largely yours, since tax takes very little. Everyday costs sit at a similar middle, so a salary leaves a solid margin once the basics are paid for. English carries everywhere, at work and after hours, which means language rarely stands in your way. The real hurdle is the size of the economy, where openings are few and landing one without local roots asks for patience.

Samoa is a country of emigration: its diaspora of about 119.3K is many times the small foreign-born population of 3.5K, and it has grown 22% over the past decade. Samoans abroad cluster across the Pacific Rim, led by New Zealand (63.1K) and Australia, with American Samoa next.