Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Samoa instead of District of Columbia, you would:

Health

be 2.5 times more likely to be obese

In District of Columbia, 25.3% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.

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Economy

be 21.9% less likely to be unemployed

In District of Columbia, 6.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.

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make 97.2% less money

District of Columbia has a GDP per capita of $209,167 as of 2024, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.

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Basic Needs

be 16.6% less likely to have internet access

In District of Columbia, approximately 90.3% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.

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Sources: World Bank (2025), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), World Health Organization (2024), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), United Nations SDG Indicators (2022). How we calculate this

Compare further: District of Columbia vs. Samoa

Cost of Living Comparison · 5 categories - 2026 data
Samoa is 63.5% cheaper than District of Columbia
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Size Comparison · See true size
District of Columbia is about 16 times smaller than Samoa.
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Moving from District of Columbia to Samoa · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
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Samoa: At a glance

Samoa is a sovereign country in Australia-Oceania, with a total land area of approximately 2,821 sq km. New Zealand occupied the German protectorate of Western Samoa at the outbreak of World War I in 1914. It continued to administer the islands as a mandate and then as a trust territory until 1962, when the islands became the first Polynesian nation to reestablish independence in the 20th century. The country dropped the "Western" from its name in 1997.
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How big is Samoa compared to District of Columbia? See an in-depth size comparison.

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