Quality of life comparison

compared to

If you lived in Samoa instead of Rhode Island, you would:

Health

be 2.0 times more likely to be obese

In Rhode Island, 31.6% of adults are obese as of 2022. In Samoa, that number is 64.3% of people as of 2024.

View global rankings →

Economy

be 13.6% more likely to be unemployed

In Rhode Island, 4.4% of the labor force is unemployed as of 2025. In Samoa, that number is 5.0% as of 2025.

View global rankings →

make 89.7% less money

Rhode Island has a GDP per capita of $56,938 as of 2024, while in Samoa, the GDP per capita is $5,873 as of 2025.

View global rankings →

Basic Needs

be 17.1% less likely to have internet access

In Rhode Island, approximately 90.8% of the population has internet access as of 2023. In Samoa, about 75.3% do as of 2022.

View global rankings →

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: Rhode Island vs. Samoa

Cost of Living Comparison · 5 categories - 2026 data
Samoa is 63.6% cheaper than Rhode Island
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Rhode Island is around the same size as Samoa.
→
Moving from Rhode Island to Samoa · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→

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.
Read more

How big is Samoa compared to Rhode Island? See an in-depth size comparison.

Share this

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Samoa or United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.