Moving to North Korea from Samoa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Samoa to North Korea — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Samoa to North Korea, and you’d need to navigate life in Korean. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right. Expect a noticeable climate shift — P'yongyang averages 60°F vs 86°F in Apia, making it significantly cooler.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Samoa and North Korea stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
North Korea performs significantly better than Samoa across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Samoa performs better than North Korea across all environment metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
Samoa generally does better on employment & economy, though North Korea leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
percentage of adults who can read and write
Samoa generally does better on family life, though North Korea leads in literacy rate.
Data: The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Apia | P'yongyang |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 87°/75°F (31°/24°C) | 38°/20°F (4°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 87°/74°F (30°/23°C) | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/73°F (30°/23°C) | 81°/65°F (27°/18°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 87°/74°F (30°/24°C) | 50°/31°F (10°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Apia | P'yongyang |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87°/75°F (30.4°/23.9°C) | 31°/13°F (-0.8°/-10.7°C) |
| Feb | 87°/76°F (30.6°/24.2°C) | 36°/18°F (2.4°/-7.8°C) |
| Mar | 87°/75°F (30.6°/24.0°C) | 48°/29°F (8.9°/-1.8°C) |
| Apr | 87°/75°F (30.7°/23.8°C) | 63°/41°F (17.1°/4.9°C) |
| May | 87°/74°F (30.4°/23.4°C) | 73°/52°F (22.6°/10.9°C) |
| Jun | 86°/74°F (30.0°/23.2°C) | 80°/62°F (26.7°/16.5°C) |
| Jul | 85°/73°F (29.5°/22.6°C) | 83°/69°F (28.6°/20.7°C) |
| Aug | 85°/73°F (29.6°/22.8°C) | 84°/69°F (28.9°/20.5°C) |
| Sep | 86°/74°F (29.9°/23.1°C) | 76°/58°F (24.7°/14.3°C) |
| Oct | 86°/74°F (30.1°/23.4°C) | 65°/44°F (18.2°/6.7°C) |
| Nov | 87°/74°F (30.3°/23.6°C) | 49°/31°F (9.4°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 87°/75°F (30.5°/23.8°C) | 35°/19°F (1.7°/-7.2°C) |
Data:
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Samoa and North Korea. To live, work, or study long-term in North Korea, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check North Korea's immigration authority.
Samoa passport holder visiting North Korea
Visa Required
North Korea passport holder visiting Samoa
Visa on ArrivalData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I work remotely from North Korea?
Working remotely from North Korea's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in Samoa and North Korea.
How is healthcare in North Korea compared to Samoa?
North Korea performs significantly better than Samoa across all health & wellbeing metrics. There are 36.7 doctors per 10,000 people in North Korea, compared to 5.5 in Samoa. North Korea scores 68 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Samoa: 55).
What's the weather like in North Korea compared to Samoa?
The average high temperature in P'yongyang is 60°F, compared to 86°F in Apia. P'yongyang receives around 37.0 in of rainfall per year, while Apia gets 116.7 in.
What language do they speak in North Korea?
The official language in North Korea is Korean. In Samoa, the official languages are English and Samoan.
