Moving to Papua New Guinea from Samoa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Samoa to Papua New Guinea — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Samoa to Papua New Guinea.
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Key Indicator Comparison
How Samoa and Papua New Guinea stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Samoa performs better than Papua New Guinea across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
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
Papua New Guinea generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Samoa leads in doctors per 10,000 people.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
Samoa generally does better on environment, though Papua New Guinea leads in co₂ emissions per capita.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
share of households with internet
Samoa performs better than Papua New Guinea across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Samoa generally does better on employment & economy, though Papua New Guinea leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
percentage of adults who can read and write
Samoa performs better than Papua New Guinea across all family life metrics.
Data: Ministry of Revenue, Samoa, 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 | Port Moresby |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 87°/75°F (31°/24°C) | 89°/74°F (32°/24°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 87°/74°F (30°/23°C) | 88°/74°F (31°/23°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 85°/73°F (30°/23°C) | 87°/73°F (30°/23°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 87°/74°F (30°/24°C) | 90°/74°F (32°/24°C) |
View all months
| Month | Apia | Port Moresby |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87°/75°F (30.4°/23.9°C) | 90°/75°F (32.1°/23.7°C) |
| Feb | 87°/76°F (30.6°/24.2°C) | 89°/74°F (31.6°/23.5°C) |
| Mar | 87°/75°F (30.6°/24.0°C) | 89°/74°F (31.4°/23.4°C) |
| Apr | 87°/75°F (30.7°/23.8°C) | 88°/74°F (31.3°/23.5°C) |
| May | 87°/74°F (30.4°/23.4°C) | 88°/74°F (31.0°/23.5°C) |
| Jun | 86°/74°F (30.0°/23.2°C) | 87°/74°F (30.3°/23.1°C) |
| Jul | 85°/73°F (29.5°/22.6°C) | 86°/72°F (29.9°/22.4°C) |
| Aug | 85°/73°F (29.6°/22.8°C) | 87°/73°F (30.3°/22.6°C) |
| Sep | 86°/74°F (29.9°/23.1°C) | 88°/74°F (31.0°/23.2°C) |
| Oct | 86°/74°F (30.1°/23.4°C) | 90°/74°F (32.0°/23.5°C) |
| Nov | 87°/74°F (30.3°/23.6°C) | 90°/74°F (32.5°/23.6°C) |
| Dec | 87°/75°F (30.5°/23.8°C) | 90°/75°F (32.4°/23.7°C) |
Papua New Guinea Meteorological ServiceVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Samoa and Papua New Guinea. To live, work, or study long-term in Papua New Guinea, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Papua New Guinea's immigration authority.
Samoa passport holder visiting Papua New Guinea
Visa on Arrival
Papua New Guinea 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 Papua New Guinea?
With 0.2 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Papua New Guinea can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Samoa and Papua New Guinea.
Is Papua New Guinea safe for expats?
Samoa performs better than Papua New Guinea across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Papua New Guinea is 9.4 per 100,000 people, compared to 6.2 in Samoa.
How is healthcare in Papua New Guinea compared to Samoa?
Papua New Guinea generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Samoa leads in doctors per 10,000 people. There are 0.6 doctors per 10,000 people in Papua New Guinea, compared to 5.5 in Samoa. Papua New Guinea scores 30 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Samoa: 55).
What's the weather like in Papua New Guinea compared to Samoa?
The average high temperature in Port Moresby is 88°F, compared to 86°F in Apia. Port Moresby receives around 35.4 in of rainfall per year, while Apia gets 116.7 in.
What language do they speak in Papua New Guinea?
The official languages in Papua New Guinea are English, Hiri Motu and Tok Pisin. In Samoa, the official languages are English and Samoan.
