Average User Experience UX Designer Salary in Samoa for 2026
A user experience UX designer in Samoa earns about 17,740 WST a year. That's 35% below the national average of 27,480 WST.
Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in Samoa sit around 7,080 WST a year, while the very top stretches to 28,680 WST. Everything on this page is in Samoan tu0101lu0101 (WST, symbol T), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.
The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in Samoa, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.
How much does a user experience UX designer make in Samoa?
A typical user experience UX designer working in Samoa brings home around 1,478 WST a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 7,080 WST, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 28,680 WST for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.
The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior user experience UX designer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.
How user experience UX designer pay ranges in Samoa
A good way to think about salary in Samoa is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all user experience UX designers in Samoa earn less than 21,540 WST a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".
Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 11,360 WST (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 27,300 WST (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of user experience UX designers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.
The very lowest reported salaries sit around 7,080 WST. The highest stretch to 28,680 WST, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.
User experience UX designer pay by experience in Samoa
Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a user experience UX designer in Samoa, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical user experience UX designer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.
- 0-2 Years11,300 WST
- 2-5 Years+20% from previous13,560 WST
- 5-10 Years+41% from previous19,160 WST
- 10-15 Years+20% from previous23,080 WST
- 15-20 Years+7% from previous24,720 WST
- 20+ Years+7% from previous26,400 WST
The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 41%. That is the point at which a user experience UX designer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.
User experience UX designer pay by education in Samoa
Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving user experience UX designer pay in Samoa. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.
Below is the average user experience UX designer salary in Samoa broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.
- High School11,040 WST
- Certificate or Diploma+54% from previous16,980 WST
- Bachelor's Degree+63% from previous27,620 WST
User experience UX designer gender pay gap in Samoa
The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and Samoa is no exception. Male user experience UX designers in Samoa earn an average of 19,380 WST a year, while female user experience UX designers earn around 17,860 WST. That works out to a 9% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.
A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.
User Experience UX Designer gender pay gap
8%
Men earn this much more than women on average in Samoa.
Pay raises for a user experience UX designer in Samoa
Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.
A typical worker doing this role in Samoa sees a raise of about 7% every 28 months, which works out to roughly 3% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.
Across all jobs in Samoa, the national average raise is around 5% every 28 months.
By industry
Industries with the highest pay raises in Samoa:
- Banking
- Energy
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Travel
- Construction
- Education2%
By experience level
Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.
- Junior Level3% - 5%
- Mid-Career
- Senior Level
- Top Management
User experience UX designer bonus rates in Samoa
Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.
14% of user experience UX designers in Samoa reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a user experience UX designer a low-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.
Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary. The remaining 86% of user experience UX designers reported no bonus at all over the same period.
Which careers pay bonuses in Samoa
Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.
- Finance
- Architecture
- Sales
- Business Development
- Marketing / Advertising
- Information Technology
- Healthcare
- Insurance
- Customer Service
- Human Resources
- Construction
- Transport
- Hospitality
User experience UX designer: public vs private sector pay
Public-sector pay in Samoa is about 14% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.
Public vs private pay gap
12%
Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in Samoa on average.
User Experience UX Designer in Samoa: FAQs
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How much does a user experience UX designer make per month in Samoa?
A user experience UX designer in Samoa earns about 1,478 WST a month before tax, based on an annual average of 17,740 WST.
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What's the salary range for a user experience UX designer in Samoa?
Entry-level user experience UX designers in Samoa start near 7,080 WST. Top-end pay reaches around 28,680 WST. The middle 50% of earners sit between 11,360 and 27,300 WST.
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Is the median user experience UX designer salary in Samoa higher or lower than the average?
The median is 21,540 WST, higher than the average of 17,740 WST. Half of user experience UX designers in Samoa earn below the median, half earn above it.
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What's the gender pay gap for user experience UX designers in Samoa?
Men working as a user experience UX designer in Samoa earn around 9% more than women on average (19,380 vs 17,860 WST a year).
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Do user experience UX designers in Samoa get bonuses?
About 14% of user experience UX designers in Samoa reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 0% to 4% of base salary.
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Do user experience UX designers earn more in the public or private sector in Samoa?
In Samoa, the public sector pays a user experience UX designer about 14% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.
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How often do user experience UX designers in Samoa get a pay raise?
A user experience UX designer in Samoa sees a raise of around 7% every 28 months, equivalent to roughly 3% a year.