Abu Dhabi
972 km²
San Francisco
121 km²
United Arab Emirates
USA
Area Comparison
Abu Dhabi is 8.0x larger than San Francisco
Population Comparison
Abu Dhabi has 1.8x more people than San Francisco
In terms of area, Abu Dhabi is 8.0x the size of San Francisco. Abu Dhabi spans 972 km² (375 mi²) while San Francisco covers 121 km² (47 mi²) — a difference of 851 km². You could fit San Francisco inside Abu Dhabi approximately 8 times.
To put Abu Dhabi's size in perspective, its area of 972 km² is roughly the same size as Berlin. Meanwhile, San Francisco at 121 km² is about 1.2x the size of Paris (city proper).
Picture Abu Dhabi another way: its area is large enough to fit about 136,000 American football fields, 16 times the area of Manhattan, or 9 times the area of Paris. San Francisco works out to about 17,000 American football fields, 60 times the area of Monaco, or 35 times the area of Central Park.
Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's second-most populous city, after Dubai. The city is situated on a T-shaped island, extending into the Persian Gulf from the central-western coast of the UAE.
Abu Dhabi covers 972 km² with a population of 1.6 million. Abu Dhabi is known for Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Louvre Abu Dhabi, Emirates Palace, among other attractions.
Abu Dhabi sits on a T-shaped island extending into the Persian Gulf from the UAE's central-western coast.
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the fourth-most populous city in California and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with a population of 826,079 in 2025. Among U.S. cities with a population of 300,000 or more, San Francisco is ranked first by per capita income, second by population density, and sixth by aggregate income as of 2023.
Also known as "The City by the Bay", San Francisco has an area of 121 km² and is home to 0.9 million people. The city dates back to 1776. Visitors come for Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Cable cars, and much more. Getting around is easy with the BART & Muni.
San Francisco ranks first by per capita income among all US cities with 300,000+ residents as of 2023.
Abu Dhabi has a population density of 1,615 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. San Francisco, with 7,190 people per km², is a densely populated city. San Francisco is dramatically more crowded, with 4.5x the population density.
Abu Dhabi has a desert climate climate while San Francisco experiences Mediterranean conditions.
Size Ratio
San Francisco fits inside Abu Dhabi ~8 times
Density Gap
San Francisco is 4.5x more densely populated
Abu Dhabi covers 972 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include San Diego (964 km²), Dallas (997 km²), Berlin (892 km²), Hong Kong (1,114 km²), or Santiago (838 km²).
San Francisco covers 121 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Vancouver (115 km²), Paris (105 km²), Miami (143 km²), Barcelona (101 km²), or Lisbon (100 km²).
The straight-line distance from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco is 13,086 km (8,131 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~15h 54m.
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