Barcelona
101 km²
Houston
1,725 km²
Spain
United States
Area Comparison
Barcelona is 17.1x smaller than Houston
Population Comparison
Barcelona has 1.4x fewer people than Houston
Houston is significantly larger, covering 17.1 times the area of Barcelona. Houston spans 1,725 km² (666 mi²) while Barcelona covers 101 km² (39 mi²) — a difference of 1,624 km². You could fit Barcelona inside Houston approximately 17 times.
To put Barcelona's size in perspective, its area of 101 km² is roughly the same size as Paris (city proper). Meanwhile, Houston at 1,725 km² is roughly the same size as London.
Barcelona's footprint is roughly about 14,000 American football fields, 50 times the area of Monaco, or 30 times the area of Central Park — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. For Houston, that's about 242,000 American football fields, 29 times the area of Manhattan, or 16 times the area of Paris.
Barcelona is a city on the northeastern coast of Spain. It is the capital and largest city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, as well as the second-most populous municipality of Spain. With a population of 1.7 million within city limits, its urban area extends to numerous neighbouring municipalities within the province of Barcelona and is home to around 5.7 million people, making it the fifth most populous urban area of the European Union after Paris, the Ruhr area, Madrid and Milan.
Known as "Ciutat Comtal", Barcelona covers 101 km² with a population of 1.7 million. The city was founded around 230 BC. Barcelona is known for Sagrada Familia, Park Güell, La Rambla, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Barcelona Metro (TMB).
Barcelona is the second-most populous municipality in Spain and the capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia.
Houston is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the Southern United States. It is the fourth-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 2.3 million at the 2020 census. The Greater Houston metropolitan area, at 7.8 million residents, is the fifth-most populous metropolitan area in the nation and second-most populous in Texas. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, Houston is the county seat of Harris County.
Often called "Space City", Houston has an area of 1,725 km² and is home to 2.3 million people. The city dates back to 1836. Visitors come for NASA Johnson Space Center, Space Center Houston, Houston Astros, and much more.
Houston is the fourth-most populous US city with 2.3 million residents at the 2020 census, leading the entire South.
Barcelona has a population density of 16,436 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Houston, with 1,333 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Barcelona is dramatically more crowded, with 12.3x the population density.
Size Ratio
Barcelona fits inside Houston ~17 times
Density Gap
Barcelona is 12.3x more densely populated
History
Barcelona is ~2,066 years older
Barcelona covers 101 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Lisbon (100 km²), Paris (105 km²), Copenhagen (91 km²), Vancouver (115 km²), or Zurich (88 km²).
Houston covers 1,725 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Riyadh (1,798 km²), Johannesburg (1,644 km²), Bogotá (1,578 km²), London (1,572 km²), or Bangkok (1,569 km²).
The straight-line distance from Barcelona to Houston is 8,445 km (5,248 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~10h 26m.
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