Berlin
892 km²
San Francisco
121 km²
Germany
USA
Area Comparison
Berlin is 7.4x larger than San Francisco
Population Comparison
Berlin has 4.2x more people than San Francisco
Yes — Berlin is 7.4x larger than San Francisco by area. Berlin spans 892 km² (344 mi²) while San Francisco covers 121 km² (47 mi²) — a difference of 771 km². You could fit San Francisco inside Berlin approximately 7 times.
To put Berlin's size in perspective, its area of 892 km² is about 1.1x the size of New York City. Meanwhile, San Francisco at 121 km² is about 1.2x the size of Paris (city proper).
Picture Berlin another way: its area is large enough to fit about 125,000 American football fields, 15 times the area of Manhattan, or 8 times the area of Paris. San Francisco, by comparison, equals about 17,000 American football fields, 60 times the area of Monaco, or 35 times the area of Central Park.
Berlin is the capital of Germany, as well as its largest city by both area and population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the highest population within its city limits of any city in the European Union. The city is also one of the states of Germany, being the third-smallest state in the country by area. Berlin is surrounded by the state of Brandenburg, bordering Brandenburg's capital Potsdam to the southwest.
Berlin covers 892 km² with a population of 3.6 million. The city was established in 1237. Berlin is known for Brandenburg Gate, Berlin Wall, Reichstag Building, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the BVG (U-Bahn & S-Bahn).
Berlin holds the highest population within city limits of any city in the European Union, with 3.7 million inhabitants.
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.
Nicknamed "The City by the Bay", San Francisco has an area of 121 km² and is home to 0.9 million people. It was established in 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.
Looking beyond city limits, the San Francisco metropolitan area covers 6,984 km², which is 1.9x larger than greater Berlin at 3,743 km². The Berlin metro area is also more populous, with 6.1 million people compared to 4.7 million.
Berlin has a population density of 4,092 people per km² — a moderately dense city. San Francisco, with 7,190 people per km², is a densely populated city. San Francisco is noticeably denser, packing 1.8 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Berlin in Europe versus San Francisco in North America. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Berlin has a oceanic climate while San Francisco experiences Mediterranean conditions. When it's noon in Berlin, it's 3:00 AM in San Francisco — a 9-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
San Francisco fits inside Berlin ~7 times
Density Gap
San Francisco is 1.8x more densely populated
Time Difference
9 hours apart
History
Berlin is ~539 years older
Berlin covers 892 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Santiago (838 km²), Kyoto (828 km²), San Diego (964 km²), Abu Dhabi (972 km²), or Dallas (997 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 Berlin to San Francisco is 9,105 km (5,658 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~11h 13m.
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