City Map Compare/Boston vs Kyoto
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Boston

232 km²

Kyoto

828 km²

Boston vs Kyoto - City Size Comparison

Boston vs Kyoto - City Size Comparison

Boston

USA

Area232 km²
Population0.68M
Density2,931 /km²
Elevation43 m
Metro Pop.4.9M
Founded1630
Climatehumid continental
Kyoto

Japan

Area828 km²
Population1.46M
Density1,763 /km²
Founded794

Area Comparison

Boston is 3.6x smaller than Kyoto

Population Comparison

Boston has 2.1x fewer people than Kyoto

Is Boston Bigger Than Kyoto?

Yes — Kyoto is 3.6x larger than Boston by area. Kyoto spans 828 km² (320 mi²) while Boston covers 232 km² (90 mi²) — a difference of 596 km². You could fit Boston inside Kyoto approximately 3 times.

To put Boston's size in perspective, its area of 232 km² is roughly the same size as Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Kyoto at 828 km² is roughly the same size as New York City.

Picture Boston another way: its area is large enough to fit about 32,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Monaco, or 68 times the area of Central Park. Kyoto works out to about 116,000 American football fields, 14 times the area of Manhattan, or 8 times the area of Paris.

About Boston

Boston is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. It serves as a cultural and financial center of New England, a region of the Northeastern United States. Boston has an area of 48.4 sq mi (125 km2) and a population of 675,647 as of the 2020 census, making it the third-most populous city in the Northeastern United States after New York City and Philadelphia.

Known as "Beantown", Boston covers 232 km² with a population of 0.7 million. The city was established in 1630. Boston is known for Fenway Park, Freedom Trail, Harvard University, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the MBTA (The T).

Boston covers just 125 km2 yet serves as the cultural and financial heart of all New England

About Kyoto

Kyoto, officially Kyoto City , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. As of 2020, the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it the ninth-most populous city in Japan. More than half (56.8%) of Kyoto Prefecture's population resides in the city. The city is the cultural anchor of the substantially larger Greater Kyoto, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) home to a census-estimated 3.8 million people.

Nicknamed "Thousand-Year Capital", Kyoto has an area of 828 km² and is home to 1.5 million people. Its history stretches back to 794. Visitors come for Fushimi Inari Shrine, Kinkaku-ji Golden Pavilion, Gion geisha district, and much more.

More than half of Kyoto Prefecture's entire population lives within Kyoto City itself.

Population Density

Boston has a population density of 2,931 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Kyoto, with 1,763 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Boston is noticeably denser, packing 1.7 times more people per square kilometer.

Key Differences at a Glance

Size Ratio

Boston fits inside Kyoto ~3 times

Density Gap

Boston is 1.7x more densely populated

History

Kyoto is ~836 years older

Cities Similar in Size to Boston

Boston covers 232 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Osaka (225 km²), Kuala Lumpur (243 km²), Amsterdam (219 km²), Helsinki (214 km²), or Edinburgh (259 km²).

Cities Similar in Size to Kyoto

Kyoto covers 828 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Santiago (838 km²), New York (783 km²), Berlin (892 km²), Hamburg (755 km²), or Bangalore (741 km²).

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Boston actually bigger than Kyoto?
Kyoto is 3.6 times larger than Boston by area. Kyoto covers 828 km² while Boston spans 232 km², a difference of 596 km².
How many times does Boston fit inside Kyoto?
Boston (232 km²) fits inside Kyoto (828 km²) approximately 3 times. That means Kyoto is 3.6x the area of Boston.
What is the population difference between Boston and Kyoto?
Kyoto has approximately 1.5 million people, while Boston has about 0.7 million. Kyoto has 0.8 million more residents.
Which city is more densely populated, Boston or Kyoto?
Boston is more densely populated with 2,931 people per km², compared to 1,763 people per km².
Which city is older, Boston or Kyoto?
Kyoto is older, founded around 794, while Boston was established around 1630 — a difference of about 836 years.
How does the map comparison work?
Our synchronized map comparison tool displays both cities at the same zoom level. When you zoom in or out on one map, the other automatically adjusts to maintain the same scale, allowing you to directly compare the relative sizes of both cities.
Can I compare other cities?
Yes! Use the city selectors at the top of the page to choose any two cities from our database of 50+ major cities worldwide, or enter custom coordinates for any location.

Distance Between Boston and Kyoto

The straight-line distance from Boston to Kyoto is 10,989 km (6,828 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~13h 26m.

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