Boston
232 km²
London
1,572 km²
USA
UK
Area Comparison
Boston is 6.8x smaller than London
Population Comparison
Boston has 13.2x fewer people than London
London is significantly larger, covering 6.8 times the area of Boston. London spans 1,572 km² (607 mi²) while Boston covers 232 km² (90 mi²) — a difference of 1,340 km². You could fit Boston inside London approximately 6 times.
To put Boston's size in perspective, its area of 232 km² is roughly the same size as Amsterdam. Meanwhile, London at 1,572 km² is about 1.4x smaller than Tokyo (city proper).
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. London, by comparison, equals about 220,000 American football fields, 27 times the area of Manhattan, or 15 times the area of Paris.
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
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of 9.1 million people in 2024. Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Western Europe, with a population of 15.1 million. London stands on the River Thames in southeast England, at the head of a 50-mile (80 km) tidal estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years.
Also known as "The Big Smoke", London has an area of 1,572 km² and is home to 9.0 million people. The city dates back to 43. Visitors come for Big Ben, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, and much more. Getting around is easy with the London Underground.
London has been a major settlement for nearly 2,000 years, tracing its roots back to Roman times around 47 AD.
Looking beyond city limits, the Boston metropolitan area covers 11,700 km², which is 1.4x larger than greater London at 8,382 km². The London metro area is also more populous, with 14.3 million people compared to 4.9 million.
Boston has a population density of 2,931 people per km² — a moderately dense city. London, with 5,712 people per km², is a densely populated city. London is noticeably denser, packing 1.9 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Boston in North America versus London in Europe. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Boston has a humid continental climate while London experiences oceanic conditions. When it's noon in London, it's 7:00 AM in Boston — a 5-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Boston fits inside London ~6 times
Density Gap
London is 1.9x more densely populated
Time Difference
5 hours apart
History
London is ~1,587 years older
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).
London covers 1,572 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Bangkok (1,569 km²), Bogotá (1,578 km²), São Paulo (1,521 km²), Johannesburg (1,644 km²), or Mexico City (1,485 km²).
The straight-line distance from Boston to London is 5,264 km (3,271 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~6h 42m.
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