Boston
232 km²
São Paulo
1,521 km²
USA
Brazil
Area Comparison
Boston is 6.6x smaller than São Paulo
Population Comparison
Boston has 18.1x fewer people than São Paulo
In terms of area, São Paulo is 6.6x the size of Boston. São Paulo spans 1,521 km² (587 mi²) while Boston covers 232 km² (90 mi²) — a difference of 1,289 km². You could fit Boston inside São Paulo approximately 6 times.
To put Boston's size in perspective, its area of 232 km² is roughly the same size as Amsterdam. Meanwhile, São Paulo at 1,521 km² is roughly the same size as London.
Boston's footprint is roughly about 32,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Monaco, or 68 times the area of Central Park — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. For São Paulo, that's about 213,000 American football fields, 26 times the area of Manhattan, or 14 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
São Paulo is the capital city of the state of the same name, as well as the most populous city in Brazil, South America, the Americas, and in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres. The city exerts international influence in commerce, finance, culture, gastronomy, arts, fashion, technology, entertainment and media, having been listed by UNESCO's Creative Cities Network as a "City of Film" and the title of "World Capital of Gastronomy", and by the Globalization and World Cities Research…
Also known as "Sampa", São Paulo has an area of 1,521 km² and is home to 12.3 million people. It was established in 1554. Visitors come for Avenida Paulista, Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo Museum of Art, and much more. Getting around is easy with the São Paulo Metro.
São Paulo is the most populous city in Brazil, the Americas, and both the Western and Southern Hemispheres.
Looking beyond city limits, the Boston metropolitan area covers 11,700 km², which is 1.5x larger than greater São Paulo at 7,947 km². The São Paulo metro area is also more populous, with 22.0 million people compared to 4.9 million.
Boston has a population density of 2,931 people per km² — a moderately dense city. São Paulo, with 8,107 people per km², is a densely populated city. São Paulo is noticeably denser, packing 2.8 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Boston in North America versus São Paulo in South America. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Boston has a humid continental climate while São Paulo experiences humid subtropical conditions. Winters differ dramatically: São Paulo stays around 17°C while Boston drops to -1°C. When it's noon in São Paulo, it's 10:00 AM in Boston — a 2-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Boston fits inside São Paulo ~6 times
Density Gap
São Paulo is 2.8x more densely populated
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).
São Paulo covers 1,521 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Mexico City (1,485 km²), Delhi (1,484 km²), Bangkok (1,569 km²), London (1,572 km²), or Bogotá (1,578 km²).
The straight-line distance from Boston to São Paulo is 7,746 km (4,813 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~9h 37m.
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