City Map Compare/Brisbane vs San Diego
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Brisbane

15,826 km²

San Diego

964 km²

Brisbane vs San Diego - City Size Comparison

Brisbane vs San Diego - City Size Comparison

Brisbane

Australia

Area15,826 km²
Population2.71M
Density171 /km²
Elevation0 m
Founded1824
San Diego

United States

Area964 km²
Population1.39M
Density1,442 /km²
Elevation422 m
Founded1769

Area Comparison

Brisbane is 16.4x larger than San Diego

Population Comparison

Brisbane has 1.9x more people than San Diego

Is Brisbane Bigger Than San Diego?

Yes — Brisbane is 16.4x larger than San Diego by area. Brisbane spans 15,826 km² (6,110 mi²) while San Diego covers 964 km² (372 mi²) — a difference of 14,862 km². You could fit San Diego inside Brisbane approximately 16 times.

To put Brisbane's size in perspective, its area of 15,826 km² is about 2.5x the size of Shanghai. Meanwhile, San Diego at 964 km² is roughly the same size as Berlin.

Picture Brisbane another way: its area is large enough to fit about 2,200,000 American football fields, 150 times the area of Paris, or 130 times the area of San Francisco. San Diego works out to about 135,000 American football fields, 16 times the area of Manhattan, or 9 times the area of Paris.

About Brisbane

Brisbane is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Queensland and the third-most populous city in Australia, with a population of approximately 2.8 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of South East Queensland, a bio-geographical and urban region with an estimated population of 4.1 million as of 2024. The central business district is situated within a peninsula of the Brisbane River approximately 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) from its mouth at Moreton Bay.

Known as "Brissy", Brisbane covers 15,826 km² with a population of 2.7 million. The city was established in 1824. Brisbane is known for Brisbane River, South Bank Parklands, Story Bridge, among other attractions.

Brisbane is Queensland's capital and Australia's third-most populous city with around 2.8 million residents.

About San Diego

San Diego is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. It is the eighth-most populous city in the U.S. and second-most populous city in California with a population of over 1.4 million, while the San Diego metropolitan area with over 3.3 million residents is the 18th-largest metropolitan area in the country. San Diego is the county seat of San Diego County.

Also known as "America's Finest City", San Diego has an area of 964 km² and is home to 1.4 million people. The city dates back to 1769. Visitors come for San Diego Zoo, Balboa Park, Coronado Beach, and much more.

San Diego sits directly on the Mexico-United States border, making it California's southwesternmost major city.

Population Density

Brisbane has a population density of 171 people per km² — a low-density, sprawling urban area. San Diego, with 1,442 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. San Diego is dramatically more crowded, with 8.4x the population density.

Key Differences at a Glance

Size Ratio

San Diego fits inside Brisbane ~16 times

Density Gap

San Diego is 8.4x more densely populated

Cities Similar in Size to Brisbane

Brisbane covers 15,826 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Beijing (16,411 km²), Hangzhou (16,854 km²), Chengdu (14,378 km²), Sydney (12,368 km²), or Xi'an (10,097 km²).

Cities Similar in Size to San Diego

San Diego covers 964 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Abu Dhabi (972 km²), Dallas (997 km²), Berlin (892 km²), Santiago (838 km²), or Hong Kong (1,114 km²).

Related Comparisons

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Brisbane bigger than San Diego?
Brisbane is 16.4 times larger than San Diego by area. Brisbane covers 15,826 km² while San Diego spans 964 km², a difference of 14,862 km².
How many times does San Diego fit inside Brisbane?
San Diego (964 km²) fits inside Brisbane (15,826 km²) approximately 16 times. That means Brisbane is 16.4x the area of San Diego.
What is the population difference between Brisbane and San Diego?
Brisbane has approximately 2.7 million people, while San Diego has about 1.4 million. Brisbane has 1.3 million more residents.
Which city is more densely populated, Brisbane or San Diego?
San Diego is more densely populated with 1,442 people per km², compared to 171 people per km².
Which city is older, Brisbane or San Diego?
San Diego is older, founded around 1769, while Brisbane was established around 1824 — a difference of about 55 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 Brisbane and San Diego

The straight-line distance from Brisbane to San Diego is 11,596 km (7,206 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~14h 9m.

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