Brisbane
15,826 km²
Shanghai
6,341 km²
Australia
China
Area Comparison
Brisbane is 2.5x larger than Shanghai
Population Comparison
Brisbane has 9.2x fewer people than Shanghai
Yes — Brisbane is 2.5x larger than Shanghai by area. Brisbane spans 15,826 km² (6,110 mi²) while Shanghai covers 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) — a difference of 9,485 km². You could fit Shanghai inside Brisbane approximately 2 times.
To put Brisbane's size in perspective, its area of 15,826 km² is about 2.5x the size of Shanghai. Meanwhile, Shanghai at 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro.
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. For Shanghai, that's about 888,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Manhattan, or 60 times the area of Paris.
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.
Shanghai is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. It has a population of 29,558,908 in the urban area as of 2025. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River bisecting the city. Shanghai is a global center for finance, business and economics, research, science and technology, manufacturing, transportation, tourism, and culture. The Port of Shanghai is the world's busiest container port.
Nicknamed "Pearl of the Orient", Shanghai has an area of 6,341 km² and is home to 24.9 million people. Its history stretches back to 1291. Visitors come for The Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Shanghai Metro.
Shanghai's urban population reached 29.5 million in 2025, making it the most populous urban area in all of China.
Brisbane has a population density of 171 people per km² — a low-density, sprawling urban area. Shanghai, with 3,922 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Shanghai is dramatically more crowded, with 22.9x the population density.
Size Ratio
Shanghai fits inside Brisbane ~2 times
Density Gap
Shanghai is 22.9x more densely populated
History
Shanghai is ~533 years older
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).
Shanghai covers 6,341 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Perth (6,417 km²), Istanbul (5,461 km²), Guangzhou (7,434 km²), Wuhan (8,569 km²), or Dubai (4,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Brisbane to Shanghai is 7,334 km (4,557 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~9h 8m.
Want to explore more? Compare city sizes for any two cities worldwide, or share your location live with friends.