Brisbane
15,826 km²
Sydney
12,368 km²
Australia
Australia
Area Comparison
Brisbane is 1.3x larger than Sydney
Population Comparison
Brisbane has 2.0x fewer people than Sydney
In terms of area, Brisbane is 1.3x the size of Sydney. Brisbane spans 15,826 km² (6,110 mi²) while Sydney covers 12,368 km² (4,775 mi²) — a difference of 3,458 km².
To put Brisbane's size in perspective, its area of 15,826 km² is about 2.5x the size of Shanghai. Meanwhile, Sydney at 12,368 km² is about 2.0x the size of Shanghai.
Brisbane's footprint is roughly about 2,200,000 American football fields, 150 times the area of Paris, or 130 times the area of San Francisco — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Sydney, by comparison, equals about 1,700,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Paris, or 100 times the area of San Francisco.
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.
Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and is the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west, and about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and the Hawkesbury River in the north and north-west, to the Royal National Park and Macarthur in the south and south-west.
Nicknamed "Sydneysiders", Sydney has an area of 12,368 km² and is home to 5.3 million people. The city dates back to 1788. Visitors come for Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Sydney Trains.
Sydney stretches roughly 80 km from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west.
Brisbane has a population density of 171 people per km² — a low-density, sprawling urban area. Sydney, with 429 people per km², is a low-density, sprawling urban area. Sydney is noticeably denser, packing 2.5 times more people per square kilometer.
Density Gap
Sydney is 2.5x more densely populated
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).
Sydney covers 12,368 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Chengdu (14,378 km²), Xi'an (10,097 km²), Melbourne (9,993 km²), Brisbane (15,826 km²), or Beijing (16,411 km²).
The straight-line distance from Brisbane to Sydney is 733 km (455 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~1h 22m.
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