Buenos Aires
203 km²
Cape Town
2,455 km²
Argentina
South Africa
Area Comparison
Buenos Aires is 12.1x smaller than Cape Town
Population Comparison
Buenos Aires has 1.2x fewer people than Cape Town
Cape Town is significantly larger, covering 12.1 times the area of Buenos Aires. Cape Town spans 2,455 km² (948 mi²) while Buenos Aires covers 203 km² (78 mi²) — a difference of 2,252 km². You could fit Buenos Aires inside Cape Town approximately 12 times.
To put Buenos Aires's size in perspective, its area of 203 km² is roughly the same size as Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Cape Town at 2,455 km² is roughly the same size as Moscow.
In more relatable units, Buenos Aires's 203 km² is about 28,000 American football fields, 100 times the area of Monaco, or 60 times the area of Central Park. Cape Town, by comparison, equals about 344,000 American football fields, 42 times the area of Manhattan, or 23 times the area of Paris.
Buenos Aires, officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, is the capital and largest city of Argentina. It is located on the southwest of the Río de la Plata. Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− global city, according to the GaWC 2024 ranking. The city proper has a population of 3.1 million and its urban area has a population of 16.7 million, making it the 21st most populous metropolitan area in the world.
Known as "Paris of South America", Buenos Aires covers 203 km² with a population of 3.1 million. The city was established in 1536. Buenos Aires is known for La Boca's Caminito, Recoleta Cemetery, Teatro Colón, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Buenos Aires Subte.
Buenos Aires is classified as an Alpha− global city according to the GaWC 2024 ranking.
Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's second-largest city by population, after Johannesburg, and the largest city in the Western Cape. The city is part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality.
Nicknamed "The Mother City", Cape Town has an area of 2,455 km² and is home to 3.8 million people. It was established in 1652. Visitors come for Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope, Robben Island, and much more.
Cape Town is South Africa's oldest city, founded in 1652 and home to the seat of the national Parliament.
Buenos Aires has a population density of 15,074 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Cape Town, with 1,540 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Buenos Aires is dramatically more crowded, with 9.8x the population density.
Size Ratio
Buenos Aires fits inside Cape Town ~12 times
Density Gap
Buenos Aires is 9.8x more densely populated
History
Buenos Aires is ~116 years older
Buenos Aires covers 203 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Helsinki (214 km²), Amsterdam (219 km²), Stockholm (188 km²), Osaka (225 km²), or Boston (232 km²).
Cape Town covers 2,455 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Moscow (2,511 km²), Lima (2,672 km²), Tokyo (2,194 km²), Ho Chi Minh City (2,061 km²), or Shenzhen (1,997 km²).
The straight-line distance from Buenos Aires to Cape Town is 6,870 km (4,269 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~8h 35m.
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