Buenos Aires
203 km²
Nairobi
696 km²
Argentina
Kenya
Area Comparison
Buenos Aires is 3.4x smaller than Nairobi
Population Comparison
Buenos Aires has 1.5x fewer people than Nairobi
Nairobi is significantly larger, covering 3.4 times the area of Buenos Aires. Nairobi spans 696 km² (269 mi²) while Buenos Aires covers 203 km² (78 mi²) — a difference of 493 km². You could fit Buenos Aires inside Nairobi approximately 3 times.
To put Buenos Aires's size in perspective, its area of 203 km² is roughly the same size as Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Nairobi at 696 km² is about 1.1x smaller than New York City.
Buenos Aires's footprint is roughly about 28,000 American football fields, 100 times the area of Monaco, or 60 times the area of Central Park — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Nairobi works out to about 97,000 American football fields, 12 times the area of Manhattan, or 7 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.
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya, located in the south-central part of the country. As of 2024, it has a population of 4.8 million and a metropolitan population of 5.7 million, making it the 11th most populous city in Africa. Nicknamed the "Green City under the Sun", Nairobi is uniquely notable for being the only capital city in the world that hosts a national park within its boundaries. Its name originates from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, meaning "place of cool waters".
Also known as "Green City under the Sun", Nairobi has an area of 696 km² and is home to 4.7 million people. Its history stretches back to 1899. Visitors come for Nairobi National Park, Giraffe Centre, Karen Blixen Museum, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Nairobi Commuter Rail.
Nairobi is the only capital city in the world that hosts a national park within its boundaries.
Looking beyond city limits, the Buenos Aires metropolitan area covers 4,758 km², which is 6.8x larger than greater Nairobi at 696 km². The Buenos Aires metro area is also more populous, with 15.2 million people compared to 4.7 million.
Buenos Aires has a population density of 15,074 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Nairobi, with 6,796 people per km², is a densely populated city. Buenos Aires is noticeably denser, packing 2.2 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Buenos Aires in South America versus Nairobi in Africa. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Buenos Aires has a humid subtropical climate while Nairobi experiences subtropical highland conditions. When it's noon in Nairobi, it's 6:00 AM in Buenos Aires — a 6-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Buenos Aires fits inside Nairobi ~3 times
Density Gap
Buenos Aires is 2.2x more densely populated
Time Difference
6 hours apart
History
Buenos Aires is ~363 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).
Nairobi covers 696 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Tehran (730 km²), Jakarta (662 km²), Singapore (733 km²), Bangalore (741 km²), or Hyderabad (650 km²).
The straight-line distance from Buenos Aires to Nairobi is 10,402 km (6,463 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~12h 44m.
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