City Map Compare/Buenos Aires vs San Diego
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5 km
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Buenos Aires

203 km²

San Diego

964 km²

Buenos Aires vs San Diego - City Size Comparison

Buenos Aires vs San Diego - City Size Comparison

Buenos Aires

Argentina

Area203 km²
Population3.06M
Density15,074 /km²
Elevation25 m
Metro Pop.15.2M
Founded1536
Climatehumid subtropical
San Diego

United States

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

Area Comparison

Buenos Aires is 4.7x smaller than San Diego

Population Comparison

Buenos Aires has 2.2x more people than San Diego

Is Buenos Aires Bigger Than San Diego?

San Diego is significantly larger, covering 4.7 times the area of Buenos Aires. San Diego spans 964 km² (372 mi²) while Buenos Aires covers 203 km² (78 mi²) — a difference of 761 km². You could fit Buenos Aires inside San Diego approximately 4 times.

To put Buenos Aires's size in perspective, its area of 203 km² is roughly the same size as Amsterdam. Meanwhile, San Diego at 964 km² is roughly the same size as Berlin.

Picture Buenos Aires another way: its area is large enough to fit about 28,000 American football fields, 100 times the area of Monaco, or 60 times the area of Central Park. For San Diego, that's about 135,000 American football fields, 16 times the area of Manhattan, or 9 times the area of Paris.

About Buenos Aires

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.

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.

Nicknamed "America's Finest City", San Diego has an area of 964 km² and is home to 1.4 million people. Its history stretches 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

Buenos Aires has a population density of 15,074 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. San Diego, with 1,442 people per km², is a relatively spread-out city. Buenos Aires is dramatically more crowded, with 10.5x the population density.

Key Differences at a Glance

Size Ratio

Buenos Aires fits inside San Diego ~4 times

Density Gap

Buenos Aires is 10.5x more densely populated

History

Buenos Aires is ~233 years older

Cities Similar in Size to Buenos Aires

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).

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

Which is larger, Buenos Aires or San Diego?
San Diego is 4.7 times larger than Buenos Aires by area. San Diego covers 964 km² while Buenos Aires spans 203 km², a difference of 761 km².
How many times does Buenos Aires fit inside San Diego?
Buenos Aires (203 km²) fits inside San Diego (964 km²) approximately 4 times. That means San Diego is 4.7x the area of Buenos Aires.
What is the population difference between Buenos Aires and San Diego?
Buenos Aires has approximately 3.1 million people, while San Diego has about 1.4 million. Buenos Aires has 1.7 million more residents.
Which city is more densely populated, Buenos Aires or San Diego?
Buenos Aires is more densely populated with 15,074 people per km², compared to 1,442 people per km².
Which city is older, Buenos Aires or San Diego?
Buenos Aires is older, founded around 1536, while San Diego was established around 1769 — a difference of about 233 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 Buenos Aires and San Diego

The straight-line distance from Buenos Aires to San Diego is 9,676 km (6,012 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~11h 53m.

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