Cairo
3,085 km²
Kuala Lumpur
243 km²
Egypt
Malaysia
Area Comparison
Cairo is 12.7x larger than Kuala Lumpur
Population Comparison
Cairo has 5.1x more people than Kuala Lumpur
In terms of area, Cairo is 12.7x the size of Kuala Lumpur. Cairo spans 3,085 km² (1,191 mi²) while Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km² (94 mi²) — a difference of 2,842 km². You could fit Kuala Lumpur inside Cairo approximately 12 times.
To put Cairo's size in perspective, its area of 3,085 km² is about 1.2x the size of Luxembourg. Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur at 243 km² is about 1.1x the size of Amsterdam.
In more relatable units, Cairo's 3,085 km² is about 432,000 American football fields, 52 times the area of Manhattan, or 29 times the area of Paris. Kuala Lumpur, by comparison, equals about 34,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Monaco, or 71 times the area of Central Park.
Cairo is the capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate. It is home to more than 9.8 million people. It is also part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa, the Arab world, and the Middle East. The Greater Cairo metropolitan area is one of the largest in the world by population with over 22 million people. Areas of what would become Cairo were inhabited from pre-dynastic and early-dynastic ancient Egypt c.
Known as "The City of a Thousand Minarets", Cairo covers 3,085 km² with a population of 10.1 million. The city was established in 969. Cairo is known for Pyramids of Giza, Great Sphinx, Egyptian Museum, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Cairo Metro.
Cairo is home to more than 9.8 million people and is part of the largest urban agglomeration in Africa and the Arab world.
Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a federal territory of Malaysia. It is the most populous city in the country, covering an area of 243 km2 (94 sq mi) with a population of 2,075,600 as of 2024. Greater Kuala Lumpur, which itself includes the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 8.8 million people as of 2024. It is among the fastest growing metropolitan regions in Southeast Asia, in terms of both population and economic development.
Nicknamed "KL", Kuala Lumpur has an area of 243 km² and is home to 2.0 million people. Its history stretches back to 1857. Visitors come for Petronas Twin Towers, Batu Caves, Merdeka 118, and much more. Getting around is easy with the RapidKL (LRT, MRT & Monorail).
Kuala Lumpur packs 2.07 million people into just 243 km2, making it Malaysia's most populous city by far
Looking beyond city limits, the Cairo metropolitan area covers 6,588 km², which is 2.4x larger than greater Kuala Lumpur at 2,793 km². The Cairo metro area is also more populous, with 21.3 million people compared to 8.4 million.
Cairo has a population density of 3,274 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Kuala Lumpur, with 8,148 people per km², is a densely populated city. Kuala Lumpur is noticeably denser, packing 2.5 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Cairo in Africa versus Kuala Lumpur in Asia. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Cairo has a hot desert climate while Kuala Lumpur experiences tropical rainforest conditions. When it's noon in Kuala Lumpur, it's 6:00 AM in Cairo — a 6-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Kuala Lumpur fits inside Cairo ~12 times
Density Gap
Kuala Lumpur is 2.5x more densely populated
Time Difference
6 hours apart
History
Cairo is ~888 years older
Cairo covers 3,085 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Hanoi (3,359 km²), Karachi (3,527 km²), Lima (2,672 km²), Moscow (2,511 km²), or Cape Town (2,455 km²).
Kuala Lumpur covers 243 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Boston (232 km²), Edinburgh (259 km²), Osaka (225 km²), Amsterdam (219 km²), or Taipei (272 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cairo to Kuala Lumpur is 7,955 km (4,943 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~9h 52m.
Want to explore more? Compare city sizes for any two cities worldwide, or share your location live with friends.