Cairo
3,085 km²
Lisbon
100 km²
Egypt
Portugal
Area Comparison
Cairo is 30.9x larger than Lisbon
Population Comparison
Cairo has 18.4x more people than Lisbon
In terms of area, Cairo is 30.9x the size of Lisbon. Cairo spans 3,085 km² (1,191 mi²) while Lisbon covers 100 km² (39 mi²) — a difference of 2,985 km². You could fit Lisbon inside Cairo approximately 30 times.
To put Cairo's size in perspective, its area of 3,085 km² is about 1.2x the size of Luxembourg. Meanwhile, Lisbon at 100 km² is roughly the same size as Paris (city proper).
Picture Cairo another way: its area is large enough to fit about 432,000 American football fields, 52 times the area of Manhattan, or 29 times the area of Paris. Lisbon works out to about 14,000 American football fields, 50 times the area of Monaco, or 29 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.
Lisbon is the capital and most populous city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 575,739 as of 2024, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainland Europe's westernmost capital city, and the only one along the Atlantic coast, the others being on islands. The city lies in the western portion of the Iberian Peninsula, on the northern shore of the River Tagus.
Nicknamed "City of Seven Hills", Lisbon has an area of 100 km² and is home to 0.6 million people. It was founded around 1200 BC. Visitors come for Belém Tower, Jerónimos Monastery, Tram 28, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Lisbon Metro.
Lisbon is mainland Europe's westernmost capital city and the only European capital along the Atlantic coast.
Looking beyond city limits, the Cairo metropolitan area covers 6,588 km², which is 2.2x larger than greater Lisbon at 3,015 km². The Cairo metro area is also more populous, with 21.3 million people compared to 2.9 million.
Cairo has a population density of 3,274 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Lisbon, with 5,500 people per km², is a densely populated city. Lisbon is noticeably denser, packing 1.7 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Cairo in Africa versus Lisbon in Europe. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Cairo has a hot desert climate while Lisbon experiences Mediterranean conditions. When it's noon in Cairo, it's 10:00 AM in Lisbon — a 2-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Lisbon fits inside Cairo ~30 times
Density Gap
Lisbon is 1.7x more densely populated
History
Lisbon is ~2,169 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).
Lisbon covers 100 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Barcelona (101 km²), Paris (105 km²), Copenhagen (91 km²), Zurich (88 km²), or Vancouver (115 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cairo to Lisbon is 3,796 km (2,359 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~4h 58m.
Want to explore more? Compare city sizes for any two cities worldwide, or share your location live with friends.