Cairo
3,085 km²
Mexico City
1,485 km²
Egypt
Mexico
Area Comparison
Cairo is 2.1x larger than Mexico City
Population Comparison
Cairo has 1.1x more people than Mexico City
In terms of area, Cairo is 2.1x the size of Mexico City. Cairo spans 3,085 km² (1,191 mi²) while Mexico City covers 1,485 km² (573 mi²) — a difference of 1,600 km². You could fit Mexico City inside Cairo approximately 2 times.
To put Cairo's size in perspective, its area of 3,085 km² is about 1.2x the size of Luxembourg. Meanwhile, Mexico City at 1,485 km² is roughly the same size as London.
Cairo's footprint is roughly about 432,000 American football fields, 52 times the area of Manhattan, or 29 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Mexico City, by comparison, equals about 208,000 American football fields, 25 times the area of Manhattan, or 14 times the area of Paris.
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.
Mexico City is the capital and most populous city of Mexico, as well as the most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and financial centers in the world, and is classified as an Alpha world city according to the Globalization and World Cities Research Network (GaWC) 2024 ranking. Mexico City is located in the Valley of Mexico within the high Mexican central plateau, at an altitude of 2,240 meters.
Often called "CDMX", Mexico City has an area of 1,485 km² and is home to 9.2 million people. It was established in 1325. Visitors come for Zocalo square, Chapultepec Park, Frida Kahlo Museum, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Mexico City Metro.
Mexico City sits at an altitude of 2,240 meters in the Valley of Mexico on the high Mexican central plateau.
Looking beyond city limits, the Mexico City metropolitan area covers 7,854 km², which is 1.2x larger than greater Cairo at 6,588 km². The Mexico City metro area is also more populous, with 21.8 million people compared to 21.3 million.
Cairo has a population density of 3,274 people per km² — a moderately dense city. Mexico City, with 6,202 people per km², is a densely populated city. Mexico City is noticeably denser, packing 1.9 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Cairo in Africa versus Mexico City in North America. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Cairo has a hot desert climate while Mexico City experiences subtropical highland conditions. Summers are notably different: Cairo averages 29°C compared to 18°C in Mexico City. When it's noon in Cairo, it's 4:00 AM in Mexico City — a 8-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Mexico City fits inside Cairo ~2 times
Density Gap
Mexico City is 1.9x more densely populated
Time Difference
8 hours apart
History
Cairo is ~356 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).
Mexico City covers 1,485 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Delhi (1,484 km²), São Paulo (1,521 km²), Bangkok (1,569 km²), London (1,572 km²), or Bogotá (1,578 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cairo to Mexico City is 12,369 km (7,685 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~15h 3m.
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