Cairo
3,085 km²
São Paulo
1,521 km²
Egypt
Brazil
Area Comparison
Cairo is 2.0x larger than São Paulo
Population Comparison
Cairo has 1.2x fewer people than São Paulo
Cairo is significantly larger, covering 2.0 times the area of São Paulo. Cairo spans 3,085 km² (1,191 mi²) while São Paulo covers 1,521 km² (587 mi²) — a difference of 1,564 km². You could fit São Paulo 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, São Paulo at 1,521 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. São Paulo, by comparison, equals about 213,000 American football fields, 26 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.
São Paulo is the capital city of the state of the same name, as well as the most populous city in Brazil, South America, the Americas, and in both the Western and Southern Hemispheres. The city exerts international influence in commerce, finance, culture, gastronomy, arts, fashion, technology, entertainment and media, having been listed by UNESCO's Creative Cities Network as a "City of Film" and the title of "World Capital of Gastronomy", and by the Globalization and World Cities Research…
Often called "Sampa", São Paulo has an area of 1,521 km² and is home to 12.3 million people. Its history stretches back to 1554. Visitors come for Avenida Paulista, Ibirapuera Park, São Paulo Museum of Art, and much more. Getting around is easy with the São Paulo Metro.
São Paulo is the most populous city in Brazil, the Americas, and both the Western and Southern Hemispheres.
Looking beyond city limits, the São Paulo metropolitan area covers 7,947 km², which is 1.2x larger than greater Cairo at 6,588 km². The São Paulo metro area is also more populous, with 22.0 million people compared to 21.3 million.
Cairo has a population density of 3,274 people per km² — a moderately dense city. São Paulo, with 8,107 people per km², is a densely populated city. São Paulo is noticeably denser, packing 2.5 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Cairo in Africa versus São Paulo in South America. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Cairo has a hot desert climate while São Paulo experiences humid subtropical conditions. When it's noon in Cairo, it's 7:00 AM in São Paulo — a 5-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
São Paulo fits inside Cairo ~2 times
Density Gap
São Paulo is 2.5x more densely populated
Time Difference
5 hours apart
History
Cairo is ~585 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).
São Paulo covers 1,521 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Mexico City (1,485 km²), Delhi (1,484 km²), Bangkok (1,569 km²), London (1,572 km²), or Bogotá (1,578 km²).
The straight-line distance from Cairo to São Paulo is 10,220 km (6,350 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~12h 31m.
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