Cape Town
2,455 km²
Lisbon
100 km²
South Africa
Portugal
Area Comparison
Cape Town is 24.6x larger than Lisbon
Population Comparison
Cape Town has 6.9x more people than Lisbon
Yes — Cape Town is 24.6x larger than Lisbon by area. Cape Town spans 2,455 km² (948 mi²) while Lisbon covers 100 km² (39 mi²) — a difference of 2,355 km². You could fit Lisbon inside Cape Town approximately 24 times.
To put Cape Town's size in perspective, its area of 2,455 km² is roughly the same size as Moscow. Meanwhile, Lisbon at 100 km² is roughly the same size as Paris (city proper).
Picture Cape Town another way: its area is large enough to fit about 344,000 American football fields, 42 times the area of Manhattan, or 23 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.
Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's second-largest city by population, after Johannesburg, and the largest city in the Western Cape. The city is part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality.
Known as "The Mother City", Cape Town covers 2,455 km² with a population of 3.8 million. The city was established in 1652. Cape Town is known for Table Mountain, Cape of Good Hope, Robben Island, among other attractions.
Cape Town is South Africa's oldest city, founded in 1652 and home to the seat of the national Parliament.
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.
Often called "City of Seven Hills", Lisbon has an area of 100 km² and is home to 0.6 million people. The city dates back to 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.
Cape Town has a population density of 1,540 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Lisbon, with 5,500 people per km², is a densely populated city. Lisbon is dramatically more crowded, with 3.6x the population density.
Size Ratio
Lisbon fits inside Cape Town ~24 times
Density Gap
Lisbon is 3.6x more densely populated
History
Lisbon is ~2,852 years older
Cape Town covers 2,455 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Moscow (2,511 km²), Lima (2,672 km²), Tokyo (2,194 km²), Ho Chi Minh City (2,061 km²), or Shenzhen (1,997 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 Cape Town to Lisbon is 8,563 km (5,321 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~10h 34m.
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