Chennai
427 km²
Shanghai
6,341 km²
City Map Compare/Chennai vs Shanghaivs
vs
5 km
India
China
Area Comparison
Chennai is 14.9x smaller than Shanghai
Population Comparison
Chennai has 3.8x fewer people than Shanghai
Shanghai is significantly larger, covering 14.9 times the area of Chennai. Shanghai spans 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) while Chennai covers 427 km² (165 mi²) — a difference of 5,914 km². You could fit Chennai inside Shanghai approximately 14 times.
To put Chennai's size in perspective, its area of 427 km² is about 1.4x smaller than Seoul. Meanwhile, Shanghai at 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro.
Chennai's footprint is roughly about 60,000 American football fields, 130 times the area of Central Park, or 7 times the area of Manhattan — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. For Shanghai, that's about 888,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Manhattan, or 60 times the area of Paris.
Chennai, also known as Madras, is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. As per the 2011 Indian census, Chennai is the sixth-most-populous city in India and forms the fourth-most-populous urban agglomeration. The city is coterminous with Chennai district, which together with the adjoining suburbs constitutes the Chennai Metropolitan Area, one of the largest metropolitan areas of India.
Known as "Madras", Chennai covers 427 km² with a population of 6.6 million. The city was established in 1639. Chennai is known for Marina Beach, Kapaleeshwarar Temple, Fort St. George, among other attractions.
Chennai, formerly Madras, is the capital of Tamil Nadu and the sixth-most-populous city in India.
Shanghai is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. It has a population of 29,558,908 in the urban area as of 2025. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the Huangpu River bisecting the city. Shanghai is a global center for finance, business and economics, research, science and technology, manufacturing, transportation, tourism, and culture. The Port of Shanghai is the world's busiest container port.
Nicknamed "Pearl of the Orient", Shanghai has an area of 6,341 km² and is home to 24.9 million people. It was established in 1291. Visitors come for The Bund, Oriental Pearl Tower, Shanghai Tower, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Shanghai Metro.
Shanghai's urban population reached 29.5 million in 2025, making it the most populous urban area in all of China.
Chennai has a population density of 15,457 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. Shanghai, with 3,922 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Chennai is dramatically more crowded, with 3.9x the population density.
Size Ratio
Chennai fits inside Shanghai ~14 times
Density Gap
Chennai is 3.9x more densely populated
History
Shanghai is ~348 years older
Chennai covers 427 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Vienna (415 km²), Oslo (454 km²), Denver (401 km²), Portland (376 km²), or Philadelphia (370 km²).
Shanghai covers 6,341 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Perth (6,417 km²), Istanbul (5,461 km²), Guangzhou (7,434 km²), Wuhan (8,569 km²), or Dubai (4,114 km²).
The straight-line distance from Chennai to Shanghai is 4,662 km (2,897 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~5h 59m.
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