Delhi
1,484 km²
San Francisco
121 km²
India
USA
Area Comparison
Delhi is 12.3x larger than San Francisco
Population Comparison
Delhi has 19.3x more people than San Francisco
Delhi is significantly larger, covering 12.3 times the area of San Francisco. Delhi spans 1,484 km² (573 mi²) while San Francisco covers 121 km² (47 mi²) — a difference of 1,363 km². You could fit San Francisco inside Delhi approximately 12 times.
To put Delhi's size in perspective, its area of 1,484 km² is roughly the same size as London. Meanwhile, San Francisco at 121 km² is about 1.2x the size of Paris (city proper).
Delhi's footprint is roughly about 208,000 American football fields, 25 times the area of Manhattan, or 14 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. San Francisco, by comparison, equals about 17,000 American football fields, 60 times the area of Monaco, or 35 times the area of Central Park.
Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a megacity and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its right bank, Delhi shares borders with the state of Uttar Pradesh in the east and with the state of Haryana in the remaining directions. Delhi became a union territory on 1 November 1956 and the NCT in 1995. The NCT covers an area of 1,484 square kilometres (573 sq mi).
Known as "City of Djinns", Delhi covers 1,484 km² with a population of 16.8 million. The city was founded around 1500 BC. Delhi is known for Red Fort, India Gate, Qutub Minar, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Delhi Metro.
Delhi is a megacity and union territory of India, containing New Delhi, the capital of the country.
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the fourth-most populous city in California and the 17th-most populous in the United States, with a population of 826,079 in 2025. Among U.S. cities with a population of 300,000 or more, San Francisco is ranked first by per capita income, second by population density, and sixth by aggregate income as of 2023.
Also known as "The City by the Bay", San Francisco has an area of 121 km² and is home to 0.9 million people. The city dates back to 1776. Visitors come for Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz Island, Cable cars, and much more. Getting around is easy with the BART & Muni.
San Francisco ranks first by per capita income among all US cities with 300,000+ residents as of 2023.
Looking beyond city limits, the Delhi metropolitan area covers 46,208 km², which is 6.6x larger than greater San Francisco at 6,984 km². The Delhi metro area is also more populous, with 32.9 million people compared to 4.7 million.
Delhi has a population density of 11,314 people per km² — an extremely dense urban environment. San Francisco, with 7,190 people per km², is a densely populated city. Delhi is noticeably denser, packing 1.6 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Delhi in Asia versus San Francisco in North America. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Delhi has a humid subtropical climate while San Francisco experiences Mediterranean conditions. Summers are notably different: Delhi averages 34°C compared to 17°C in San Francisco. When it's noon in Delhi, it's midnight in San Francisco — a 13.5-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
San Francisco fits inside Delhi ~12 times
Density Gap
Delhi is 1.6x more densely populated
Time Difference
13.5 hours apart
History
Delhi is ~3,276 years older
Delhi covers 1,484 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Mexico City (1,485 km²), São Paulo (1,521 km²), Bangkok (1,569 km²), London (1,572 km²), or Bogotá (1,578 km²).
San Francisco covers 121 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Vancouver (115 km²), Paris (105 km²), Miami (143 km²), Barcelona (101 km²), or Lisbon (100 km²).
The straight-line distance from Delhi to San Francisco is 12,349 km (7,673 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~15h 2m.
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