Dubai
4,114 km²
Santiago
838 km²
UAE
Chile
Area Comparison
Dubai is 4.9x larger than Santiago
Population Comparison
Dubai has 1.9x fewer people than Santiago
Dubai is significantly larger, covering 4.9 times the area of Santiago. Dubai spans 4,114 km² (1,588 mi²) while Santiago covers 838 km² (324 mi²) — a difference of 3,276 km². You could fit Santiago inside Dubai approximately 4 times.
To put Dubai's size in perspective, its area of 4,114 km² is roughly the same size as Rhode Island. Meanwhile, Santiago at 838 km² is roughly the same size as Berlin.
Dubai's footprint is roughly about 576,000 American football fields, 70 times the area of Manhattan, or 39 times the area of Paris — pick whichever unit feels intuitive. Santiago, by comparison, equals about 117,000 American football fields, 14 times the area of Manhattan, or 8 times the area of Paris.
Dubai is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai. It is on a creek on the southeastern coast of the Persian Gulf. As of 2025, its population stands at 4 million, 92% of whom are expatriates. The wider urban area includes Sharjah and has a population of 5 million people as of 2023, while the Dubai–Sharjah–Ajman metropolitan area has a population of 6 million people.
Known as "City of Gold", Dubai covers 4,114 km² with a population of 3.3 million. The city was established in 1833. Dubai is known for Burj Khalifa, Palm Jumeirah, Dubai Mall, among other attractions. The city's main transit system is the Dubai Metro.
Dubai's population reached 4 million in 2025, with 92% of residents being expatriates rather than UAE nationals.
Santiago, also known as Santiago de Chile, is the capital and largest city of Chile and one of the largest cities in the Americas. Located in the Chilean Central Valley within the Santiago Basin, between the Andes to the east and the Chilean Coastal Range to the west, it anchors the Santiago Metropolitan Region and its conurbation of Greater Santiago, which comprises more than forty communes and concentrates over a third of the national population and around 45% of Chile's GDP.
Often called "Santiago de Chile", Santiago has an area of 838 km² and is home to 6.3 million people. It was established in 1541. Visitors come for Cerro San Cristóbal, Gran Torre Santiago, Plaza de Armas, and much more.
Santiago sits in the Chilean Central Valley between the Andes and the Coastal Range, anchoring over a third of Chile's population.
Dubai has a population density of 809 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Santiago, with 7,470 people per km², is a densely populated city. Santiago is dramatically more crowded, with 9.2x the population density.
Size Ratio
Santiago fits inside Dubai ~4 times
Density Gap
Santiago is 9.2x more densely populated
History
Santiago is ~292 years older
Dubai covers 4,114 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Karachi (3,527 km²), Hanoi (3,359 km²), Istanbul (5,461 km²), Cairo (3,085 km²), or Lima (2,672 km²).
Santiago covers 838 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Kyoto (828 km²), Berlin (892 km²), New York (783 km²), Hamburg (755 km²), or Bangalore (741 km²).
The straight-line distance from Dubai to Santiago is 14,751 km (9,166 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~17h 51m.
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