Dubai
4,114 km²
Sydney
12,368 km²
UAE
Australia
Area Comparison
Dubai is 3.0x smaller than Sydney
Population Comparison
Dubai has 1.6x fewer people than Sydney
In terms of area, Sydney is 3.0x the size of Dubai. Sydney spans 12,368 km² (4,775 mi²) while Dubai covers 4,114 km² (1,588 mi²) — a difference of 8,254 km². You could fit Dubai inside Sydney approximately 3 times.
To put Dubai's size in perspective, its area of 4,114 km² is roughly the same size as Rhode Island. Meanwhile, Sydney at 12,368 km² is about 2.0x the size of Shanghai.
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. For Sydney, that's about 1,700,000 American football fields, 120 times the area of Paris, or 100 times the area of San Francisco.
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.
Sydney is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and is the most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west, and about 80 kilometres (50 mi) from Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park and the Hawkesbury River in the north and north-west, to the Royal National Park and Macarthur in the south and south-west.
Often called "Sydneysiders", Sydney has an area of 12,368 km² and is home to 5.3 million people. The city dates back to 1788. Visitors come for Sydney Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, Bondi Beach, and much more. Getting around is easy with the Sydney Trains.
Sydney stretches roughly 80 km from the Pacific Ocean in the east to the Blue Mountains in the west.
Dubai has a population density of 809 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Sydney, with 429 people per km², is a low-density, sprawling urban area. Dubai is noticeably denser, packing 1.9 times more people per square kilometer.
This comparison spans continents — Dubai in Asia versus Sydney in Oceania. Despite the geographic distance, comparing their sizes reveals surprising insights about how cities grow worldwide.
Dubai has a hot desert climate while Sydney experiences humid subtropical conditions. Summers are notably different: Dubai averages 36°C compared to 23°C in Sydney. When it's noon in Sydney, it's 6:00 AM in Dubai — a 6-hour time difference.
Size Ratio
Dubai fits inside Sydney ~3 times
Density Gap
Dubai is 1.9x more densely populated
Time Difference
6 hours apart
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).
Sydney covers 12,368 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Chengdu (14,378 km²), Xi'an (10,097 km²), Melbourne (9,993 km²), Brisbane (15,826 km²), or Beijing (16,411 km²).
The straight-line distance from Dubai to Sydney is 12,050 km (7,487 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~14h 41m.
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