Edinburgh
259 km²
Lisbon
100 km²
United Kingdom
Portugal
Area Comparison
Edinburgh is 2.6x larger than Lisbon
Population Comparison
Edinburgh has 1.1x fewer people than Lisbon
Yes — Edinburgh is 2.6x larger than Lisbon by area. Edinburgh spans 259 km² (100 mi²) while Lisbon covers 100 km² (39 mi²) — a difference of 159 km². You could fit Lisbon inside Edinburgh approximately 2 times.
To put Edinburgh's size in perspective, its area of 259 km² is about 1.2x the size of Amsterdam. Meanwhile, Lisbon at 100 km² is roughly the same size as Paris (city proper).
Picture Edinburgh another way: its area is large enough to fit about 36,000 American football fields, 130 times the area of Monaco, or 76 times the area of Central Park. Lisbon works out to about 14,000 American football fields, 50 times the area of Monaco, or 29 times the area of Central Park.
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. It is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh had a population of 506,520 in 2020, making it the second-most-populous city in Scotland and the seventh-most-populous in the United Kingdom. The wider metropolitan area had a population of 912,490 in the same year.
Known as "Auld Reekie", Edinburgh covers 259 km² with a population of 0.5 million. The city was established in 601. Edinburgh is known for Edinburgh Castle, Royal Mile, Arthur's Seat, among other attractions.
Edinburgh is bounded by the Firth of Forth to the north and the Pentland Hills to the south.
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.
Nicknamed "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.
Edinburgh has a population density of 1,892 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Lisbon, with 5,500 people per km², is a densely populated city. Lisbon is noticeably denser, packing 2.9 times more people per square kilometer.
Size Ratio
Lisbon fits inside Edinburgh ~2 times
Density Gap
Lisbon is 2.9x more densely populated
History
Lisbon is ~1,801 years older
Edinburgh covers 259 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Taipei (272 km²), Kuala Lumpur (243 km²), Boston (232 km²), Osaka (225 km²), or Amsterdam (219 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 Edinburgh to Lisbon is 1,966 km (1,222 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~2h 49m.
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