Hangzhou
16,854 km²
Shanghai
6,341 km²
People's Republic of China
China
Area Comparison
Hangzhou is 2.7x larger than Shanghai
Population Comparison
Hangzhou has 2.1x fewer people than Shanghai
In terms of area, Hangzhou is 2.7x the size of Shanghai. Hangzhou spans 16,854 km² (6,507 mi²) while Shanghai covers 6,341 km² (2,448 mi²) — a difference of 10,513 km². You could fit Shanghai inside Hangzhou approximately 2 times.
To put Hangzhou's size in perspective, its area of 16,854 km² is about 2.7x the size of Shanghai. Meanwhile, Shanghai at 6,341 km² is about 1.5x the size of Los Angeles metro.
Picture Hangzhou another way: its area is large enough to fit about 2,400,000 American football fields, 160 times the area of Paris, or 140 times the area of San Francisco. Shanghai, by comparison, equals about 888,000 American football fields, 110 times the area of Manhattan, or 60 times the area of Paris.
Hangzhou is the capital city and most populous city of Zhejiang province, China, situated at the intersection of the southern terminus of the Grand Canal and the head of Hangzhou Bay. Renowned as one of the Eight Ancient Capitals of China, Hangzhou is celebrated for its cultural heritage and its West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Known as "Paradise on Earth", Hangzhou covers 16,854 km² with a population of 11.9 million. Hangzhou is known for West Lake, Grand Canal terminus, Lingyin Temple, among other attractions.
Hangzhou's West Lake is a UNESCO World Heritage site, drawing visitors to its celebrated cultural landscape.
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.
Hangzhou has a population density of 708 people per km² — a relatively spread-out city. Shanghai, with 3,922 people per km², is a moderately dense city. Shanghai is dramatically more crowded, with 5.5x the population density.
Size Ratio
Shanghai fits inside Hangzhou ~2 times
Density Gap
Shanghai is 5.5x more densely populated
Hangzhou covers 16,854 km². Cities with a similar urban footprint include Beijing (16,411 km²), Brisbane (15,826 km²), Chengdu (14,378 km²), Sydney (12,368 km²), or Xi'an (10,097 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 Hangzhou to Shanghai is 166 km (103 miles), with an estimated flight time of ~42m.
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